Tasty Tune Tuesday – Happy Hour Mix

By: Kelsey Adams

I’m always in the mood for a cocktail. I love making syrups and shrubs out of the fresh fruit or herbs I have in my kitchen and finding ways to incorporate them into my drinks. It would follow, naturally, that I also love happy hour. I prefer to call it cinq à sept, even though I believe happy hour can be any time of day—whenever the spirit strikes you or the tequila starts calling.

For this week’s Tasty Tune Tuesday, I dreamed up the perfect playlist for mixing and sipping drinks after a long day. (I’ve tested it out a few times…hehe.) It starts nice and mild, to ease you into your first cocktail. As the playlist goes on, pour yourself another (no one’s judging!) By the end things get really groovy and hopefully, you’ve loosened up enough to dance along.

Make sure to give it a Like and Follow to keep up with our new playlists each week!

In honour of this mix and the upcoming holiday season, I’ve created a cocktail that’s perfect for life’s little celebrations.

**THE OFFICIAL RIPE. FRENCH 75**

The French 75 is a classic cocktail, traditionally made with champagne and London dry gin. It’s typically super boozy but I decided to swap out champagne for a Canadian sparkling wine with a low ABV from Benjamin Bridge Vineyards, in Nova Scotia.

Nova 7 has a subdued effervescence and is very fruit forward with apricot, gala apple and Altulfo mango aromas and flavours. There’s a kiss of orange buttercream, elderflower, and wildflower honey, which makes it dance on the palette. The dryness of the gin cuts all the sweetness and makes for a nice balanced cocktail.

Serve this when you’re feeling flirty, celebratory or if you need a pick me up!

Put your champagne flute in the fridge.
Mix 2 ounces London dry gin of your choice with fresh squeezed lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and and shake vigorously.
Retrieve glass, pour gin mixture into it.
Top with Nova 7.*
Garnish with a lemon spiral twist.
Enjoy….and make another.

*If you want to use a dry sparkling wine or champagne instead of the Nova 7, add a bit of simple syrup to your gin mixture.