Oh my. I know it’s usually considered bad form to post the “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here in ages!” post, but here it is! I feel dreadful that I dropped a bomb of an announcement about the Drinks after Dark Tastemakers event and then simply disappeared off the face of the earth for a while.

You see, summer time for me is more about being outside in the sunshine, basking on beaches, camping, going to the Calgary Stampede with one of my hands down favourite women ever, drinks on patios and wine tours than it is trying to write everything down and document it all.

Instead of a specific review or anything this time through, here’s a round up of where Drinks after Dark has been, what we’ve been up to and what has been sampled.

Drinks after Dark Tastemakers Event: The first event didn’t happen. We ran into some snags with liquor sponsorship of the event, and when I called the venue to cancel, was informed the event wasn’t even on the books. Those two things together had “disaster” written all over it and so while it will happen, I think we’ll wait till September when things begin to chill out a little.

Mercury Rising: My lovely friends at Voya are throwing open the doors to their Halo (penthouse) Suite (which is phenomenal with it’s two bedrooms, luxury appointments and wrap around patio) every Thursday for a little booze and BBQ event they call Mercury Rising. Every Thursday that the sun is shining, join the (lovely and rather pretty) bartenders for a specially concocted cocktail on the rooftop. What more could you want?

Matt from Voya by Raj Taneja

Granville Room and the $45 cocktail: Yes, really. It’s gorgeous - both visually and also, from a flavour perspective.

The 957, named after the Granville Room’s address in the heart of the Vancouver entertainment district, is built in three parts, blending Hennessy XO and Belvedere vodka and topped with an aromatic vanilla foam. The cocktail is crowned with a ‘GR’ monogram, much like you’ll find in upscale coffee shops and their “latte art”. The monogram is crated by spritzing whiskey-barrel aged cocktail bitters through a stencil onto the foam.

Created by the Room’s master mixologist Trevor Kallies and his current love affair with cognacs, the Hennessy XO’s rich, spicy notes and natural vanilla flavours are balanced by the vanilla liqueur in the foam and the touch of oak in the Belvedere vodka; the aromatic bitters compliment the foam’s sweetness. The luxurious texture and creaminess of the entire drink make you not realize that by having two, you’ve just downed $90 in alcohol.

Openings: Summer is also the time of restaurant openings, and we’ve enjoyed two already this week, with more coming. The Refinery on Granville Street opened with a bang, crowding hundreds of people into the narrow room and doing a brisk turnover. Some of their lovely cocktails included an Espice Verte (spicy Green), which was a gorgeous kiwi-smashed, sereno-pepper touched gorgeous glass of green. I’ll be headed back shortly, and it helps that one of the managing partners, Peter, is incredibly easy on the eyes.

Their award winning Charred Bourbon Sour came home with us in gorgeous little gift packages. (take 1, cold, fresh organic egg white, 2 oz of Maker’s Mark bourbon, 1 oz charred american oak syrup, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice and bitters; shake vigorously and double strain into an old fashioned glass. So good!)

The Edge Social Grill opened two nights later, again, complete with rockin’ full patio, lovely drinks, and engaging staff. Their cocktail list looks fantastic, and I loved sipping on the Crashing Concorde - absolut vanilla, triple sec, limoncello, kiwi pureé. Both Dave, one of the general managers, whom I insisted on calling Mike all evening, and Kyle, one of the assistant managers, were engaging, enteraining and I can’t wait to go visit them again soon. GREAT looking cocktail list.

Wines: There’s been more concentration in my world from a wine perspective lately, primarly from the Okanagan, and a few from California.

The two that stand out to me right now are 337, a cabernet sauvignon (not usually a favourite, or for that matter, a summer drink for me). According to the website, 337 is named after a clone of a French vine, and

The 337 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 exhibits enticing aromas of toffee, black cherry and currant. Balanced tannins underscore core flavors of black cherry, blackberry, and currant, interlaced with roasted coffee bean and hints of black pepper.

My friend Sylvia called it a “ball buster of a wine” made with “the king of grapes” and I have to admit, she’s pretty much nailed it.

The other wine that’s captured my interest lately is a boutique wine called Black Cloud by the award-winning wine maker from Township 7, Bradley Cooper.

It’s a gorgeous pinot noir, which is yet another deep, lovely new world pinot that I wouldn’t normally drink in the summer, but that I’m really enjoying. I’m looking foward to the upcoming varietals coming from Black Cloud, including a lovely Chenin Blanc….