Last week I found myself at Marben, Toronto’s fashion district fixture, which will be launching for the third time on Thursday. Third time is certainly the charm; the food we sampled was certainly tremendous, from the sunchoke cream and crisp, to the oyster with smoked caviar and hazelnut, to the Canadian paella (which is worth returning for).
Then, of course, there are the cocktails. I sampled two, though one was a mocktail (but you can fix that). The soft ‘n sloe is either an excellent desert or afternoon-on-the-patio cocktail, and the cucumber lavender fizz is a wonderful palate cleanser.
The Soft ‘n Sloe
Ingredients
3/4 oz. No.3 Gin
1/2 oz. Hayman’s Sloe Gin
1/2 oz. rose liqueur
3/4 oz. rhubarb purée
1/2 oz. rhubarb syrup
1/4 oz. rhubarb juice
Finish with lavender lemon foam
Directions
To create the lavender lemon foam, add lavender bitters, lemon juice, egg whites, and maple syrup and shake.
Build all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Double strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a rose petal.
The Cucumber Lavender Fizz
Ingredients
1 oz. cucumber lavender syrup
1 oz. diced cucumber, muddled
5 dashes of lavender bitters
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. sparkling water
1 oz. tonic water
Directions
Garnished with a cucumber ribbon, served on the rocks. Make it alcoholic with 1 oz. No.3 Gin.
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