Mixing business with pleasure: Pomeroy bartender serves special cocktails to G7 leaders
Now that the G7 Summit has ended, the head mixologist at Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge has a few stories to tell.
Working closely with Global Affairs Canada, Graham Hart and his team created the G7 Global Cocktail Series, seven cocktails inspired by each G7 country, plus one non-alcoholic option and one for the group as a whole.
'I've never had the federal government weigh in on the ingredients I've used in a cocktail until now. Every ingredient had to be discussed,' says Hart, who began crafting the special menu for the hotel in September 2024.
'There's been a lot of pressure. But I like to say: no pressure, no diamonds. We had one opportunity to do something fantastic, so there's no point messing around.'
The nod to Germany? A Berliner Sommer beer cocktail with raspberry and dill. France? La Fille en Rose, a floral martini.
And Japan's special drink paid a nod to kintsugi, the Japanese idea of embracing imperfections by repairing broken pottery. Hart hand-cracked and carved ice spears, then put the cubes back together with 24-karat gold to serve to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
'He just looked and me and said, 'You know what kintsugi is?' Hart says.
'I do. It's about finding strength and beauty in things that are broken.'
Served as part of the offerings to the G7 delegates, the cocktails weren't the only drinks imbibed by the world leaders this past week.
It turns out that French President Emmanuel Macron is a big scotch fan — in particular, Lagavulin. Hart poured him a rare Lagavulin 12-year-old Fireside Tales, and Macron liked it so much, his delegation came over to take photos and to ask where they could buy more. 'Macron requested the moustache guy — that's me. I had a big white cowboy hat on and a white shirt. I looked a little like Yosemite Sam,' Hart said with a laugh.
During the week, Hart served British Prime Minister Keir Starmer a wheat ale from Bragg Creek's Cowboy Trail Brewery. And European Council President Antonio da Costa tried the Canadian Club Chronicles' 45-year-old whisky.
On Sunday evening, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted a dinner where Hart served Grizzly Paw Brewing Company's Highway 40 Pale Ale, alongside Establishment Brewing Company's Afternoon Delight Hazy IPA beer from Calgary, and Red Hart Brewing's Irish Red ale from Red Deer.
'I served almost all the world leaders and they were great but, being Canadian, it was one of the highlights of my life to serve our newly elected prime minister,' says Hart, who describes himself as a 'proud Canadian' who has visited 12 of the 13 provinces and territories and has each provincial crest tattooed on his leg.
'It was such a huge honour.'
For those of you who are judgy about the thought of world leaders sharing a few drinks, keep in mind Hart's biggest G7 cocktail. Designed for two, the Liquid Diplomacy is served in a globe-shaped decanter and features an ingredient from each of the official G7 countries: Italian amaro, German Riesling, Canadian icewine, port from Portugal, a Japanese yuzu wine, you get the picture. (Because of the Canadian boycott on alcohol from the U.S., Hart used American apple juice.)
'Just like the summit, the Liquid Diplomacy is designed to bring people together, to get them to relax and enjoy a conversation together,' says Hart, who holds an MBA in international hospitality from Switzerland's Glion Institute of Higher Education.
'It was one of the most difficult drinks I've ever made in my career, but it turned out fantastic.
'To be able to express my creativity and contribute in a small way to the G7 is one of the biggest honours of my life.'
Cabane a Sucre, a.k.a. The Carney
This recipe comes from Graham Hart, head mixologist at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, where the G7 was held in June. It's the cocktail of the month at the Pomeroy in July.
Ms. Better's Bitters (msbetters.com) are made in Vancouver; Canadian Club is made in Windsor, Ont.
The process of making the Applewood Smoked Ice is complex – Hart cold-smokes the ice, thaws it, re-freezes it and then hand-carves it into cubes. If you're making it at home, he recommends simply making the ice by mixing liquid smoke and water, a ratio of 100 grams of water to two grams of liquid smoke.
2 oz Canadian Club Invitation Classic 15 Year Old Whisky
or
2 oz Canadian Club Chronicles 45 Year Old Whisky
1/4 oz (about 1.5 tsp) dark maple syrup
2 dashes of Ms. Better's Bitters Aromatic Bitters
Applewood Smoked Ice
1 Maple Taffy candy stick
Add smoked ice to a negroni (old-fashioned) glass. Add ice to mixing glass. Add syrup and bitters to mixing glass. Add whisky to mixing glass. Stir 20 times and strain over smoked ice. Garnish with maple taffy stick in the glass. Place on plaid napkin. Serves one.
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