Page 32 - Trending Magazine 2017 Winter

Good Eats ACC Speciality Drinks_V2_Layout 1 17-12-06 6:09 PM Page 1

Story by Ian Froese
Photos by Tim Smith

Go ahead, walk past those cartons of eggnog at the There were drinks hot and cold. A beverage to be
grocery store. enjoyed at the start of one evening, and another
While you’re at it, skip the coffee spiked with framed as a dessert substitute after a filling
Baileys, too. Christmas meal.
That’s because cocktails are back in style, The panelists picked one drink to rule them all: a
prompting even the New York Times’ connoisseur Brazilian‐inspired Christmas Snow beverage,
of the drink to chronicle its renaissance in his own featuring more than a hint of coconut.
book. During the holiday season, this remains the “I absolutely loved that drink,” raved Diane Nelson,
case — handcrafted concoctions are in, and, at least the wine columnist at The Brandon Sun. She
for some, bowls of eggnog are passé. usually isn’t interested in sweet drinks, but this
With that as our guide, Trending enlisted recipe won her over. “It took all I could to sit it
Assiniboine Community College’s hotel and down.”
restaurant management class for help developing Yet, to pick just one festive drink to profile doesn’t
the perfect festive drink. click, especially when personal
Eight of the program’s second‐year I absolutely tastes differ. Sometimes, you’ll need
students went a step further than a hot drink after taking a beating in
that, shared instructor Kyle Zalluski, loved that drink, the snowball fight, for example. Or,
arranging for a festive and friendly something sweet as you lounge on
cocktail competition, complete with a panel of the sofa for a Christmas flick.
three (very lucky) judges. The drinks were The students were inspired by their own
evaluated on their originality, practicality of the backgrounds and experiences.
recipe and the festiveness of their idea. Oh, and Tokini George remembered a movie from his youth,
they’re judged on taste. where he saw a drink made of candy cane. He re‐
The students displayed some impressive created that.
craftsmanship. Valentin Fitsner and his buddies in his native Russia
They rimmed their glasses with cinnamon or tried an orange Brandy Alexander during study
topped off their creations with a candied lemon breaks at university. “We tried to give the original
peel. In one case, a rosemary herb was placed in Brandy Alexander a little twist,” he explained. “In
each glass, making the final creation look like a this case, there’s... orange juice and using a more
Christmas tree, backdropped with ice cubes. creamy base.”

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