Friday Night Drinks: August

It isn’t hard to find exceptional cider, wine, beer and craft spirits being produced across Nova Scotia by passionate artisans. Check out this week’s Friday Night Drinks blog to help inspire your inner mixologist, get recommendations for your next local purchase, and celebrate the people behind these fantastic local products.

This month, say hello to your new favourite cocktail recipe featuring Nova Scotia blueberries, along with new products from Luckett Vineyards, Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards, Planters Ridge Winery, Meander River Farm & Brewery, and Casa Nova Fine Beverages.

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Blueberry Gin Fizz

With fresh local blueberries now in season, it’s time to start thinking about all the delicious ways you can incorporate this super fruit into your life. This Gin Fizz recipe has you covered. Not only is it easy to make, but the added antioxidants from the blueberries are a bonus!

Ingredients

Directions

Makes: one cocktail

1. Fill a medium-sized glass with ice.
2. Add gin, blueberry juice, simple syrup and lemon juice.
3. Top with sparkling water or club soda.
4. Give the cocktail a light stir to combine ingredients.
5. Garnish with blueberries or a slice of lemon.

Recipe provided by: Lindsey MacDonald

Local Source Guide

Gin: Raging Crow Distillery Inc., Ironworks Distillery, Barrelling Tide Distillery, Still Fired Distilleries, Steinhart Distillery, Compass Distillers.

Local blueberries can be sourced from Noggins Corner Farm Market, Masstown Market, Stirling Fruit Farms Ltd., and any of the Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia.

Order Van Dyk’s Wild Blueberry Juice on their website or pick it up at select grocery stores.

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New Products

Not in the mood to whip up this delectable recipe? Don’t worry – we have you covered with a few local beverages released this month!

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Riesling

Luckett Vineyards welcomes Reisling to their team in 2019. This bright, balanced and off dry new wine has notes of citrus and honey on the nose and apple and lime on the palate.

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Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards Small-Lot Farmhouse Cider

For the first time in eight generations of farming in the Annapolis Valley, the Lightfoot family is sharing their history of cider making through the release of their Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards 2012 Small-Lot Farmhouse Cider. This cider is made from a blend of five tart and tannic heritage varieties of locally sourced apples from Stirling’s Fruit Farm.

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Nova Scotia’s first Viognier

Planters Ridge Winery is pushing the boundaries! They have been successful in creating this classic Viognier in a cool climate – due to the unique growing conditions of their Basalt Ridge Vineyard.

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Dusty Road

Deep, rich baked apple aromas and flavours, with a refreshingly juicy finish is the best way to describe Meander River Farm & Brewery’s 2019 Dusty Road Apple Cider.

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Cello is back!

Choose from a selection of blueberry, strawberry and rhubarb cello at Casa Nova Fine Beverages. This fortified wine is consumed like a liqueur and has bold flavours that come from softening the local fruits, which encourages all the naturally rich fruit flavours to shine.

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Friday Night Drinks is a summer 2019 monthly feature profiling local beverages written by Lindsey MacDonald.

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