Happy Hour: What you’ll be sipping in 2013
Adam McDowell
Some of the trends we observed last year have blossomed (tiki cocktails and exotic flavours of cocktail bitters), which emboldens us to make predictions about what you’ll be drinking in 2013. Get a glass ready for:
Microdistilled spirits Canada is catching up with the United States and Britain, where the trend toward smaller, independent spirits makers has reached maturity. Expect Canadian liquor stores to get their hands on a better selection of treats from across the country — products from Okanagan Spirits and Victoria Spirits in the West to Prince Edward Distillery and Ironworks Distillery in the East. You’ll also continue to see more boutique gins, rums and absinthes from small companies located abroad. It’s a win for the little guy, and for consumer choice.
Old-timey French beer Originally brewed for French farmhands to drink on the job during the spring and summer, saison beers have migrated to the alien (but equally moustache-friendly) climes of hip North American beer bars. Spicy and refreshingly effervescent, saisons are less challenging than some other styles beloved of hardcore beer geeks. If you associate with such people, they’ll probably offer you a glass. You should probably take it.
Doing it yourself Friends and relatives are asking me for tips on how to make bacon bourbon, homemade bitters and vanilla vodka. I didn’t find the trend, the trend found me.
Boozy ice pops This is more of a hunch than a prediction, but I can imagine frozen cocktails popping up in 2013, thanks to three factors: hotter summers, the Internet’s love of bright colour, and an undercurrent of desire for more frivolous libations after all the serious business of recreating vintage cocktails in recent years. In short: Fun in the sun!
Canadian whisky New (and newish), admirable products including Lot No. 40, Alberta Premium Dark Horse and Crown Royal Black, not to mention product placement on top-rated shows, are helping to propel Canadian whisky back to its rightful place next to the amber nectar of the other major whisky-producing countries. Watch out, Kentucky.
Worldwide whisky Meanwhile, countries with little or no tradition of whisky-making have not only been creating products of their own, they have often managed to impress spirits critics and serious drinkers. Expect to see even more brands — and good ones — from countries including Australia, India, Belgium, Sweden and France.
Spiced rum Not long ago, a handful of spiced rum brands (Sailor Jerry, Captain Morgan Spiced) easily satisfied the world’s need for sweetened, flavoured rum. Then along came The Kraken, Cruzan 9, Bacardi Oakheart and other intriguing products that encouraged mixologists to finally figure out how to use the stuff. Spiced rum can clash with other ingredients in cocktails; it’s challenging to work with, but the right recipe turns it into something delicious.
Microdistilled spirits Canada is catching up with the United States and Britain, where the trend toward smaller, independent spirits makers has reached maturity. Expect Canadian liquor stores to get their hands on a better selection of treats from across the country — products from Okanagan Spirits and Victoria Spirits in the West to Prince Edward Distillery and Ironworks Distillery in the East. You’ll also continue to see more boutique gins, rums and absinthes from small companies located abroad. It’s a win for the little guy, and for consumer choice.
Old-timey French beer Originally brewed for French farmhands to drink on the job during the spring and summer, saison beers have migrated to the alien (but equally moustache-friendly) climes of hip North American beer bars. Spicy and refreshingly effervescent, saisons are less challenging than some other styles beloved of hardcore beer geeks. If you associate with such people, they’ll probably offer you a glass. You should probably take it.
Doing it yourself Friends and relatives are asking me for tips on how to make bacon bourbon, homemade bitters and vanilla vodka. I didn’t find the trend, the trend found me.
Boozy ice pops This is more of a hunch than a prediction, but I can imagine frozen cocktails popping up in 2013, thanks to three factors: hotter summers, the Internet’s love of bright colour, and an undercurrent of desire for more frivolous libations after all the serious business of recreating vintage cocktails in recent years. In short: Fun in the sun!
Canadian whisky New (and newish), admirable products including Lot No. 40, Alberta Premium Dark Horse and Crown Royal Black, not to mention product placement on top-rated shows, are helping to propel Canadian whisky back to its rightful place next to the amber nectar of the other major whisky-producing countries. Watch out, Kentucky.
Worldwide whisky Meanwhile, countries with little or no tradition of whisky-making have not only been creating products of their own, they have often managed to impress spirits critics and serious drinkers. Expect to see even more brands — and good ones — from countries including Australia, India, Belgium, Sweden and France.
Spiced rum Not long ago, a handful of spiced rum brands (Sailor Jerry, Captain Morgan Spiced) easily satisfied the world’s need for sweetened, flavoured rum. Then along came The Kraken, Cruzan 9, Bacardi Oakheart and other intriguing products that encouraged mixologists to finally figure out how to use the stuff. Spiced rum can clash with other ingredients in cocktails; it’s challenging to work with, but the right recipe turns it into something delicious.
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