The Calgary Bartenders Association's second event: Agave on the Rocks
Olives restaurant hosted the event which was devoted to the Mexican spirit
Guests were welcomed with a Beergarita - amazing with a lemon slushy "iceberg" as Garth Brown the restaurant's general manager dubbed it
Marlene and Garth Brown, proud supporters of the Calgary Bartenders Association
Leonidas chocolates from Manon’s Leonidas Belgian Chocolates in Britannia Plaza including this tequila inspired chocolate - tequila sunrise
Truffles and Gianduja chocolates
This time a daiquiri inspired chocolate
Franz Swinton pours some Corzo tequila for guests
Tasty nibbles like this quesadilla made by Chef Jonathan Canning were on hand for guests
Garth Brown shows the amazing difference between a conventional pillow case ice cube (in left hand) and the slower melting version from Kold Draft
Stephen Phipps near his showcase of tequila
Corzo tequila blanco
Colin Tait of Hotel Arts serves up some tequila
Corzo tequila reposado
Philippe Grandbois discusses spirits with a group of attendees
Corzo tequila anejo
Christina Mah of Charcut and a guest mix up her specialty for the night Tommy's Margarita
A closer look at the interactive cocktail for the evening Tommy's MargaritaFor their second event, the Calgary Bartenders Association mixed it up - literally. Choosing tequila as their featured spirit the assocation wowed guests with a delicious welcome cocktail, the beergarita. Made with a lemony slush (a special machine was brought in) the drink was a great way to begin the evening. "Tequila is not just for shots. There is a stigma with tequila but it is so versatile," explained Jimmy Nguyen of Olives.
Olives restaurant hosted the event which featured three tequilas from Corzo. The Corzo Blanco is an unaged, filtered spirit that is light in colour. "I like this one because you can taste the agave the most," said Colin Tait of Raw Bar. The Corzo Resposado is a honey hued spirit with a slightly woody aroma. "There is an element of mixing with tequila and Corzo is a great, accessible choice," added Philippe Grandbois of Barmetrix and co-founder of the association. The third tasting was the Corzo anejo which is aged for a minimum of one year in oak barrels. "This is by far my favourite because of how smooth it is," commented Stephen Phipps of Brasserie Kensington.
Another unusual and fascinating debut was the Kold Draft ice cubes. Larger and more dense than convention ice cubes, the Kold Draft ice is slow melting (a boon to cocktails), harder and with less impurities. "At restaurants water is a huge resource. Ice cubes are such a small detail but make a huge difference to a drink. For bartenders it changes the way you think about mixing," said Garth Brown while holding two ice cubes to show the staggering difference between conventional and Kold Draft. Brown noted that the restaurant had conducted an experiment testing conventional ice cubes melting properties against those of Kold Draft - we had only to look at our drinks and the boulders of ice still intact after a quarter of an hour to realize the conclusion (it really does take a long time to melt the Kold Draft).
For those with a sweet tooth Leonidas in Britannia concocted tequila inspired chocolates and truffles which made cute and delicious party favours for guests. Paired with the cocktails it had CSL chanting Salud Cin cin!
Olives restaurant hosted the event which featured three tequilas from Corzo. The Corzo Blanco is an unaged, filtered spirit that is light in colour. "I like this one because you can taste the agave the most," said Colin Tait of Raw Bar. The Corzo Resposado is a honey hued spirit with a slightly woody aroma. "There is an element of mixing with tequila and Corzo is a great, accessible choice," added Philippe Grandbois of Barmetrix and co-founder of the association. The third tasting was the Corzo anejo which is aged for a minimum of one year in oak barrels. "This is by far my favourite because of how smooth it is," commented Stephen Phipps of Brasserie Kensington.
Another unusual and fascinating debut was the Kold Draft ice cubes. Larger and more dense than convention ice cubes, the Kold Draft ice is slow melting (a boon to cocktails), harder and with less impurities. "At restaurants water is a huge resource. Ice cubes are such a small detail but make a huge difference to a drink. For bartenders it changes the way you think about mixing," said Garth Brown while holding two ice cubes to show the staggering difference between conventional and Kold Draft. Brown noted that the restaurant had conducted an experiment testing conventional ice cubes melting properties against those of Kold Draft - we had only to look at our drinks and the boulders of ice still intact after a quarter of an hour to realize the conclusion (it really does take a long time to melt the Kold Draft).
For those with a sweet tooth Leonidas in Britannia concocted tequila inspired chocolates and truffles which made cute and delicious party favours for guests. Paired with the cocktails it had CSL chanting Salud Cin cin!
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