Classic Cockctail of The Month: Vancouver Cocktail

Tales of The Cocktail Vancouver has officially started, and while I maybe stuck in Victoria studying for midterms, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a taste of Vancouver.  While many people think of the Caesar as the quintessential Canadian cocktail, there is another, lesser known, Canadian cocktail that may be a bit more akin to the style of imbibing currently overtaking the city of Vancouver.

First conceived at The Sylvia Hotel, Vancouver's first cocktail bar, in the mid 1950s, the Vancouver cocktail certainly does justice to Vancouver's cocktail scene.   A bold mixture of gin, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and orange bitters, the Vancouver is a cocktail that receives only a fraction of attention compared to other libations named after large cities.

Vancouver 
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 0.75 oz Sweet Vermouth

- 0.25 oz Benedictine 

- 2 Dashes Orange Bitters

- Add all ingredients to mixing glass
- Add ice and stir
- Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with an orange zest

This month's variation on the classic is a bit of a dramatic twist.  The only things left intact from the original recipe is the gin, and the proportions. 

Westshore

- 1.5 oz Gin

- 0.75 oz Late Bottled Vintage Port

- 0.25 oz Fernet Branca

- 2 Dashes Chocolate Bitters

- Add all ingredients to mixing glass

- Add ice and stir

- Strain into chilled cocktail glass

- Garnish with an orange zest