It's been a little over a month since Farmers Dairy brought Beep back into the homes and hearts of Haligonians. The supernaturally sweet blend of orange, apple, apricot and prune juices isn't for everyone. But, to borrow a slogan, those who like it like it a lot. Initial batches sold out faster than could be kept on store shelves. Fan sites have sprung up like cookingwithbeep.tumblr.com, with recipes for mango Beep cheesecake and Beepcicles. You might even want to head to YouTube to check out Nova Scotian rapper Soflyy Tizzy's hot summer jam, "Beep Drink Back."
To celebrate the hysteria, we asked some of the city's preeminent mixologists to dream up some Beep-enhanced cocktails.
The Carleton bartender Lisa Pettipas graciously spent an evening scientifically creating various Beep-enhanced adult drinks. Her clear winner was this dry, fizzy mix.
BEEP TIZZY
1 oz vodka
1 oz Blomidon Estate Baco Noir
3 oz Beep
Dash of lime juice
Prosecco (but Pettipas recommends Benjamin
Bridge's Nova 7 to keep things local)
Combine vodka, wine and Beep, add a dash of lime juice. Top with Prosecco and garnish with lime. Or, bump up the recipe and mix in a pitcher for a Beep-take on sangria.
Jeff Van Horne, head bartender at The Bicycle Thief, wanted something different than the old vodka/Beep combo he remembered. Fee's Brothers Orange Bitters cuts through the sweetness.
BEEP ALL GROWN UP
1.5 oz dry gin
0.5 oz Fee's Brothers Orange Bitters
0.5 oz lemon juice
1 oz Beep
1 tsp sugar
1 two inch peel of both lemon and orange
First muddle the sugar with the lemon and orange rind to release the citrus oils. Add the remaining ingredients, shake and strain over ice. Or, you can increase the recipe by multiples of four or eight, mix, then pour back into the Beep carton to serve to your friends.
Niche Lounge Supper Club bartender Mathias Durnford highlights the acidity of Beep with his concoction.
THE FAMILIAR
1 part raspberry vodka
1 part Cointreau
1 part Hypnotiq
1 part Beep
1 part pineapple juice
Mix ingredients over ice, strain and garnish with frozen raspberries.
The Wooden Monkey has had a Beep-inspired cocktail on their menu for awhile now. Meant as a bit of nostalgia for the once-discontinued juice, this drink refined the traditional Beep flavours without using any of the juice itself.
BEEP
1 part passionfruit liqueur 1 part apricot brandy "a little vodka" orange juice apple juice
Mix the liqueurs, and add the juices to taste. Shake everything over ice, strain and serve.
Shawn Lewis, bartender at Gio and the Prince George Hotel, says he was inspired by fond childhood memories of Beep, but wanted to make an adult variation on a vegetable martini.
WHEN I GROW UP
2" long coin of cucumber
4 sprigs of thyme
3" of chive, diced
1 oz gin
0.5 oz St. Germain
0.75 oz egg white
2 oz Beep
0.5 oz fresh pressed beet juice
1 oz dry champagne
Muddle the cucumber, thyme and chive in a shaker, add the liqueur (minus the champagne), egg white and juices. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Pour the champagne into a cocktail glass, then double strain the contents of the shaker over the champagne. Garnish with a chive.
