FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 10 OF 80
LONG TABLE DISTILLERY , Vancouver, Canada
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
Today's stop on the Atlas takes me to Vancouver, home to the city's first micro-distillery and one of my favourite distillery origin stories.
Before there was a distillery, there was a table.
An impressive 18-foot redwood table sits at the heart of Long Table Distillery, created as a place where founders Charles and Rita Tremewen could gather friends, family and fellow spirit lovers over a good drink. That simple idea of bringing people together became the inspiration for both the distillery and its name.
Opening in 2013 was far from straightforward. Charles spent almost three years navigating British Columbia's complex licensing system before finally opening the doors, making Long Table Vancouver's first micro-distillery and helping pave the way for the city's growing craft spirits scene.
Today, visitors can enjoy cocktails around the famous table while watching production through the glass wall that separates the tasting room from the distillery.
Although Long Table now produces a range of spirits, gin was Charles' first passion. Their London Dry Gin is distilled from 100% Canadian grain in a 300-litre copper pot still using eight carefully selected botanicals. Classic juniper and bright citrus are joined by warming pepper and earthy fennel, creating a beautifully balanced gin with plenty of character.
For today's serve I've recreated my own version of one of the distillery's cocktails, the Upper False Creek.
Another wonderful stop on the Atlas, proving that sometimes the best journeys begin simply by pulling up a chair at the table.
“Where every great story begins around a long table.”
Upper False Creek
- 50ml Long Table London Dry Gin
- 25ml Limoncello
- 25ml Dry Vermouth
- A dash of aromatic bitters
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."