Earlier this week, Kraken Black-Spiced Rum and certified organic Avalon Dairy joined forces at Legacy Liquor in the Olympic Village to put five Vancouver (and one Whistler) bartenders to the test in an eggnog cocktail competition. The Kraken name is derived from a mythical sea beast that cleverly translates over to the company branding, with clever, detail-rich labels and packaging.
Judging the contest were Dennis Pang, Natasha John, Craig Scherer, and Victoria Chemko, in a socially-charged evening hosted by Emcee Jeremy Szafron.
[Rim Rock Café’s Anton preparing the Elf Helper]
The bartenders:
Rim Rock Café’s Anton, fixing up an Elf Helper
La Pentola’s Martin, with a West Point Nog, the evening’s winner!
Tuc Craft Kitchen’s Ryan, with the Kraken Egg Cream
Bambudda Gastown’s Dominic, mixing the Eggspresso Martini for us all
Four Season Vancouver’s Todd, concocting his While The Children Are Sleeping
In case you’ve not yet had the chance to try 94-proof Kraken, it’s produced by a Jersey City-based distributor that sources base rum from Trinidad and Tobago, distilled from molasses made from local sugar cane. The rum is then aged for 12 to 24 months, after which time Kraken adds a blend of spices to the mix, including cinnamon, ginger, and clove.
All added ingredients are natural, gluten-free, and vegan.
Although I didn’t sample the Kraken entirely on its own, the dark and stormy rum sure added a splash of flavour to the cocktails being shaken onsite at Legacy Liquor’s cozy back space and bar.
Making the evening even more festive were eats from Tap and Barrel and Aqua Sushi and Juice Bar, plus sweets from Archimallows, Sweet-E’s Creative Confections, and the Food Gays (homemade gourmet marshmallows fired up on the spot and amazing eggnog-caramel apples!).
For more information on Kraken and some tried-and-true recipes to boost your holiday parties, check out their very cool website. Their Android and Apple-compatible game, The Kraken: The Simulation Application for Nautical Maneuvering is likely to be as entertaining as is the company’s handsomely-illustrated book.