Nov 3

Nov 3 Made With Love – Meet 3 of Halifax's Talented Female Mixologists

Food Photography, Cocktails, Local Business

Yesterday I met up with 3 talented ladies who have been selected to compete at the Regional Finals of MADE WITH LOVE, Canada’s most extravagant cocktail competition, taking place on November 13th at the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market. Out of 18 finalists, 8 proud female mixologists will compete and share their unique cocktail creations. I collaborated with Shannon-Blue Nanibush, Emily Orr, and Anne Marie Bungay-Larose on a photoshoot at Field Guide to share with you a cocktail of their own and to discuss what it is like to be a woman bartender in 2017. They have shared their personal challenges and inspirations along with a deliscious cocktail recipe. Enjoy!

SHANNON-BLUE NANIBUSH – Lot Six Bar and Restaurant

Flower of the North

2oz Ungava Gin
3/4oz Lime
1/2oz Hibiscus syrup
2 dashes of orange bitters

How to: Build all ingredients in a shaker, shake for 15-20 seconds.
Double strain into coupe glass.

Garnish with a yellow edible flower

As a female bartender, who is your inspiration?

One of my main inspirations is a woman who goes by the name BAD BIRDY. She's a relatively new mixologist, having only started 3 years ago. She is a bad ass babe who has amazing style and technique. Her drinks range of extremely simple and delicate to intricate and bold. Her garnish game is always gorgeous!

What are the challenges for a female bartender in the industry?

As a female bartender, I feel as though I have had to fight a bit harder to get noticed and respected (my incredibly loud personality has helped that!) It is a predominately male industry but we're many more female mixologists recently and we are resetting the norm. This Old World way of thinking is slowly being pushed out and a generation of confident, knowledgeable females is growing. For me, it was always a challenge to earn people's attention when it came to my knowledge, especially with scotch or whiskeys.

EMILY ORR – Field Guide

Don't take any wooden nickels

1 1/2oz Flor De Cana 7yr Gran Reserva
1/4oz China-China
3/4oz Orange Juice
1/2oz Lemon
1/2oz Lime
1/2oz Orgeat
1/4oz Ginger
Dash of Angostura and Absinthe

How to: Shake and roll into a Tiki mug. Top with crushed ice.
Float a bar spoon of Grand Marnier on top.

Garnish with orange wheel, mint, and edible flower

Do you think that women mixologists have a different approach towards cocktail making?

I can't speak for all female bartenders. I think everyone approaches making cocktails differently. For me specifically, inspiration and flavours can come from any number of things. My favorite is being challenged and called upon by people that come and sit at my bar. It's exciting when people have specific flavors in their head that I can play with and create something great.

What does MADE WITH LOVE bring to the local cocktail scene and your own bartending experience?

It brings awareness and a bit of a celebration to the cocktail industry. I remember even before I was a bartender in Halifax I heard about the crazy things bartenders were doing at MADE WITH LOVE. Stories like ’’They used dry ice to chill the glass and smoked the cocktail right in front of everyone’’. It brings out the creative side in bartenders. Especially the bartenders who don't have the opportunity to be creative in their own places.

ANNE MARIE BUNGAY- LAROSE – The Middle Spoon

Humility & Vanity

2 oz 1800 Tequila
3/4 oz fresh grapefruit juice
3/4oz fresh lime juice
3/4oz rosehip hibiscus tea syrup
2 dashes of grapefruit white balsamic vinegar
2 dashes of charred cedar bitters
Fresh sage

How to: Shaken, strained over ice, served in Collins glass
Garnish with a grapefruit wheel and sage leaves

As a female bartender, who is your inspiration?

There are many people I look up to; male and female role models alike. But to name one in particular, Ivy Mix is a female in our industry I admire and have incredible respect for. She is a co-owner of a bar in New York called Leyenda, and co-founder of a speed bartending competition that raises money and awareness for breast cancer. She is a great role model who encourages equality for women and works to break the stigmas we face as female bartenders.

In one sentence, how would you describe the feminine cocktail community in Halifax?

We are here, we are educated, talented, passionate, we love spirits and can make a mean cocktail, of any kind. And yes, we can talk to you about whiskey, in depth, at length, in detail, from experience. Deal with it.