“Muppets labs, where the future is being made today” – Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
In this case, it’s more than just the future to look out for whenever Lauren Mote, The Refinery’s resident Mixologist, weaves her magic and concocts the finest cocktails this side of town. With its award-winning cocktail program, recognized as the most innovative in Canada, The Refinery is definitely a place to have a cocktail or two on a hot summer night.
You can download the this week’s edition in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.
Episode 3 – Cocktail Therapy at The Refinery
Image Cutline: Lauren Mote lights up the bar at The Refinery on Granville St.
A visit to The Refinery is like a visit to a Mad Scientist’s lab. Enter Raj and Fury and things that you’ve never even dreamed about take shape in strange forms.
Fury: Doctor’s orders – sling back a cocktail right now!
Raj: A drink to improve your health?
Fury: Lauren Mote is the first mixologist I know that owns a lab coat, and for good reason. She does much more than merely mix spirits.
Raj: You’re right, she’s taken the science of food and medicine and applied it to cocktailing. Voila! Molecular Mixology! It’s like a trip to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s lab from the Muppets.
Fury: You just want to be Beaker!
Raj: Well we kind of were that night. Amongst the numerous drinks that we sampled, two drinks really stood out. Except I didn’t enter the bar like Beaker would, mumbling “mememememe!” What’s he saying anyways?
Fury: Raj, focus. On our quest for the ultimate summer cocktail, we’ve encountered the good, the bad, and the ugly. I really took a shining to L’Épice Verte where Lauren counterbalanced crisp, cool cucumber water with the essence of fiery jalapeño… and a good measure of gin for health, of course.
Raj: My vote goes to Provençial, concocted with gin, lemon juice, and lavender-lilac syrup. It was like drinking a whole bouquet of flowers and was equally therapeutic.
Fury: Another way The Refinery pushes the envelope is …
Raj: Meat chips!!
Fury: No, Raj, focus! Remember the strange flasks that lined the bar, like some evil experiment?
Raj: Ah yes, nothing evil about it. Lauren enjoys making high quality additives for her drinks, with everything from house-made bitters to a special cocoa vermouth, and right down to the garnish.
Fury: The dehydrated mango chili salt that dusted the rim of my margarita was something spectacular.
Raj: Meat chips and a healthy cocktail to wash it all down!
Editor: Beaker, we’re embarrassed that you made the kitchen run a whole charcuterie plate through their pizza oven that night.
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Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour. Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury.
