‘Foragin’ craft gin flights of fancy

A close look at gin …

Leave it to forage to come up with a unique gin tasting option…

The ever inventive and regionally driven Vancouver restaurant has unveiled a flight of three one-ounce drops to celebrate BC’s burgeoning craft distillery culture. Each gin is paired with a taste from Chef Chris Whitaker’s adventuresome kitchen.

A fun gin flight, all explained

Launching the program is Vancouver’s Odd Society, Okanagan Spirits (Vernon, Kelowna) and Wayward Distillation of Courtenay.

The ‘gins’ have been carefully chosen to showcase an array of styles.

Odd Society Wallflower Gin with Read Island oyster and salmon caviar

Odd Society Wallflower Gin is likely not what you would first think about as a pairing with oysters. But the smooth elderflower toned spirit turns out to be a perfect match for a gently briny-sweet Read Island oyster and salmon caviar.

Okanagan Spirits Gin—with crispy, crunchy pork, of course!

Okanagan Spirits Gin is actually apple based, quite subtle, and slightly violet and rose petal toned. It turns out to be a slam dunk pairing with forage’s pork scruncheons and Sweet Cicely – a small dish that packs a serious paunch ;-). It also likely contains your daily fat allowance under Canada’s food guide!

A unique, dessert gin pairing of Wayward Distillation with sweet cicely ice-cream

Wayward Distillation Unruly Gin is actually 100 percent honey spirit (“what can happen when unruly people meet unruly bees”) with cedar, citrus, lavender, and sarsaparilla root. Obviously a firm favourite with craft spirits aficionados, this newbie won second place at recent BC distilled 2015. Its prevalent honey overtones make it a natural and umami driven match for the small but delicious taste of sweet Cicily ice cream.

The flight of three one-ounce pours and accompanying bites is offered for $25.

if you can’t make it into forage, chances are you can taste these gins (after 9 a.m.!) at some of the more prominent farmers markets around the province this summer.