TAPAS, TAPS & TIDBITS

Food & Drink in Greater Hamilton

     In this month's tapas and taps I check out a distillery.  The past month was a busy month and the band wasn’t able to get to a brewery for another episode of Beer With The Brown Notes.  We’ll be back soon with another episode. So, for this issue I checked out a local distillery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. 

     I took Brandy for a drive to Niagara and on the way home we swung by Niagara-on-the-Lake. (NOTL).   We did not, however, go for the wine.   A while ago my friend Fraser left his job in Hamilton slinging cocktails and went to work at a small distillery, The Limited Distillery.  Fraser is more than a bartender; he’s a great cocktail creator who invents delicious concoctions.  So, we swung by to check out the distillery and sample a few of his new cocktails.

     The Limited Distillery is located just off the main street in Virgil, 14 Henegan Rd.  It’s located virtually under the NOTL water tower.  It is in a rather nondescript building, as seems to be the trend nowadays.  You enter the distillery and it is very minimalist, but as you walk in there is a micro vinyl used record store at the front. Very cool.   The distillery makes, well limited products.  They include Limited Gin, Vodka, Rum, Moonshine (Corn, Cherry, Jalapeno, Peach), and arguably the Best Crème de Cacao I’ve had.  Amongst other products they also make a “blue agave”, which can’t be called Tequila, but is superior to most common tequilas.

      We tried a small flight of three drinks and sips of the moonshine, agave and crème de cacao The drinks we tried, a flight of 3 small cocktails, included:  Rhubarb Collins (Gin), My Bloody Valentine (Vodka, hibiscus liqueur) and a Swervedriver (Jalapeno moonshine).   I absolutely loved the Rhubarb Collins while Brandy thoroughly enjoyed the Bloody Valentine.   Next time we will bring a driver so we can sample more delicious in-house cocktails.

     But as we left we also picked up a couple of their RTD (ready to drink) cocktails in cans:  The Strawberry Lemonade and the Tika Soda, a bright, tropical cocktail in a can.   I did take one to Olaf in The Brown Notes and he was looking to pick up more, so we’ll just go have to go back to the distillery.

     So next time you see Limited products on the shelf, at places like Fishers Pier 4 Pub, give them a try and support local.    And next time you find yourself in wine country, stop by the Limited Distillery, there's more than just wine in Niagara.

 - IW