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.
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 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 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!
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.
I LOVE gin AND Forage. I can’t wait to go there and try this. #gttime
[…] Forage is closing. How sad! The hyper locally-focused destination room in the Listel Hotel will serve its final seating at brunch on November 17th. Its demise comes after just 12 years. During that time Forage has set the pace for sustainable dining in Vancouver. And it’s done so with singular focus and conviction that few, if any, others have. Also of note, sommelier Peter Sullivan’s wine list that left no corner (or varietal) of BC wine unexplored. Forage has long shone a spotlight on the province’s smaller producers, including wineries, craft brewers and artisan distillers.(The image above comes from an epic cocktail pairing dinner that was part of BCDistilled.) […]