"If you walk a mile in my shoes you’ll end up in a gin bar"
I had the pleasure of touring the Lone Pine distillery in Edmonton and meeting the gracious host and owner Bryan Anderson. The space is light and airy with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the bar. Take a step into the back and it's all business, with towering equipment perfectly gleaming at you from every corner of the room. Top it all off with twin column 18-foot-high distillation towers and you know your in a distillery! I got to sample the range of spirits being created and they are seriously good. From their Parkland Wheat Vodka through to their Earl Grey Gin, I was very impressed with the depth and range of flavours in each taste.
Lone Pine Distilling gives you a unique local take on craft distilling, featuring one-of-a-kind recipes alongside traditional flavours. Our products include gin and vodka with new products released regularly. We’ve laid down whisky and are patiently waiting for the aging process to develop the full flavour.
Speaking to Bryan is fabulous. His passion and enthusiasm for distilling is apparent at every turn. His goal is to create a sipping culture, that I personally am fully in favour of!
"What is “Sipping Culture”? Simply put: it’s a culture that encourages sipping."
To celebrate just one of the fabulous gins on offer I present you with my take on a Gin sour that features the deliciously intense Lone Pine Barrel Aged Gin and a rather interesting syrup;
LP SOUR
What you need
2oz Barrel Aged Lone Pine Gin
3/4 oz lemon juiced
1/2 oz Reduced Cola Syrup (see below)
1 egg white
Cola Syrup
1 can of good cola- I used Phillips Soda Works Speed King Craft Cola
Zest of a lemon
Pinch of smoked sea salt
Method- Place the cola into a pan and reduce to 1/4 its original. Take off the heat, add the lemon zest and salt and allow to cool. Sieve into a jar and cool fully. Keep in the fridge.
Combine gin, lemon juice, and cola syrup in a jar and chill until very cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Crack the egg and separate the white from the yolk. Chill there egg white till you're ready to make the drink.
When ready to drink add the egg white to the jar and then fill the jar with ice and shake until the outside is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass.
*Raw egg is not recommended for the elderly, people with weakened immune systems…or people who don’t like raw egg- although I strongly advise trying it if you never have, it's a home cocktail game changer! Egg whites give cocktails an airy and velvety texture; delicious!
If you would like to take a virtual tour click here or better still, go and do the tour and drink all the delicious cocktails made right there in the distillery.
I have one more cocktail coming soon with the Lone Pin Barrel Aged Gin and a haskap berry liquor that is currently being made- it takes a while but is so worth it. Perfect for your Christmas party, watch this space........
*Lone Pine gave me a bottle of gin to create some delicious cocktails to share with you. Recipes, opionions, images and terrible use of exclamation marks are as always, my very own.