Stirred, Not Shaken: 4 reasons we love West Wings cocktail at Hy’s Steakhouse

Vancouver, Naramata, and Vernon all show up up this distinctly BC drink

By Gail Johnson

Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar’s West Wings.

Stirred, Not Shaken is Stir’s cocktail series featuring locally made drinks that incorporate the best-of-B.C. ingredients. (Note: sometimes, the beverages are shaken.)

HOW DO WE love Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar’s West Wings, which is best served in a chilled coupe? Let us count the ways.

#1

It contains Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery’s Laird of Fintry Single Malt Whisky.

With locations in Vernon and Kelowna, Okanagan Spirits is the province’s oldest craft distillery—B.C.’s original “farm to flask” venture—having opened in 2004. It uses only locally grown fruits and grains to make premium spirits, which now total more than 30, from gin to absinthe.

Its Laird of Fintry Single Malt Whisky, made with 100-percent BC malted barley, won gold at the 2020 World Spirits Award. Aged in French and American oak barrels, the single malt has hints of vanilla, caramel, and toasted oak.

#2

It features Kettle Valley Winery’s Caboose.

We love Kettle Valley, which is entering its 30th year of winemaking and is the oldest single-owner winery on sunny Naramata Bench. It makes this fortified wine (formerly called Starboard, 20 percent ABV) out of Malbec and Petit Verdot grapes. Barrel-aged in French oak, the wine is Solera-style, which refers to a system of aging wine developed in Spain and Portugal that helps ensure consistency over different vintages.

#3

It has a couple of dashes of Vancouver-based Bittered Sling Cocktail Bitters’ Orange & Juniper bitters.

Bittered Sling is the brainchild of dream team Jonathan Chovancek and mixologist/sommelier Lauren Mote, partners in business and life, each admired in their respective fields. The base for all of their bitters is 100-percent B.C.-grown fruit spirit, which is distilled at the aforementioned Okanagan Spirits. There are no nasty chemicals or artificial colours; they use carefully and ethically sourced barks, herbs, and produce—whole botanicals, not essences or extracts. This particular flavour is elegant and bright. (Check out the company’s website for suggestions on how to use different bitters in cocktails and cooking. Orange & Juniper can replace vanilla extract in cookies; it’s also the “ultimate finish” in Hollandaise sauce.)

#4

It’s bold, delicious, and garnished with a thick orange ribbon with star cut-outs.

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