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Part 2 of the Chocomint Challenge was where I brought a second batch of organic chocolate mint to my friend and fellow Canucks uberfan, Jay Jones. HugeInJapan will remember him from the epic final stage of our legendary pub crawl together, but he now runs the cocktail programme at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s superb restaurant in the Shangri-La hotel, MARKET. 

Jay’s cocktail employed a different base, which gave him a chance to tell me about some of the different US-made Canadian whiskies now available here - just in time for our two nations’ shared birthday weekend - including the official spirit of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys’ Association, Pendleton from Oregon’s Hood River Distillers, as well as Caribou Crossing and Royal Canadian (shown above) both made by Sazerac. We also talked a lot about hockey and the various trades the Canucks have made lately, and all the while, I nibbled the completely addictive truffle oil popcorn that the always attentive Roland made sure was never empty in front of me.

We struggled to come up with the right name for the resulting julep, but finally settled on Jonesy’s suggestion of a hockey term, “slewfoot,” a type of tripping which results in somebody getting dumped on their backside, entirely appropriate for this kickass icy whistle-wetter, the “Slewfoot Julep” whose recipe is as follows:

Mash/muddle the mint in a shaker glass

Add 2 oz Royal Canadian small batch whisky

8 dashes Fee Bros Peach Bitters

4 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

1/2 oz Chartreuse V.E.P. (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé)

1/2 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur

Shake, strain and pour over crushed ice

Served in an antique glass with a chocolate mint garnish

Pic: Jay Jones

[Next up: the verdict!]

One of the benefits of knowing the city’s top barmen is being able to send out a tweet offering a harvest of organic chocolate mint from my roomie’s balcony and turning it into an impromptu cocktail competition (which I duly hashtagged #chocomintchallenge).

First up was my pal Shaun Layton, formerly of George Lounge and now the liquid genius behind the wood at L’Abattoir, one of my absolute faves among last year’s openings. 

Shaun’s cocktail, which we decided to name the “Gastown Julep,” was an improvisation while I watched that resulted in the following jet fuel:

Chocolate mint (bruised to release the oils)

45 ml Ron Zacapa rum  (23 year old)

10 ml Galliano L’Autentico

3 dashes Bittermen’s Xocolotl Mole bitters 

Stir and pour over crushed ice

Dust with sugar and top with sprig of chocolate mint

Served in an antique pewter julep glass (fitted with a “speed grip” so your hands don’t get cold)

Pic: Shaun Layton

[Next up, Jay Jones from MARKET, Jean Georges’ restaurant in the Shangri-La hotel.]

Captured! The delicious detritus of peppermint patty-making!

While I work on the papercrafts, my cousin Krista is in the kitchen making peppermint patties. Click here for the recipe.