December 1 marks the beginning of the official Eggnog Season in the city - but where to go to get your 'nog on? From ice creams and cheesecakes to spirit-spiked eggnog cocktails and the city's finest flips may we present - in no particular order - our first Vancouver Eggnog Heat Map.
Got a suggestion for a restaurant or bar you think deserves to be added? Drop us a line or leave a comment.
Warm up to the season with house-made Eggnog Latte at Red Wagon for $4.50. Try it spiked with Sailor Jerry Rum for for $7.00. The week before Christmas pop by for eggnog-pancakes.
Remember that soft serve ice cream machine we told you about from Fat Dragon that wound up in Campagnolo Roma's kitchen? It'll be making Avalon eggnog ices with crunchy brown sugar shortbread topping. This is the perfect gateway flavour for those who are nog-undecided. It'll only be available periodically throughout the season as they change the flavour often.
Yup, Whole Foods are getting festive with a lactose-free faux-nog-based smoothie which you can score from their cafe. Faux-nog? That's soy-nog blended with bananas and cinnamon for $6.99.
David Wolowidnyk’s Moroccan Almond-Nog is a good bet for the lactose-intolerant 'nog fan as it uses almond milk (rather than cream) spiked with gin infused with Moroccan spices including cardamom, fennel, star anise and cinnamon.
La Pentola are dipping into Italian folklore with a fruit cake and spice-flavoured Befana eggnog. (Befana, for all you folklore lovers out there, is the name of an old lady who brings gifts to children on Epiphany Eve riding her broomstick from one house to the next.)
Chambar's take on eggnog this year is the Mount Gay Eclipse with caramel and chili-spiced reduced milk, egg, Mount Gay Eclipse rum, Drambuie, black walnut bitters and freshly grated tonka beans.
YEW have won Christmas by serving their nog in brilliant Chevy Chase Lampoon Christmas Vacation-style mugs. Curl up by the fire and sip this vanilla, allspice and cinnamon-infused Jim Beam eggnog made with Avalon Organic. Shaken over ice it's incredibly smooth and has a boozy kick. Not enough nog? They also have an eggnog cheese cake with Stollen crumble in YEW.
Bel Cafe have a house-made eggnog latte, whipped up daily with vanilla beans, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The eggnog latte starts from $4.40 and the spiked version with rum is $8.
Don't like rum? Hate missing out on the 'nog; you're in luck, JS Dupuis has created a Bombay Sapphire-based eggnog cocktail for all Gin fans. Beautifully light and sweetened with maple syrup this is a fresh take on nog.
Currently serving the Cabin Flip; a smoked Lapsang-infused brandy egg cream cocktail; Buck Friend won't be unveiling his Kraken-spiced home-made chocolate milk-based eggnog until two weeks before christmas. *Cough*Grinch*Cough*
Vancouver Magazine Bartender of the Year, H is making Santa's Porter Call; a twist on the flip (the precursor to the nog). It's a chocolate porter with dark rum, whole egg and gingerbread syrup dusted with the festive necessities of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Warm up to the season with house-made Eggnog Latte at Red Wagon for $4.50. Try it spiked with Sailor Jerry Rum for for $7.00. The week before Christmas pop by for eggnog-pancakes.
Remember that soft serve ice cream machine we told you about from Fat Dragon that wound up in Campagnolo Roma's kitchen? It'll be making Avalon eggnog ices with crunchy brown sugar shortbread topping. This is the perfect gateway flavour for those who are nog-undecided. It'll only be available periodically throughout the season as they change the flavour often.
Yup, Whole Foods are getting festive with a lactose-free faux-nog-based smoothie which you can score from their cafe. Faux-nog? That's soy-nog blended with bananas and cinnamon for $6.99.
David Wolowidnyk’s Moroccan Almond-Nog is a good bet for the lactose-intolerant 'nog fan as it uses almond milk (rather than cream) spiked with gin infused with Moroccan spices including cardamom, fennel, star anise and cinnamon.
La Pentola are dipping into Italian folklore with a fruit cake and spice-flavoured Befana eggnog. (Befana, for all you folklore lovers out there, is the name of an old lady who brings gifts to children on Epiphany Eve riding her broomstick from one house to the next.)
Chambar's take on eggnog this year is the Mount Gay Eclipse with caramel and chili-spiced reduced milk, egg, Mount Gay Eclipse rum, Drambuie, black walnut bitters and freshly grated tonka beans.
YEW have won Christmas by serving their nog in brilliant Chevy Chase Lampoon Christmas Vacation-style mugs. Curl up by the fire and sip this vanilla, allspice and cinnamon-infused Jim Beam eggnog made with Avalon Organic. Shaken over ice it's incredibly smooth and has a boozy kick. Not enough nog? They also have an eggnog cheese cake with Stollen crumble in YEW.
Bel Cafe have a house-made eggnog latte, whipped up daily with vanilla beans, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The eggnog latte starts from $4.40 and the spiked version with rum is $8.
Don't like rum? Hate missing out on the 'nog; you're in luck, JS Dupuis has created a Bombay Sapphire-based eggnog cocktail for all Gin fans. Beautifully light and sweetened with maple syrup this is a fresh take on nog.
Currently serving the Cabin Flip; a smoked Lapsang-infused brandy egg cream cocktail; Buck Friend won't be unveiling his Kraken-spiced home-made chocolate milk-based eggnog until two weeks before christmas. *Cough*Grinch*Cough*
Vancouver Magazine Bartender of the Year, H is making Santa's Porter Call; a twist on the flip (the precursor to the nog). It's a chocolate porter with dark rum, whole egg and gingerbread syrup dusted with the festive necessities of cinnamon and nutmeg.