Flavours Issue 3

Artisanal booze is a hit everywhere, and for good reason.
It draws tourists. A tasting room offers some delightful
down time between outdoor activities where non-locals
can rest and regroup. Patios and rooms offering music and familyfriendly
establishments bring locals together. Portable products
make at-home parties a hit and excellent gifts. Distilled, brewed,
and fermented beverages enhance the menus of our creative chefs
and highlight local flavour and style. What’s not to like?
Nestled in the deep green woods of upper Roberts Creek you’ll
find Bruinwood Estate Distillery. Small-batch, hand-crafted
spirits are created here, and what fun they are having! Rhubarb
gin, vodka flavoured with local blackberries, or vanilla, or why
not chocolate? An award-winning Advocaat (this is like grown
up eggnog, with cream, eggs, vodka, and vanilla) will make you
swoon. The culinary and cocktail possibilities are endless (but
if you run out of ideas they have many suggestions). Taste their
gin, and the botanicals roll out on your tongue: juniper of course,
and coriander, but also lots of citrus, all mellowed with a hint
of sarsaparilla and aniseed. The vodka that is the base for other
drinks is smooth with malted barley, wheat, and a hint of honey.
The tasting room is open and the shop is stocked with other earthy
essentials from their five-acre farm, like honey and bee products
and fresh eggs.
Jeff Barringer and Danise Lofstrom are quiet movers and
shakers in the food and beverage world. Their knowledge and
involvement has been extensive, including travel and the filming
of several series of food shows that aired on the Knowledge and
Women’s Networks. When the BC wine industry was relatively
nascent, Jeff and Danise were there at what are now the most
venerable and respected wineries, like Mission Hill, Quail’s Gate,
Grey Monk, Tinhorn Creek, and Gehringer Brothers, filming
and luring the world to the northern desert and blue lakes of
our beautiful Okanagan. Each episode had a “cook with wine”
segment. They also set sail up and down the BC coast, creating
“Galley Chefs,” a series celebrating local food in places like Alert
Bay, April Point, and Halfmoon Bay. Even Gibsons, where they
stopped by Bruno Gerussi’s place for some prawns and Pernod
at 7:30 in the morning. (They are full of stories!) Everywhere the
focus was on meeting colourful characters and showing off our
intricate coastline and fresh seafood. They’ve also worked with
some of Vancouver’s best chefs and can rattle off a who’s-who list
of the most celebrated eateries.
And here they are, frantically restocking their shelves (when
you’re on to a good thing in these parts, it really takes off) and trying
to keep up with orders from local restaurants like Buono, Drift,
and the Gumboot. Wine and liquor stores want their wares: Legacy
in Vancouver, Vintage Spirits in Victoria, our own Lighthouse wine
shop, and Gilligan's Liquor Store, to name a few. The little tasting
room on their farm (where there are chickens, bees, and pigs!) also
displays Jeff’s paintings, colourful and textured abstracts. They
participate in the Art Crawl every year.
The tasting room is well worth a quick diversion from the
highway. Or look for them at the farmers’ markets. Bruinwood
celebrated its first anniversary on June 22, and what a wonderful
addition they are to our scene!
PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE BY EDMUND ARCEO
BRUINWOOD ESTATE DISTILLERY | 2040 PORTER ROAD, ROBERTS CREEK, BC | 604.886.1371 | BRUINWOOD.COM
FLAVOURS FOOD & DRINK MAGAZINE 7