A Toast to the Coast

When the world’s largest ice cubes float past your door each day, you might have a different outlook on life, and cocktails. That quirky view is what inspired a group of Newfoundlanders to start harvesting all that ice, in order to turn it into the world’s purest vodka.

Iceberg Vodka is, as the name suggests, distilled using glacier ice, harvested as it floats the north Atlantic. The company says these massive pieces of ice are made up of water “frozen for tens of thousands of years, long before industrial pollution, naturally preserving the purest source of water on the planet”.

The best way to taste this purity? In a proper and simple dry vodka martini.

Ancient Iceberg Vodka Martini
2 oz Iceberg Vodka (Fresh from the freezer, for the perfect north Atlantic chill)
1-3 drops vermouth (or to taste)

Shake over ice, and strain into a martini glass or pour into a rocks glass if you’d prefer it on ice. Garnish with olives.

There are several distilleries on the east coast, creating craft spirits from local water and ingredients like corn, rye, and barley. Caldera Distilling  in River John, Nova Scotia makes a Canadian whisky with a dash of history in the bottle.

An old barn on the distillery property has a pencilled note inside reading “October 18 1939 Storm”. A check of historical weather data produced records for a large storm called only “Hurricane #5.” That’s how a new Canadian liquor was born.

An east coaster never shied away from a good strong cocktail and given the historical pedigree of this whisky, making an Old Fashioned with it seems like the natural choice.  

Hurricane #5 Old Fashioned
sugar cube 
splash of club soda
1 dash bitters 
2 oz Caldera Hurricane 5 Canadian Whisky 
maraschino cherry + lemon twist 

Muddle the sugar cube, club soda, and bitters in an old fashioned glass then add whiskey and stir. Squeeze the lemon twist over the glass and drop it in. Add ice and a single cherry.

As we’re celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary, it’s fitting we should raise a glass of one of Canada’s oldest beers. Moosehead is the country’s oldest independent brewery and they’ve announced a special 150th Anniversary Ale which features ingredients from all across Canada.

“We made this hop-forward pale ale with hops from Thompson Okanagan, British Columbia, Sainte-Anne-de-Prescott, Ontario and Moose Mountain, New Brunswick and Canadian barley malt from Neustadt, Ontario and the Canadian Prairies,” the brewery explains on its website.

While best sampled on its own to discern the subtleties of flavour, you could also blend this beer with another very Canadian ingredient, Clamato juice for those days you need a little hair of the dog.

150th Anniversary Red Eye
12 oz Moosehead Anniversary beer
3 - 4 oz clamato juice

Pour clamato into the glass and top with beer.   

East coasters are friendly, charming and more than happy to share their knowledge and local favourites with visitors so don’t be afraid to ask for a local’s recommendation if you’re travelling. Just don’t ask what getting “screeched in” or “kissing the cod” is all about… unless you're feeling brave.

- Erin