proof vodka, NYE 2016, Vol. 161

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This year, enjoy a peaceful New Year’s Day brunch with friends and family. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016! For more information on proof brands visit www.proofbrands.com

the jasmine 1/4 cup loose jasmine green tea • 3 or 4 ice cubes • 750 mL proof vodka • 1/8 cup simple syrup • blackberries for garnish

Add the loose-leaf jasmine tea to the bottle of proof vodka and shake well. Steep the tea for two hours, before straining the leaves from the infused vodka. Meanwhile, chill your martini glasses in the freezer for at least half an hour. Put the ice cubes in a cocktail shaker until two-thirds full, then pour in the infusion and simple syrup (1:1 ratio sugar to water). Shake for about 15 seconds, then strain into the cold martini glasses. Garnish with blackberry skewers. OPTIONAL: top with sparkling water for bubbles

Several YEARS ago we promised you the release of proof vodka. Well, it is finally here just in time for the holiday season. Canadian prairies wheat is triple distilled with pristine spring water from the Canadian Rockies for a fresh, clean taste. proof vodka is bottled at 42% to accentuate its sparkle.  Tasting note: light citrus with subtle herbal almost floral notes, medium bodies with a hint of sweetness on the palate, warm clean finish.

proof vodka, holiday gatherings, Vol. 160

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With less than a week left before Christmas, it's time to start making your grocery list for your week of holiday parties. If you are thinking of hosting a festive brunch, or know that you will be doing a little daytime drinking, a bloody mary bar is the way to go. It frees you from standing behind the bar and allows your guests to top up their own. Set up jars of gherkins, olives, raw veggies, bread sticks, cured meats, cheese cubes, bacon strips, shrimp, hot sauces, salted snacks or anything else that you think might go with a bloody mary. For more information on proof brands visit www.proofbrands.com

the bloody mary bar 8 cups tomato juice • 2 cups proof vodka • 1/3 cup prepared horserash • 1/3 cup worcestershire sauce • ¾ cup fresh lime juice • 1 tbsp hot sauce • 2 tsp sea salt • 1 tsp black pepper • ice • assorted pickled garnishes

Stir together tomato juice, vodka, horseradish, worcestershire sauce, lime juice, hot sauce, sea salt, and pepper. Serve over ice & garnish with assorted pickle skewer.

Several YEARS ago we promised you the release of proof vodka. Well, it is finally here just in time for the holiday season.

Canadian prairies wheat is triple distilled with pristine spring water from the Canadian Rockies for a fresh, clean taste. proof vodka is bottled at 42% to accentuate its sparkle.  Tasting note: light citrus with subtle herbal almost floral notes, medium bodies with a hint of sweetness on the palate, warm clean finish.

Peace, joy and love to all!

proof vodka, spicy sidekick, Vol. 159

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Two weeks left of shopping madness. Take a break with one of these zesty cocktails. We have a few shopping suggestions as well. This week’s post is for your spicy sidekick. For more information on proof brands visit www.proofbrands.com

the red thai 2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice • 1 1/2 oz proof vodka • 1 oz lime juice • lime wedge for garnish • club soda • sriracha hot sauce • 2 tbsp sugar • 1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine the sugar and chili powder on a plate. Using a lime wedge, line the edge of a cocktail glass with lime juice. Turn the glass upside down into the sugar & chili powder and gently turn a little to coat the rim of the glass. Combine the pineapple juice, proof vodka, one squirt sriracha and lime juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Add a splash of club soda to the shaker and gently pour through the strainer into your prepared cocktail glass. Garnish the glass with a lime wedge and hot pepper.

For a personal touch, get your Sriracha bottle personalized at bow&drawpe.com. For the first time ever, Huy Fong Sriracha is letting you personalize your bottle exclusively with us! Sriracha lovers everywhere can now add some customizable fun to their hot sauce. We've partnered with Huy Fong to make customizable Sriracha labels for all of the hot sauce aficionados out there. www.bowanddrape.com

Or check out Urban Outfitters for the SRIRACHA2GO keychain. Just fill with Sriracha (sold separately) and clip to your own key ring. Makes a great gift! www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.sriracha2go.com

For many spicy recipes and restaurant ideas, give your friend a Lucky Peach subscription & their latest CookBook. Beholden to bold flavors and not strict authenticity, the editors of Lucky Peach present a compendium of recipes that hit the sweet spot between craveworthy and stupid simple and are destined to become favorites. Your friends and lovers will marvel as you show off your culinary worldliness, whipping up meals with fish-sauce-splattered panache and all the soy-soaked, ginger-scalliony goodness you could ever want—all for dinner tonight. All for only 49.99. www.luckypeach.com

Several YEARS ago we promised you the release of proof vodka. Well, it is finally here just in time for the holiday season.

Canadian prairies wheat is triple distilled with prestine spring water from the Canadian Rockies for a fresh, clean taste. proof vodka is bottled at 42% to accentuate its sparkle.  Tasting note: light citrus with subtle herbal almost floral notes, medium bodies with a hint of sweetness on the palate, warm clean finish.

proof vodka, candy crush, Vol. 158

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The holiday season was very sneaky this year. December is here and we have barely put a dent in our gifting list. If Black Friday and all the other branded discount days have let you down, sit back with one of these cocktails and figure out a new game plan. We have a few shopping suggestions as well. This week’s post is dedicated to the Candy Addict in your life. For more information on proof brands visit www.proofbrands.com

the candy crush one candy cane • 2 oz proof vodka • 4 dashes white creme de menthe • 2 1/2 oz cranberry juice • Ice

In a cocktail shaker, combine proof vodka, crème de menthe, cranberry juice, and ice; shake until well combined. Strain into glass & serve immediately. Garnish with candy cane. (we used this glass from ikea) optional: Place crushed candy canes on a small plate or saucer. Wet the outside rim of a chilled glass with water. Rotate the rim to coat with candy. 

One of the first places that we discovered while holiday shopping online was this great artisinal candy shoppe from Montreal. With unique flavours, cool shapes and great names you can't go wrong. We especially loved the prosecco gummy bears!

Welcome to Squish. We don’t just sell regular gummy bears. We sell gummies crafted from the highest quality ingredients possible. Made in the ancestral homeland of gummy bears, in the magical woods of southern Bavaria, we have seen what imagination and good taste can produce. 

Founded in Montreal in 2014, Squish is North America’s first artisanal candy store that specializes in over 100 flavours of awesomely delicious gourmet gummies. Squish is a feeling, it is a sound and it is, as we hear, often a word of endearment. We love that people sometimes call a hug, a squish. Awwww.

Shop online or there is a Squish Shop location in the basement of the Bay if you want to try a few samples first. Here you can purchase an assortment of gummies, including: strawberry rhubarb, wild berry hearts, fruit hearts, bubbly bears, red roses, apricot hearts, chill-ginger hearts, black cherry, red-hot chilli peppers, ice cubes and exotic fruit gummies. 

Check out these bad boys. Green apple and cinnamon flavoured candy shot glasses. (www.squishcandies.com)

Several YEARS ago we promised you the release of proof vodka. Well, it is finally here just in time for the holiday season. Canadian prairies wheat is triple distilled with prestine spring water from the Canadian Rockies for a fresh, clean taste. proof vodka is bottled at 42% to accentuate its sparkle. Tasting note: light citrus with subtle herbal almost floral notes, medium bodies with a hint of sweetness on the palate, warm clean finish. Check it out at your nearest LCBO store.