Today, a quick look at three recent spirits-based events held and attended in the space of one whirlwind evening in the tony downtown Toronto area. Location, of course, is irrelevant: Taste is always a national concern.

THREE SPIRITS
In mid-August, the Ossington strip held its annual Cuban-themed festival, Havana Cultura. When it comes to spirits, a Cuban festival means one thing: rum (which makes Havana Club rum’s press-event location, Resposado restaurant and tequila bar, a strange choice, but I digress). The host spirit and venue both certainly went all out, providing Cuban music, cocktails and even a talented cigar roller from Frank Correnti Cigars, very authentic.

I learned first-hand that Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros — an expert blend of aged rums, specially selected by a team of Havana Club rum aficionados, which is further barrel-aged as a batch before bottling — pairs wonderfully with a Cuban cigar, due in no small part to the subtle notes of tobacco in both nose and palate. Contributing to the taste of this ultra-smooth rum are the heavy flavours of toffee, vanilla and cocoa.

Bartenders and journalists like to talk, more so after a cigar and a few belts. The talk became the walk, and I arrived my second event: a tasting for Chartreuse, the powerful herbal liqueur, at Barchef. Without exaggeration, Barchef boasts one of the most progressive cocktail programs in the country. It is unique in the fact that it is an honest-to-goodness cocktail bar — not a restaurant with a cocktail program. The joint lives up to its name and then some, with the large cocktail selection revolving around not only complex, innovative flavour combinations and fresh produce, but homemade EVERYTHING, from bitters to infusions to syrups. Throw in some avant-garde molecular mixology and you start to get the picture.

A healthy number of enthusiasts and seasoned bartenders alike gathered to participate in a presentation and guided tasting of Chartreuse green, yellow and the ever-elusive super-aged V.E.P. (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé), as well as a Barchef signature cocktail. Led by Chartreuse Export Director Philippe Rochez, the presentation was very in-depth and informative, delving into minute details… minus, of course, the secret recipe of 130 ingredients that has been closely guarded by generation upon generation of Carthusian monks since 1740.

But the night was, as they say, young: There remained a whisky tasting, courtesy of the good people at Collingwood Canadian Whisky. The name notwithstanding, this spirit is brand new to the Canadian market (although it was previously released in the United States, which speaks volumes about Canadian whisky’s popularity south of the border). Collingwood Canadian is unique in its barrel-aging methodology, with the whisky maturing in barrels formally used for aging bourbon. This, of course,  is the norm for any whisky, regardless of origin — but Collingwood’s distillers also insert staves of toasted maple into the barrel during the aging process. The end result is a very mellow and unique whisky, perfect for sipping neat but also fantastic in many whisky cocktails.

Master Distiller Chris Morris was on hand to field all of our nerdy questions. He even promised me a few days of whisky-making at the distillery in the near future… Score!

THREE RECIPES
Man of Interest (Brad Gubbins, Toronto Temperence Society)
1.75 oz Havana Club 7 year old
.75 oz sweet vermouth
.5 oz Aperol
2 dashes cherry bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Fill 2/3 with ice and stir well. Strain cocktail over good, solid ice cubes in an Old Fashioned glass. Express oils from a swath of orange peel over the drink and garnish with the twist.

Fontainebleau (Frankie Solarik, Barchef)
1.25 oz green Chartreuse
.75 oz Campari
1 oz vanilla syrup**
.75 oz fresh lime juice
white of 1 egg
fresh ground cacao, sprinkled on top

Combine all ingredients in a boston shaker and dry shake. Fill with ice and shake well again. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupe and sprinkle some freshly ground cacao on top.

**Combine 2.5 cups water, 1.5 cups sugar and 1 vanilla pod (split in half) in a pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

First Water Cocktail (Wes Galloway)
1.5 oz Canadian whisky (such as Collingwood)
.5 oz cream sherry
.5 oz Navan vanilla cognac
3 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir well with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the oils from a swath of orange peel over the drink and drop it in.

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Image courtesy of Kevin Labianco.