J_Ozzy

Wow, it's been a while since this thread has been used. Just a note that a reasonable selection of rhum Agricole has arrived at the SAQ in the past 2 months. 2 new expressions of St-James, a Dillon blanc and an aged product from Guadaloupe. edit: spelling

That's a pretty impressive list. The only ones I can think of to add are The Savoy Cocktail and the Old Waldorf Bar book.

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far (the Champs Elysée sounds delicious). It turns out that I'm getting someting wholely unsuited for mixing ... to use as a mixer. I managed to snag a magnum of Hennessy XO at the local price of VS cognac, so I'll be "wasting" it (I know, I know) in cocktails for quite some time to come. For making fruit cordials, my family has been using Dujardin VSOP, a German brand I mentioned upthread, for several years. I think it's a great brandy for infusing, if anyone is looking for such a recommendation.

I'm a fan of Campari, too. In the hot afternoons, I like to make a sort-of Campari highball 1.5 oz Campari 1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth Stir with ice Top with Tonic Water I guess you could call it a Cautious Americano The sweetness of the tonic water cuts the Campari down a bit. Plus I'm a huge fan of tonic water (I enjoy it on its own). anyways, it works for me.

Hello all, I've just recently finished off a bottle of VS cognac I was using for Sidecars, East India's and Millenium cocktails. I am satisfied with the cognac's performance, but its price, at least here in Ontario, has become too prohibitive for me to continue mixing with it. So, what sort of brandy do you use when it's called for in a drink? Do you go with a value brand like Chemineau? something a bit more expensive like Dujardin VSOP? I'm on firm ground for sipping brandy/cognacs (I've got a great bottle of Delamain going right now), but I'm at a loss when it comes to a decent mixing brand.

As carswell said, this is a pretty big region. I'm partial to the pic St-Loups , myself

There's a wonderful article / how-to /story of the construction of a home bar here (with pictures)

Apicio, Well, I feel like a dolt. I can't believe I didn't check close to home . Looking at the Vintages database, an Ottawa store and a Toronto store still have stock. I'll see if I can get an inter-store transfer. Thanks. edit: spelling

Hello all, I've been searching for a north american retailer that sells Cherry Marnier. I've come up blank so far. Any help would be appreciated. Bonus points if it can be found in Canada.

sadistick: In Ontario (and Canada more generally) bitters are classified as food additives (like real vanilla extract). As such, you can purchase Angostura bitters in most major supermarkets. Also, bitters are much easier to import (in the case of fee brothers' and peychaud's) than beverage alcohol, since they are non-potable. The duties are negligeable compared to beverage alcohol markups. The only problem with importing is that the shipper usually sells by the case, which in terms of usage is a lifetime's supply.

Hello all, Just a heads up for all the Ontario (and Quebec , due the the SAQ strike) members. The LCBO Vintages program has just released (Jan 22nd) Luxardo Maraschino. I've been considering importing it for quite some time, so I'm quite excited that I can finally build a proper Aviation. Get it while it lasts. If it sells well, there's an increased chance it'll be featured by Vintages again in the future. edit: product details here and here

Indeed, it is cheaper to come back through Ontario rather than Quebec (If you ignore the liquor across provicial lines hogwash). But only on the larger quantities. IIRC the surcharge on accompanied liquor is around 70%, for up to 6 cases of wine. The information on provincial surcharge is out there, but is rather hard to get at. I ended up calling an obscure number in Toronto to find out (which I have since lost. erg)

To be fair, there are some canadian "rye" whiskies made to, or above, the american definition of the spirit. A couple are 100% rye distillates. My, (incomplete) list: Alberta Premium Alberta Springs Tangle Ridge Silk Tassel Highwood Centenial Limited Edition I've lived in canada my entire life, and I agree with mzungu that CC is just basic well liquor (although there is an 18 yr Japanese export IIRC).

Oh yes, it's a real drink, although not really a legitimate choice if you respect yourself. The "cement mixer" seems to encompass any drink that curdles in one's mouth. The local (college) variation I'm familiar with involves Bailey's and lemon juice.

Perhaps I overstepped myself when I said sugar beet "molasses". I'm not sure about that part. I do, however, distinctly remember reading that it was made from sugar beets (probably somewhere in the LCBO literature). edit: typo

I'm with 2roost on this. It's definitely not a tradition cane-sugar molasses rum, but it is made from sugar beet molasses. molasses --> rum , at least in my book.

It's a nice holiday treat isn't it? It's a bit on the high side but, all in all, worth it.

Au Contraire, mon Frère The LCBO vintages division has seen it fit to stock it in Ontario at a reasonable price, 69.95 CAD I've inspected a bottle of it myself at the Rideau St. Store in Ottawa :edited to remove picture from quote

For restaurant and bar supplies in Kingston, I tend to use Jordash . It's more of a commercial equipment store, but it's open to everyone. Apparently there's a Hendrix's here as well, but I have yet to go.

I'll second Drinkboy on purchasing absinthe through LdF (www.absintheonline.com). While I haven't tried the Jade varietals yet, my previous orders (Un Emile brands) arrived quickly by courier without any fuss.

Hi, This is a bit of a threadjack, but is there a definitive list of beverage agents (wine, spirits, beer) for Ontario? I've been poking around for such a list for quite some time. It seems like such a bother to have to ask private ordering to find one everytime I want something that's not listed. That said, I enjoy the Vintages corners and boutiques, but I end up buying more wine from the SAQ due to proximity and wider advertised selection (really into Langedoc Pic-St Loups right now). The Vintages spirits releases has had some nice surprises lately (green spot, decent aged rums, etc)

When cost isn't an option, I tend towards Cointreau and Hornitos for my margaritas. However, since I'm a poor canadian college student, I have to pay quite a premium for Hornitos Since purchasing both premium tequila and premium orange liqueur is beyond my buying power, I buy the tequila. Here in Ontario, I use Meagher's Triple Sec as my orange liqueur. It comes in cointreau-like squarish container, is bottled at 35% and runs about $10 cheaper than Cointreau. Marie Brizard and McGuiness are also fine, but are lower proof. Even better, if you have access to it, is Meagher's Gran Curacao. Same bottle, Same price, same proof as above, but the contents are IMO easily on par with Cointreau. Unfortunately, I have to make trips to Quebec to get my hands on it. so, If you have access to it, Meagher's Gran Curacao is an exceptionally priced substitute for Cointreau .

If you're game for a road trip through the mountains, Alberta has an almost deregulated (read, much less archaic) liquor system. lower prices and the widest selection are available in Calgary and Edmonton. The Rockies and the Pacific Coastal Range Mountains are also spectacular.

Hi Kristian, If you haven't found it already, bc liquor stores have an online presence. Their list of rum is quite extensive, including Cruzan, Havana Club, Barbancourt (including their 15 yr old), and the old canadian/newfie/jamaican standby, Screech. As Jason mentioned, filling in the gaps in your rum portfolio can be accomplished duty-free (in two bottle increments) on 48 hr trips to Washington state or Oregon. Have fun and enjoy yourself in beautiful B.C.

Cruzan is already on the shelves in Ontario. two flavoured rums (rum liqueurs) , coconut and vanilla, have been around for a while. New (within the past 2 months) is the Cruzan Single Barrel Estate (available on a limited basis). cruzan estate diamond (and single barrel) is available in Manitoba I'm looking forward to giving the Cruzan vanilla rum a try in the near future. Edited to add: Alberta, our only quasi-deregulated province, has stores that have carried most of the Cruzan line for years...at lower prices... go figure