With our web snafu we didn’t get all our summer happenings on the site.  To supplement our previous posts, here are some highlights:

Our May Day launch in Toronto signalled the beginning of a huge summer for Vic Gin.

Our Camera Bar launch was an outrageous success

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the Shangri-La Hotel was celebrating our Gin-loving Monarch’s bday with a weekend of Vic Gin cocktail and food pairings.  We’ve posted one of those cocktails as part of our (endless) summer drink list here.  Enjoy!

Salt Tasting Room’s second Farm to Table event provided an opportunity for Vancouver’s foodie crowd to get a little friendlier with Vic Gin, and in some cases meet her for the first time.  For one guest, Vic Gin was the “best discovery of the night“.  Thanks for including us, Kurtis.

We salute you, Salt!

At Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine we raised a glass with our local crowd at the convention centre at the old Crystal Pool… a stuffed olive’s throw away from where we launched only 14 months earlier, the venerable Empress Hotel.  We also joined up with the Inn at Laurel Point for a Taste event.

The Empress’ Bengal Lounge, where we first cocktailed in public

Mia and our rep Lindsay poured for a thirsty crowd at The Refinery’s (re)opening.  Thanks for the invite, Lauren.

Mia preparing for a wild night at the Refinery’s launch party

We entertained at the Tasting Room at our distillery, where people came from all over the world, and where our great pal Marnie has began “tending bar”.

The Gals: Victoria, Marnie “pour me a stiff one” McNeill, and Valerie

We received some wonderful press over the last few months, including United Airlines’ in-flight mag Hemispheres, the Globe and Mail, and National Post.

Hemisphere’s drawing of Peter, Distiller of our “smooth concoction”

We trekked up to Whistler and around Vancouver, inspiring signature cocktails.  We poured at the Royal Van Yacht Club, on patios, in liquor stores, in fields, and on beaches.  We challenged a great variety of noses with our secret ingredient.

In case you needed just one more look…

And to wrap it all up, we threw an incredible cocktail competition, where we were awed by the talents of Vancouver’s top mixologists and where, among other things, we learned how great Vic Gin tastes with heirloom tomato water (thanks David Wolowidnyk!).

Yes, heirloom tomato water!

We met so many great new people, and new people met us.

Maybe it’s because most of the Vic Gin fam has been in school for so long, but we always think of September as the beginning of the year.   We look forward to sharing many cocktails with all our new friends through the next year and thank everyone for an explosive Vic Gin-spiked summer.  See you at Feast of Fields!

Max, Bryan, and Valerie busting a gut at Fairburn Farm