The Zinc resto-lounge inside Edmonton's newly renovated Art Gallery of Alberta has helped to turn the culture centre into a gastronomic hotspot. Visitors come for Dave Omar's bite-size menu and for sommelier Aleksandar Milic's original cocktails, the Wine and Cheese Martini among them.
The wine and cheese martini
1 ounce calvados
1/2 ounce Cave Spring ice wine
1/2 ounce Domaine Pinnacle ice cider
Hunk of St. Agur blue cheese
1 Granny Smith apple
Method
To make one, prepare the stuffed apple cheese balls in advance by taking a melon baller to a crisp Granny Smith, creating a round of apple about the size of an olive. Next, use a smaller melon baller to make a hollow indent in the balled apple and then stuff it with as much St. Agur blue cheese as necessary to close the hole.
Repeat the process to produce three apple cheese balls for each cocktail served.
When ready to make the drink, mix the calvados, the ice wine and the ice cider with ice in a martini shaker, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with apple cheese balls on a skewer.