I was driving along Douglas and spotted Northern Quarter. What’s a Northern Quarter? My ear had obviously not been to the ground, so to make amends I thought, better see if they have cocktails. They do!
The two owners have pedigree in the city, one coming from the now defunct Superior and the other from the Fort Street Café. It’s a spare space with large paintings and tables that look as if they were sliced from an old growth tree. They have live music regularly and it has a nice vibe for hanging out. The cocktail list is short and filled with house made creations.
Catching my eye was the Rhubarb Sour featuring Smoked Rosemary Gin by Legends Distillery in the Okanagan and including rhubarb syrup and grapefruit. It was the most restrained sour I’ve ever tasted as they forgot the grapefruit. Still it was a lovely drink – soft and light and the egg white gave it a beautiful foam top which contrasted with the pale pink of the drink.
Next up was a Lavender Lemonade. Again a nice light drink but it could have been a bit more interesting had there been a squeeze of lemon to bring it together.
Next time I’m going for the Not So Dirty Martini made with olive oil infused vodka, and sherry.
I love the creativity here and though not a perfect experience I will definitely be back.
Around town:
The Art of the Cocktail is coming up Oct. 24 & 25. The must do is the Grand Tasting where the order of the day is sampling cocktails and food from some of our lovely restaurants including Little Jumbo, Oyster, Fairmont, Earls and Glo. There will be a great focus on local spirits including a Sunday seminar where you can meet the island makers and sample their gins and vodkas side by side. Now, that’s the way to spend a Sunday!
Of note is the return of Brendan Brewster. Brendan started out bartending in Victoria and after stints in Vancouver and Edmonton he’s come home to bring a refreshing talent to the bar scene.