The boiler man's fix
Oh la la!
That's right, it's getting less cold, and our traditional "it's always snowing here" is gradually turning into "it's always raining here." What does that mean? It means sugar shack season is starting! And sugar shack season is the very foundation of our extraordinary Québecøl! As we often tell you when we meet in person, for us there are no compromises; we work 100% with our maple syrup. We don't buy corn alcohol; we ferment and distill it ourselves. So, when the sap starts flowing, it's the base of our spirits that comes from the trees. We get teary-eyed, so we've put little buckets under our eyes to collect them... we're either maple producers or we're not.
This week, we're offering you a double recipe. We called it the "pauper's fix" because when the boiler leans his belly on the evaporator to process the concentrate, it sometimes takes all night... and more. Well, we have two versions for you, my friend.
We have version 1, which allows you to last through the shift even when the concentrate isn't reducing enough for your liking but you want to make it bearable, and version 2, where the concentrate is finished, it's frozen outside, and you're allowed to curl up and sleep for 2-3 hours next to the evaporator. The cocktails for the next few weeks will be made with our "ptit réduit" (Juniper and Smoked Maple Mistelle) as it's in season, and the difference between version 1 and version 2 is subtle but makes all the difference.
So you'll need:
-1 and 3/4 oz of our Juniper and Smoked Maple Mistelle
-1 shot of espresso (version 1) or 1 oz of our Coffee and Hot Pepper Liqueur (version 2)
-Icicles from the roof edge (essential)
Just for your information, our Coffee and Hot Pepper Liqueur is made with decaffeinated coffee and is therefore perfect for before bed. For the procedures, it's not too complicated. You're going to put your ptit réduit and your espresso (1 shot = approximately 30-40 mL) in a shaker with roof edge icicles broken into approximately 1-inch intervals. Shake it until it's very cold. Pour it into a glass or your coffee cup to go incognito (note that you benefit from putting a few roof icicles in these containers too) and enjoy. The version with the coffee liqueur is made the same way with a different twist and less caffeine.