Tag Archives: Vodka Sodas

Sip Trips #238: Birthday Bashing

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September was busy, filled with birthdays and other activities – a fair portion of the month spent out and about, as open houses were run on our condo. Let’s see what the Sip Family got up to over the course of the month:

Our first outing took us to Locality Brewing in Langley. There, I had the Strawberry Milkshake Ale, which I’ve enjoyed before, but was a substitute when my original choice was no longer available on tap. Mrs. Sip and I also shared an order of the food truck’s Bison Poutine, as we did on our inaugural expedition to the brewery.

To celebrate the Sipplings return to school, we took them out to Red Robin for dinner. It had been some time since I’d visited the restaurant and I really enjoyed my Bacon Cheeseburger with Yukon Chips (a bottomless side dish, which I had to get another round of). To wash it all down, I went with the Stanley Park 1897 Amber Ale, another secondary choice when my first selection was tapped out.

back-to-school

Over the course of the month, I picked up a couple different vodka soda cases, including the Truly Hard Seltzer Berry Mix Pack (Black Cherry, Field Berry, Blueberry & Acai, Raspberry Lime) and White Claw Variety 30 Pack, which features five different flavours (Lemon, Lime, Blackberry, Tangerine, and Black Cherry).

Afforded some time to myself, I ended up at a Browns Socialhouse, electing to have their Tiki Tuna Poke Bowl, paired with a Social IPA. I’m not very good with free time on my own, so I ate at a decent pace, settled my tab and returned to my life of misery! 😊

The next weekend, Mrs. Sip and I were in Vancouver to watch the musical Come From Away. Prior to our show, we had another meal at Browns Socialhouse, where I had the Sesame Ginger Gyoza this time, along with another Social IPA. As for the fantastic performance, which is about the many travellers who ended up in Newfoundland, Canada, following the grounding of all planes on 9/11, I tried the Dillon’s Tangerine, Lemon and Mint Gin Cocktail.

Alone

For a guy’s night out, in recognition of my birthday, us lads had an epic dinner and drinks session at The Barley Merchant in Langley. Over the course of six hours spent at the eatery, I consumed the Beva Goombah Milkshake IPA, Barley Merchant x Slackwater Chinwag IPA, two Four Winds Monocle IPAs, a pair of Black Bear Spiced Honey Rum & Cokes, as well as three Pickleback shots.

The birthday festivities continued that weekend with a party for Girl Sip and a side serving of the Sip Advisor. At that gathering, a friend gifted me a one-liter bottle of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum, which we worked our way completely through, mixing it mostly with our preferred Dr. Pepper, but also with the limited edition Coca-Cola: Oreo.

The next day, my actual birthday, we ventured out to Barnside Brewing for some family time. There, I had their Home Field Hazy IPA, while the Sip Family shared a couple Beer Baked Pretzels. We also visited Kelly O’Bryans for my free birthday dinner. This promotion allowed me to get an entrée, up to $30, on the house. I went with the O’Bryans Bowl, which is basically a tuna poke bowl, while also picking at Mrs. Sip’s Chicken Lips N’ Lattice Fries. I washed it all down with a pair of Whistler Grapefruit Ales and for dessert, we all shared the decadent King O’ Mud Pie.

Birthday Coupons

Other boozy birthday gifts I received for my birthday, included six 750ml crowlers (Krisp Dry Hopped Lager, Bright El Dorado Pale Ale, Idabro IPA, Heff Hefeweizen, Strawberry Heff Strawberry Hefeweizen, and Key Lime Pie Tart Ale w/ Lime and Vanilla) from Bright Eye Brewing, courtesy of Ma and Pa Sip, as well as a $50 gift card to BC Liquor Stores via Mrs. Sip and the Sipplings.

For Girl Sip’s actual birthday, the day after mine, we had dinner at Boston Pizza. Here, I went with a glass of Blue Moon, while trying their Appy Hour Burger with Caesar Salad. I really liked the burger and will likely order it again in the future. Mrs. Sip and I also used the free birthday dessert I received in the BP app to share the Chocolate Explosion.

For the Reconciliation Day long weekend, I travelled to Tobiano with the Sipplings in tow. This is the location of Ma and Pa Sip’s new abode, located 15 minutes outside of Kamloops. This new off-site headquarters will allow me to explore the Kamloops beer and bar scene over future visits. On this trip, we managed to check out Bright Eye Brewing for their Hoppy Hour. I tried the Smedium Tank Top Hazy IPA and Throwback Burger with Fries, which were both nicely discounted for happy hour.

New House

We also stopped at Iron Road Brewing, where I ordered the Red Bridge Pale Ale. One last local journey we made was to Privato Vineyard. While the kids enjoyed the chance to play and check out the place’s pumpkin patch, I was reminded of how much I HATE WINERIES.

That puts a bow on September. October has already filled up with activities, largely focused on Halloween celebrations. It’ll be interesting to see how we survive the ghoulish month!

Sip Trips #236: European Reunion

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July was a very busy month, featuring my first foray to Europe since 2019 and many of the other events that typically fill our summer calendar. Let’s get right to it and see what the Sip Family was up to:

The month began with the Sipplings going on a mini road trip with Ma and Pa Sip, leaving Mrs. Sip and I to take full advantage of some kid-free time. Our first outing started with hitting the Howe Sound Taphouse & Kitchen in New West for happy hour. There, I had a pint of the King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen, followed by a Pickleback shot. Mrs. Sip ordered their Chips, Salsa & Queso offering, which was a good little snack.

Next, we walked the short distance to Georgie’s Local Kitchen & Bar for Trivia Mania. I ate the Cheeseburger + Fries from their daily specials menu, while we split a pitcher of Blue Moon. The trivia here was very difficult and not as much fun as other places we’ve played before. The questions seemed very niche and it was also hard to hear the host in our section of the place.

Kids Away

The next day, we attended a wedding in Chilliwack, grabbing a quick drink upon arrival at the ceremony. The reception was hosted at HubCo Brewing in Mission. There, I had a number of beers and cocktails as the evening progressed. These selections included the Burton Ale and Citra Pale Ale, as well as both cocktails on tap, the Gin & Grapefruit and Peach, Orange & Vodka. Top appies offered were the Pulled Pork Tacos and BBQ Chicken Flatbread.

On our last day of freedom, we met up with friends to try Gordon Ramsay Burger at the Great Canadian Casino Vancouver (actually in Coquitlam, but whatevs). I ordered the Stout Burger, which I was very happy to see had finally made the menu. I’d had the burger before at the Las Vegas BurGR, but when the restaurant first arrived up north, it wasn’t part of the opening menu. To drink, I had a pint of Four Winds Pale Ale. Among the differences I noted between the Vegas and “Vancouver” locations were that fries actually come with your burger, with upgrade options also available, the drinks were obviously cheaper than the Vegas strip offers and the food prices were the same, but being in Canadian currency helps.

With a number of hangouts and get togethers over the middle of the month, I picked up a few different vodka soda cases. First up was the Remix Vol. 2 Vodka Soda pack (Blood Orange/Tangerine, Blackberry/Mango, Grapefruit/Lime, Peach/Nectarine). This was followed by the Verve Vodka Soda 24 Variety Pack, with new flavours including Lemon-Yuzu Sour and Black Cherry, joining the core Wild Strawberry-Lemon, Peach-Blackberry, Watermelon-Raspberry and Grapefruit-Elderflower. I also bought a bottle of the limited edition Bombay Sapphire Sunset Gin, featuring flavours of golden turmeric, Indian white cardamon and Spanish mandarin.

Vodka Soda

Our long-awaited European vacation (my first time crossing the pond post-pandemic) finally commenced, with us landing in Cologne, Germany. Our train from Frankfurt to Cologne was incredibly delayed, cancelling out our chance to hit a brauhaus. We instead settled for a quick pizza meal to satisfy the kids and hitting a grocery store for ice cream bars and tall can German brews.

The next day, we hit the one attraction we hoped to in the city, the Lindt Schokoladen (Chocolate) Museum, where we enjoyed numerous pieces of chocolate. After a quick McDonald’s meal, we were back onto the trains for our travel to Belgium.

The bulk of our trip was spent at the Center Parcs location in Les Ardennes. Here, we would spend a week at what I can best describe as a mix between an all-inclusive resort and glamping. We had a “half board” package, which meant all our breakfasts and dinners were included. At dinner, there was a self-service beer tap, offering Jupiler Pilsner. I drank so many glasses of this beer over our stay it was practically coursing through my veins by the end. As for food, I thought most of what I ate across the trip was very good.

Camping

The resort also had a small market, where we purchased supplies for our cottgae. This included a series of Belgian beers: La Tharee Amber; Belgium Peak Blonde, Brune, IPA and Tripel; Leffe Tripel; and La Vieille Salme Blonde. During one of our walks through the nearby town, we also grabbed a bottle of La Myrtille d’Amelie Blueberry Beer. I must note, it has been a while since I drank beers out of a bottle, as the local industry has vastly moved towards tall cans. I also snagged bottles of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and Pepsi at the Spar grocery store close to our resort because daddy needed his medicine!

One of our days was spent offsite, journeying to the small town of Coo to check out their Wild Park. This was followed by visiting Aywaille, which has the Grottes de Remouchamps, the longest underground river in Europe.

As the calendar turned from July to August, we left Belgium for London, England, the last stop of our European expedition. That will be covered in the next Sip Trips, along with all the other adventures we get up to over the month.

Sip Trips #215: This is Halloween

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October was busy, as the Sip Family took in the Thanksgiving and Halloween seasons. This led to many outings and even more beverages. Here’s how it all played out, as we officially moved from summer to fall:

The month began with Mrs. Sip and I joining a friend at Kelly O’Bryans for some trivia presented by Vancouver Trivia Party. Over the course of the evening, I enjoyed three Whistler Grapefruit Ales, along with a filling Cali Club. For dessert, we shared the King O’ Mud Pie and although I’m not a huge coffee-based treat fan, this provided a good finish to the meal. Best of all, we tied for first place for the fun trivia experience – moving up from third place at the halfway point – to receive a $35 gift card to the restaurant.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Sip Syndicate travelled to the Okanagan for a weekend of wineries and other pleasures. Over two days, we visited six locations, which largely meant the ladies getting to do tastings, while the gents chased the kids around. Stops included Clos du Soleil (where I did get to enjoy the tasting), Orofino, Crowsnest (we had lunch here, with the Sip Advisor pairing a Chicken Schnitzel with a tall can of Neighbourhood Flightless Bird Pilsner), Twisted Hills Craft Cider, Covert Farms (I did the wine tasting, followed by a can of Cannery Anarchist Amber Ale), and Corcelettes.

Thanksgiving

While the rest of our group had to return home at the end of the weekend, the Sip Family continued onto Kelowna for a couple extra nights. En route, we stopped at Giant’s Head Brewing in Summerland. There, Mrs. Sip and I had servings of the White Noise IPA, Marzen and Razzle Dazzle Raspberry Cream Ale, while also trying a taster of the Dark Fantasy Pale Ale. To eat, we shared Pretzel Bites, while the kids had Popcorn Chicken with Fries.

For dinner that night, our Thanksgiving feast was held at Boston Pizza. Mrs. Sip and I drank happy hour Blue Moons, which went well with my Royal Hawaiian Pizza. This was the first meals for the Sipplings from our Kids Cards, which offer five meals per card for only $5 each. Mrs. Sip also got a free pizza through my BP app, as a one-year anniversary reward. This made our meal very economic.

The next day, we visited the Kelowna Beer Institute, where we had pints of the Crusher Pale Ale and Juicy IPA, while also enjoying a taster of the Cucumber Sour. For snacks, we ordered the Garlic Parm Fries and Cheese Curds, which I combined to form a makeshift poutine.

Poutine

We then travelled to Copper Brewing for dinner. Mrs. Sip tried their Mystery Brew, which asked drinkers to guess which fruits were in the concoction, for a chance to win a prize. I went with the simpler Hazy IPA to drink. To eat, I had the Ballpark Smash Burger, while Mrs. Sip went with the Zooming Smash Burger. The Sipplings had kids meals, while we all got to enjoy playing the video games available at the brewery.

On our journey home, we stopped into Empty Keg Brewing in Merritt for their happy hour. I had a tasty Hot Dog and Parmesan Garlic Fries, while Mrs. Sip and the kids split a Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla. Our beverages consisted of the Brhubarb Saison and Coquihalla Cream Ale. We love stopping at this place, as there are tons of games – both board and electronic – for all ages.

Back at home and with our vehicle in for servicing, we killed some of the wait time at Brookswood Brewing. I went with the Brookswood Shuffle Kviek IPA, while Mrs. Sip put together a flight. This was a first-time visit for us to this brewery and we had a great time. Plus, it’s located right next door to a McDonald’s, which helped with satisfying the kids.

Happy Meal

Through the month, I purchased two vodka soda packs, as Mrs. Sip is doing the keto diet thing. The first pack I picked up was the Remix 12 Pack Mixer, featuring Peach-Nectarine, Wild Cherry-Citrus, Blackberry-Hibiscus and Guava-Lime flavours. At the end of the month, I also grabbed the Pyur Mixer Pack, complete with Black Cherry, Raspberry, Mango and Lemon Lime offerings.

Prior to meeting with Mrs. Sip and a friend for a Halloween pop-up bar in Downtown Vancouver, I had a solo meal at White Spot. I paired my usual Legendary Burger with two pints of Granville Island Lions Winter Ale. It was a good meal, but whenever I eat alone, I always wonder what the etiquette is if you have to use the washroom. Will your server think you’ve skipped out on the bill? Will they clear your table before you can finish eating? This is the stuff that keeps me up at night!

After eating, I made my way to the Butcher & Bullock, which was featuring a Black Lagoon-themed set-up and menu. Mrs. Sip and I had a couple cocktails each, including the Hellraiser (Tequila, Spiced Rum, Cointreau, Orgeat, Banana Liqueur, Sherry, Lime, Aromatic Bitters), Blood Rave (Mezcal, Falernum, Lemon, Beets, Absinthe, Bitters), Closed Casket (Scotch Whiskey, Brandy, Passionfruit, Miso Falernum, Apricot, Lemon, Hellfire Bitters) and Nightwish (Vodka, Sherry, Banana Liqueur, Lemon, Cardamom Bitters), along with a round of Wicked shots (Vodka, Pineapple, Coconut). The bar was done up really well and the drinks were great. Surprisingly, aside from Mrs. Sip finding the event, there didn’t seem to be much advertising/hype about the experience.

Halloween

Not content with one meal at White Spot in a week, Mrs. Sip and I finally tried the R&D Kitchen by White Spot at Brentwood Mall. Although I always get the Legendary Burger at White Spot, I decided to get a test kitchen dish while at this location. Therefore, I tried the Louisiana Fried Chicken Burger with Caesar Salad and really enjoyed the Cajun Spice Dust. I was also curious about the Crispy Cajun Fish Po’Boy, but it wasn’t available. The restaurant had fantastic service and I’d like to try other dishes at the R&D Kitchen, as well as at the mall’s food court. One major criticism of the mall, though, is I believe shopping centre’s should NEVER have paid parking, as it did here.

Nearing the end of the month, we popped into Russell Brewing after taking the kids to the Bear Creek Park Halloween Train. I had a very good Rauchweizen, while also trying a couple of Mrs. Sip’s tasters from her Table Flight (12 different beers). My samples included the Banana Split Dunkel, Passionfruit Lime Pale Ale and Root Beer Stout.

Pay Parking

Lastly, prior to our first Vancouver Canucks game of the season, Mrs. Sip and I stopped at Browns Socialhouse. We were a bit rushed to get to the game, but I really liked my Traditional Pub Burger and Grapefruit Hibiscus Margarita. Hopefully, next time, we can take our time prior to puck drop.

Well, that’s it for a very active October. With Halloween in the rear view mirror, Christmas prep will ramp up quickly. November is often the calm before the storm of a crazy December, so it will be interesting to see if that holds true this year.