Food stylist Claud Marguerite Fortin confirms it: for about two years, alcoholic sloes have been available in many bars around the world. “The pandemic has given us a strong desire to reconnect with the child in us and to have fun,” says the one who recently orchestrated an SAQ advertising campaign featuring the sloche, precisely.
Here are five Quebec establishments that offer original alcoholic sloches.
“Right now, we’re in tasting. Martin Picard goes to the SAQ for ready-to-drink, gin, all that. Me too, I go everywhere. The other day, I was at Tite Frette, and everyone left with a sloche beer made by the Saint-Bock gang, says Vincent Dion-Lavallée, co-owner of the Cabane next door. So, I cracked up at home and made sloches with cider, ice, maple syrup, a little lemon juice put in a blender, to get the texture. It’s super fresh and there’s not a lot of alcohol. We’re going to offer that at the bar right in the middle of the orchard. The one who is also the place’s executive chef hopes people “hang their feet” in his rustic Biergarten. In addition to cider sloches, Vincent Dion-Lavallée has developed some from the ready-to-drink and spicy vodka of the Au Pied de Cochon group. “We also have the fruit-based Touski cider. I mixed it with a little mint, ice, our maple syrups, a little acidity. It’s sick! »
Candibar MTL is a pioneer of slush cocktails in Quebec. “That was the concept from the opening,” says Jonathan Domer, co-owner of perhaps the most colorful bar on Mont-Royal Avenue. The Slush Puppie mixed with alcohol is what we have been serving since 2010. It is still our flagship concept, which is also part of the decoration, with our big slush machines that come from the United States. He specifies that the alcohol is mixed in the glass in order to respect the regulations. “We also offer several formats, including cocktails to share with three, four people,” adds Jonathan Domer. Our biggest seller, called Taste the rainbow, is a cocktail with Skittles in a tall glass with lots of candy. The place, which turns into a nightclub on weekends, attracts a varied clientele. “We have the 18-20 year olds who are really addicted to slush, then the 30s and 40s for whom it is the return to childhood that they are looking for. »
For nine years now, Le Mal Nécessaire has been offering some of the finest and most extravagant cocktails in town. Innovation and creativity are the pillars of their success. Three years ago, the bar got a slush machine. “To be honest, the machine helps us during service, because 95% of what we sell is cocktails, and that’s a lot of work for the bartenders,” says general manager Ewan Cowie. We’ve always made most of our drinks with crushed ice, but it’s cool to take cocktails that people already know and offer them in a sloppy version. Summer feels good! Ewan Cowie points out that the cocktail selection usually changes twice a month. “The espresso martini we have right now is very popular. I think we will keep it because there are people who come back for it. Last year, Le Mal Nécessaire had a saltwatermelon slush on its menu. It will be a little different this season. “We’re going to make it with miso instead of salt. So it’s going to be pretty funky, he says. It’s refreshing, but there’s a little umami and salty kick. »
At the Ratafia wine bar, we saw the craze for sloche cocktails some time ago. “It’s going to be four years in July that we are open then, from the beginning, we had a great selection of Norman holes of different flavors. Then we decided to take it a step further with different sloche-based cocktails,” says Jared Tuck, co-owner of the place with Sandra Forcier. The duo and their team are working on the summer menu, but can already reveal two refreshments that will be on the menu. “We have the Paloma Float, which is a twist on the classic tequila cocktail with grapefruit soda. We make a version with blood orange syrup and grapefruit sorbet. The drink evolves a bit as the sorbet melts, says Jared Tuck. There’s also the Fire Peach with bourbon and thyme granita. We put the sprigs of thyme on top and flambé them. You arrive at the table and all the senses are stimulated,” he promises.
Anna-Kim Fournier is the owner of Camping chalet Mer et Montagne in Madeleine-Centre, in Haute-Gaspésie. On the same land, she erected Le Shack à guédilles then Le Shack à slush, last year. “I’m a catering enthusiast, so after two years of running the campground, I was missing my fire. So, we first opened The Guedille Shack. Then, since I live on the campground and can’t move from our house in the summer, I built myself a bar, “says the native of the region, laughing. Located on Route 132, on the banks of the St. Lawrence, the colorful establishments capture the attention of many tourists. “We have kids’ slush because we want to appeal to families, of course, but the adult ones were a big hit last summer. Thus, Anna-Kim and her small team are preparing some novelties for the opening on June 10. “We’re going to have good gins from Gaspésie and the Distillerie des Marigots has concocted a recipe just for us for a lemonade and aged gin sloche that has a little more woody notes. »
Touski is a summer cider made from the maceration of fruits (haskaps, sea buckthorn, raspberries, blackcurrants, currants, morello cherries, plums, pears on a base of apples from the orchard).
Ingredients
Preparation
In a blender, purée the fruit with the ice, vodka, lemon juice, maple syrup and herbs. Serve in glasses decorated with a freeze-dried cranberry outline. Add half of the cider glass and garnish with the sloche on top so that the two liquids mix. Drink quickly with a smile on your face.
Ingredients
Preparation
In a blender, puree the ice cream with the ready-to-drink and all the other ingredients until you obtain a smooth sloche texture. Serve in an old fashioned glass garnished with a basil leaf.
Ingredients
Preparation
In a blender, puree the ice cream with the ready-to-drink and all the other ingredients until you obtain a smooth sloche texture. Serve in a tall glass and drink through a straw.
