Saturday, October 1st. The Grand Tasting. After nearly a month of cocktail sipping leading up to this event I was, needless to say, very excited. My first experience with the evenings libations was attending the Home Bartenders Competition in the upstairs gallery of the Crystal Gardens. Such a lovely, sun soaked location for this event. I was a little disappointed to see that there was only about 12 people in the room, including myself. I’m guessing because the ticket price only included small sips from each cocktail, people didn’t see the value in the $10.00 ticket. Too bad.
These home bartenders did put on a good little show as they muddled, crushed, poured, shook, stirred and garnished their home creations. Sadly, I did not get to taste any of the drinks and therefore can’t give you my opinion of them. I do know that our own local food blogger Janice Mansfield (or @toots11 as she is known on Twitter) won the overall prize. So congrats to Janice!
Continue reading “Art of the Cocktail: The Grand Tasting” →
For the final days of Art of the Cocktail’s Sip Around event, we decided to head straight downtown, into the core of the city. One place I have not often set foot in, is Sauce Restaurant. I’ve been there a coupl of times in the past, but not in a few years. It was high time we tried out what they had in store for us.
We were greeted by an empty restaurant (being 3pm on a Friday afternoon, I may add) and we bellied up to the bar to speak with the main cocktail artist, Kyle. With no one but us to serve, we were given the full treatment.
Continue reading “Art of the Cocktail: Sip Around at Sauce Restaurant and Spinnakers Gastro Pub” →
Coming to the end of Sip Around has me feeling both excited (for the main event, of course), but also a little sad. It’s been quite a fun little adventure for this mostly housebound mom of two. To have the opportunity to hobnob with cocktail kings and queens, to discuss their dedication to their craft is almost a revelation. I didn’t know this kind of cocktail enthusiasm existed outside of the really big cities. In fact, we might have been living with one of the best bars in the world. Clive’s Classic Lounge, located on the ground floor of the Chateau Victoria was recently nominated as the World’s Best Hotel Bar. Among the other nominees? The Savoy in London.
This only goes to show what kind of culinary town we actually live in here on our little island. So unassuming, some people have never heard of it (most people, really…). Even most folks from Vancouver have never ventured a hop on the BC Ferries to come see what is on offer over here.
Having only a couple of short days left to make decisions as to which bar we wanted to visit, I chose Clive’s. I’ve heard only good things about it and wanted to find out for myself, just what is the story behind this dark little hotel lobby bar. Much more than meets the eye, apparently.
Being that we hit the lounge on a Wednesday at 3pm, there were not too many patrons to speak to about their experiences there. We had to rely on our own opinions, the amazing cocktail artist Shawn Soole, and a couple of social media mavens (Rebecca Coleman @rebeccacoleman and Lorraine Murphy @raincoaster) parked at the bar.
Continue reading “Art of the Cocktail: Sip Around at Clive’s Classic Lounge” →
Quickly now. You only have three days left to take advantage of this awesome event that’s happening in downtown Victoria. An event based around cocktails, and socializing, and drinking, and eating. It’s all my favourite things all wrapped up into one perfect little package, and I have the privilege of trying several of the locations. Being put on by Art of the Cocktail, Sip Around is happening until September 30th, followed by the main event on October 1st.
On Friday, because it was Mr. Guilty’s 30th birthday, we went for a night on the town. This was not your average husband and wife on the town kind of thing, no. We haven’t been out, alone for a night on the town since well before we had children. Possibly almost a full five years ago. How sad is that? I’m only 28! I do not regret one thing, but I do miss being able to just grabmy jacket and purse, throw on a cute outfit and head out for drinks after work. Now, there is no “after work”, there is only making dinner, kissing plump cheeks, reading silly books and quickly gulping a glass of wine between stirring pots of noodles, tossing salads and wiping teary cheeks.
Continue reading “Art of the Cocktail: Sip Around at Veneto Lounge” →
Well, it’s finally happened here in Victoria. Fall has arrived in all it’s unglorious forms. It’s cold (14°C yesterday), the heat is on, the wind is blowing and it’s pouring down rain. My snowbird parents have decided that this marks the beginning of their trip back down south for the winter, and I don’t blame them. Surely if I had no ties to this place, I would be gone in a second for warmer climes. It’s not the cold I dislike, but the rain. I hate it. I won’t leave the house. I stand at the windows and glare at the dark clouds. And so the countdown begins until the next season of little rain, and it’s a long wait.
The beginning of fall does mark another event for us Canadians though, Thanksgiving. Which is on October 10th this year. Which brings us to this weeks challenge for the Canadian Tire Kitchen Crew series (part II!). Here is a reminder of the specifics:
“Thanksgiving. For some, just hearing the word makes them shudder, especially thinking about all the work creating a thanksgiving feast for your family entails. Your mission this week is to get inspired and take a new view on old Thanksgiving classics. From side dishes to the main event – anything goes!”
Continue reading “Kitchen Crew Mission #2 Part Two – Cornish Hens” →
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Hi! I'm Elizabeth. I like fitness, bad ass tattoos, food, bacon, chocolate, taking lots of silly pictures and my spawn. Check out my FAQ for all the usual Qs or send me an e-mail and tell me all about your cat and your Aunt Sally's amazing apple pie. |
