A Craft Cocktail for Every Month in Edmonton

When you’re staring down winter in Edmonton, it helps to remember that there’s beauty in every season. If that doesn’t work, you can get creative with your cocktail game.

Weathering YEG: A Survivor’s Guide to Edmonton’s Seasons is a new book — part story and part cocktail recipe book — by Kylie Wetmore and Ryan Jones, published by the Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel. It’s meant to help Edmontonians and travellers to the city tolerate and celebrate all of Edmonton’s 12 seasons, a.k.a. months. Each one brings its challenges and rewards.

For example, March, according to the book, is “False Hope Season.” And June (oh, hello mosquitoes) is “Blood Donation Month.” Each season features a little story written by Jones, the hotel’s sales manager, and is accompanied by a beautiful and delicious signature cocktail, featuring ingredients from Alberta’s craft distilleries.

The focus is on local offerings. “We never direct our guests to go to chains,” explains Wetmore, director of sales at the hotel, and one of the main drivers behind the project. “The book began as a simple idea to build a local distillery tour guide for a visiting guest, and quickly turned into something much bigger.”

A tongue-in-cheek appreciation of Edmonton, “Weathering YEG combines seasonal craft cocktail coping mechanisms with hidden-gem photography by Jeff Day of spots around the city that most people walk right past,” she says.

Darkness and Denial

“We hope this book serves as a witty, beautiful nod to the quiet resilience of Edmontonians,” Wetmore says, “and gives locals and visitors a fresh perspective on what makes our region so welcoming.”

The book is for sale at the online store of the Renaissance’s Halo Bar and Bistro, and $10 from each purchase goes to RENcares in support of the Inner City Youth Development Association.

The November chapter is fittingly called “Darkness & Denial,” and the Renaissance shared the chapter’s signature cocktail with Edify: the Halo Bar’s distinctly Alberta take on a classic Manhattan. Enjoy!