96FOOD & RECIPES: BLIND PIGS AND THE ANGEL’S SHARE
Vodkow,
Dairy Distillery
Almonte, Ontario
Dairy Distillery’s latest and
greatest, Vodkow, is helping
Ontario farmers and the
environment by repurposing
fermented milk sugar (or lactose),
just as the Mongols did over a
thousand years ago. And it’s
gluten-free! When cream is
removed to make butter, and
proteins are concentrated to
produce ultra-filtered milk (by
cheese and yogurt makers), a
sugar-rich liquid called “milk
permeate” is created.
In collaboration with the brains
at the University of Ottawa, the
waste milk permeate finds new
life as a smooth, superior spirit.
It’s a marvellous transformation
of unused milk sugar that gives
you permission to drink until
the cows come home.
dairydistillery.com
Island Tide,
Deep Roots Distillery
Warren Grove,
Prince Edward Island
The War Measures Act of 1917
was enforced as a measure to
save grain and fruit during the
First World War. Luckily, Prince
Edward Island had a solid alliance
with Caribbean Island traders
and a steady supply of sugar.
P.E.I. “shiners” sweetened the deal
and began using cane sugar for
their illegal magic. Island Tide’s
smoother, velvety approach to
more traditional moonshines
is dedicated to the speakeasy
crowds who resisted authority and
raised glasses toward change.
If you have an opportunity to
visit the distillery, try the absinthe.
The potent “green lady,” or “green
fairy,” has an unmatched colour and
taste thanks to the wormwood and
herbs it’s created from.
You’ll find Island Tide at
P.E.I. liquor stores, the
Charlottetown Farmers’ Market
and, seasonally, at the distillery.
deeprootsdistillery.com H MAIJA LIISA SOUSA (VODKOW); TO THE T MEDIA (ISLAND TIDE)