Essential Canadian Drink

When a martini was crowned the best cocktail in Canada, it grabbed my attention. The "True North" martini is the brainchild of Cooper Tardivel, a bartender at Mosaic Social Dining in Halifax. He entered his heavenly concoction into a contest for the drink that best symbolizes Canada – and it won! The True North combines maple dessert wine from Nova Scotia's Jost Vineyards, decadent crème de cacao and nutty amaretto, topped off with maple-candied apple balls and a few plump blueberries to give it that extra Nova Scotian twist. Not only did the True North win best in Canada, Tardivel's recipe was voted one of the top ten internationally! He'll be shaking it up in Amsterdam on March 27, vying for the title of “World’s Best Cocktail.” So show your support, and get your maple on. Not that I personally need an excuse to try a new martini, but Canadian champion and symbol of our country? That'll do.
Keep an eye on the competition at bolsaroundtheworld.com. (The True North recipe is there too!)
- Alison Dixon, Halifax City Editor