This article by Tamara Aschenbrenner appeared in our Info Edmonton Magazine – March/April 2022.
Cocktails and spirits on the rise in Edmonton…
The famed spirit has gotten new legs in Edmonton recently. As craft cocktails in restaurants and bars become more popular, a niche store like Cocktail Culture, Craig Nienaber’s new shop on Whyte Avenue, fulfills a need locals may not have realized they had.
“Cocktails in general are becoming so much more aligned with the culinary world. There’s been so much crossover in the creativity,” says Craig Nienaber. In 2021, Edmonton bartender James Grant of Baijiu won the title of World’s Best Bartender. Craig thinks it’s helped advance the cocktail scene and its reputation here in Edmonton. “We’ve got so many cocktail bars now, and they’re working to meet that standard that James has set for the city.”
When the pandemic first began, Craig was among one of the house-bound souls searching for a new hobby or distraction to while away the hours. He soon discovered that crafting cocktails offered interesting challenges and creative outlets—one such challenge being finding the merchandise locally.
While it was technically possible to find products to order online, the quality wasn’t guaranteed. This struggle seems to be one Craig shares with many of his customers. “The bartenders are just fascinating to watch when they come in the store. They’re like kids in the candy store. They come in and their eyes get big and wide and they’re like ‘Oh it’s all here—everything I need,’” says Craig. He recalls a visit from the bartender at the newly opened May restaurant: “He was so excited to have really good-looking bar tools to work with that was going to elevate his presentation.”
And with the pandemic and fluctuating social restrictions, more and more people are looking to entertain smaller gatherings at home—which is where the fancy cocktail equipment comes in handy. As does learning about the mysticism and rituals of various spirits.
A particular Cocktail Culture focus is absinthe, often considered a taboo spirit because it has been famously illegal in places like the United States and thus relishly enjoyed when tourists visited Europe. While Canada does not hold a similar colourful history—and the spirit has been proven to be no more harmful or hallucinogenic than vodka, tequila, or whiskey—absinthe and its ritual still hold a romantic reputation.
“I find that a lot of English professors at the university level, because it was so dominant with the artistic community and the literary community in the 18th century, that it’s something that they find kind of connects them to their work,” says Craig. Famous absinthe drinkers from history include Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway. The classic ritual involves slowly dripping water over a sugar cube held on a special perforated spoon and into a stemmed glass of absinthe, which turns the spirit cloudy and opaque.
Authentic, high-quality absinthe is made with Artemisia absinthium, aka grand wormwood, the herb that gives the liquor its name and its flavor. You can even find wormwood growing in Edmonton’s very own river valley—which is where local distillery Strathcona Spirits (strathconaspirits.ca) harvested to create their award-winning Absinthe Blanche in 2021. Though if you’d rather not forage for your own, you can pick up wormwood bitters—as well as stock your pantry with a range of bitters, syrups, and shrubs—from Cocktail Culture. They also sell the ritualistic fountains, sugar trays, and spoons, along with everything else you may need for your home bar, including tiki mugs, mixing glasses, shakers, muddlers, and even specialized books.
“Just in general, brick-and-mortar retail is difficult to do unless you have something that’s really unique, and I think that’s one of the advantages to this type of store,” he explains.
