Restaurant hoping the end to Canada Line construction is near
Joanne Sasvari
Sun
Alain Canuel of Figmint Restaurant in the Plaza 500 Hotel with Rosso (left) the Brut (in fluted glass) and holding the Prosecco. Photograph by : Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun
Outside the windows at Figmint Restaurant & Lounge, traffic inches slowly past the orange pylons of the Canada Line construction.
“They’re supposed to be done by the end of May,” restaurant manager Alain Canuel says optimistically.
For a restaurant perched at the busy corner of 12th and Cambie, that’s cause to celebrate.
And if you’re the sommelier as well as the restaurant manager, where else are you going to look for inspiration but the wine cellar?
Figmint has just uncorked its summer cocktail list, each deliciously refreshing drink based on wines such as sherry, Vermouth, Pinot Noir or Riesling.
“I have a passion for wine,” Canuel explains. Besides, he adds, “I didn’t want to try to compete with people like George and the Cascade Room [which are known for their cocktails]. They do a very good job.”
When he came up with his vintage idea, he realized that many of the great cocktails are already based on different types of wine.
After all, wine — whether it be a crisp sparkler, a sweet sherry or herbal vermouth — provides a distinctive flavour base for a creative mixologist to play with. But because it is lighter and more delicate than spirits, it requires a light and judicious hand behind the bar.
And so Canuel put his bartenders to work, mixing and muddling, shaking and stirring, until they created 10 fresh new handcrafted concoctions.
“We had a lot of fun, and the cocktails came up very tasty,” Canuel says. “At least half of them are based on classic cocktails, but we put a twist on it.”
For instance, the Pinot Noir is an update of the Mojito (white rum muddled with mint and lime, shaken over ice and topped with pinot noir) while the Prosecco (tequila, passion fruit, lime and prosecco) takes on the margarita.
There’s also the refreshing Sherry (muddled with mint and cucumber, topped with Limonata), the sophisticated Rosso (Cinzano with muddled orange and soda) and the tingly Brut (sparkling wine, ginger liqueur and Crème de Cassis), and more.
Like wine itself, these drinks were designed to go with food.
“They are all well-balanced. They have a good acidity, and not too much sweetness. They don’t compromise the food at all,” Canuel says.
And, because they are made with wine rather than spirits, they have one definite advantage over traditional martini-style cocktails.
“They’re definitely a bit lighter in terms of alcohol,” Canuel says.
That means you can easily have more than one if you’re in the mood to celebrate, say, the end of a major construction project.
Of course, Canuel notes, even if the roadwork is finished this month, the station itself won’t be done until the end of summer.
“We’re looking forward to it,” he says with something between a laugh and a sigh.
Hmm. Wonder what he’ll come up with to celebrate then?
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ROSSO
Figmint’s pleasantly herbal concoction is reminiscent of the Negroni — without its lethal kick.
2 oz Cinzano (Italian vermouth)
Half a navel orange
Club soda
4 drops of Angostura bitters
In a bar glass, muddle Cinzano with orange. Pour over ice in a rocks (old-fashioned) glass and top with club soda. Garnish with an orange twist and pink peppercorns. Serves 1.
BRUT
Figmint takes a spicy twist on the classic Kir Royale.
1/2 oz ginger liqueur (such as Giffard Ginger of the Indies)
1/2 oz Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur)
Sparkling wine such as Stellars Jay Brut
Pour ginger liqueur into a champagne flute. Pour sparkling wine over the ginger, then top with cassis. Garnish with a piece of skewered candied ginger. Serves 1.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
