The item beside this text is an advertisement

  • eat
  • shop
  • see
  • go
  • stay
  • daytrip
  • map
  • calendar
  • transport
  • weather
  • currency
  • tofrom
Home > summer

summer

10 Best Great Lakes Beaches

By WAHEEDA HARRIS

Great Lakes Beaches: Agawa Bay on Lake Superior (Photo: eskimo_jo)

Central Canada’s Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, and their combined coastlines add up to nearly 18,000 km—more than 40 per cent of the circumference of the Earth. That’s a lot of Great Lakes—and, consequently, a lot of Great Lakes beaches for landlocked folks to enjoy this spring and summer. See our list of the 10 best, must-visit Great Lakes beaches, and unpack those flip-flops!

See the slideshow of the 10 best Great Lakes beaches »

 

Summer Cocktail Recipe: The Avalon

So long, sweet summer. Our cocktail feature from proof brands has come to an end, but you still have one opportunity to win their ultimate summer prize pack. Enter for your chance to win one of four ultimate summer prize packs from proof!

Ingredients
2 oz (60 ml) proof rum
4 oz (120 ml) apple cider
1 oz (30 ml) maple syrup
1 oz (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

Directions
In an ice-filled shaker, add proof rum, apple cider, maple syrup and lemon juice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice and garnish with apple slices.

Pitcher size: To a pitcher add 8 oz (240 ml) proof rum, 16 oz (475 ml) apple cider, 4 oz (120 ml) maple syrup and 4 oz (120 ml) lemon juice. Stir well to mix and pour into ice filled glasses. Makes 4 drinks.

For more great recipe ideas, visit www.proofbrands.net.

SPONSORED POST

Summer Cocktail Recipe: The Urban


Check back every other Wednesday this summer for a new cocktail recipe and enter for your chance to win one of four ultimate summer prize packs from proof!

Ingredients
1½ oz proof whisky
4 oz Ceres pear juice
¼ oz fresh lemon juice

Directions
Pour proof whisky, Ceres pear juice and lemon juice into a shaker filled with ice. Shake and pour into a glass filled with ice.

Pitcher size: To a pitcher add 9 oz proof whisky, ¾ litre Ceres pear juice and 2½ oz lemon juice. Stir well to mix and pour into ice filled glasses. Makes 6 drinks.

For more great recipe ideas, visit www.proofbrands.net.

SPONSORED POST

Hot Dining: 3 Hip New Calgary Patios

Calgarians love their patios, and during this summer in particular, with its especially lovely hot weather, who can blame them? Three new spots in Calgary’s bustling dining scene have hip, secluded patios where you can sip refreshing brews and enjoy the city’s famously late summers.

Kensington’s Oak Tree’s patio has a prime view of the downtown skyline. Photo: Adele Brunnhofer.

OAK TREE TAVERN 124 10 St NW, 2nd floor

This cozy wooden patio in Kensington is on the second level above The Source and has a fantastic view of downtown Calgary. Though tucked away, the Oak Tree’s patio still feels very much a part of the busy neighbourhood, and its proximity to downtown and the Sunnyside LRT station make it a great stop for the after-work crowd. At night, when its patio lights are switched on, the space has the vibe of an urban rooftop party. Local Village Brewery beers are available on tap, and the menu includes house-made burgers and savoury sharing items like nachos and curry fries. (more…)

Summer Cocktail Recipe: The Seared Caesar

Check back every other Wednesday this summer for a new cocktail recipe and enter for your chance to win one of four ultimate summer prize packs from proof!

Ingredients
1½ oz proof whisky
2 tsp Bull’s-Eye BBQ sauce
¼ oz fresh lime juice
4 oz Mott’s Original Clamato juice
1 beef pepperette
celery salt

Directions
Rim a tall glass with fresh lime and celery salt. Fill the glass with ice and add proof whisky, barbecue sauce, fresh lime juice and Mott’s Original Clamato juice. Stir to mix. Garnish with a beef pepperette.

Pitcher size: To a pitcher, add 1½ cups proof whisky, 2 tbsp barbecue sauce, ¼ cup lime juice and 4 cups Mott’s Original Clamato juice. Stir to mix. Makes 6–8 drinks.

For more great recipe ideas, visit www.proofbrands.net.

SPONSORED POST

Hot Art: Cool Off with Water-Themed Paintings at Art Works Gallery

“Shell Series No. 2″ by Robert Florian

Cool off this summer with a water-themed exhibit at Art Works Gallery. Local artists are making a splash in Overboard (Aug. 14 to Sep. 6), which features all things true blue, including luminous paintings of aquatic life, wild seascapes and striking shell collections (“Shell Series No. 2” by Robert Florian, pictured). Whether you get lost in Marie Danielle Leblanc’s bright abstracts, Corrinne Wolcoski’s serene horizons or Steve Fortier’s graphic reflections, this show is a sweet escape from the sweltering sun.—Kristina Urquhart

Summer Cocktail Recipe: Watermelon Punch

Check back every other Wednesday this summer for a new cocktail recipe and enter for your chance to win one of four ultimate summer prize packs from proof!

Ingredients
lots of mint
4 oz proof rum
4 oz fresh lime juice (3-4 limes)
4 oz watermelon juice*
2 oz simple syrup**
8 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes of watermelon, frozen

Directions
Place a mint sprig in each of your 4 glasses and muddle by crushing the mint against the side of the glass with a wooden spoon. Stir together proof rum, lime juice, watermelon juice and simple syrup in a large pitcher, then add watermelon cubes and remaining mint sprigs. Pour rum mixture into glasses. Serve immediately.

*To prepare watermelon juice, process peeled watermelon in a blender and strain.

**To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and boiling water. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into a jar or bottle with a lid, let cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

For more great recipe ideas, visit www.proofbrands.net.

SPONSORED POST

20 Ways to Stay Cool During Summer in Vancouver

By Jennifer Patterson

  1. A much-deserved ice cream break on the dock at Granville Island. Photo by KK Law

    Battle brain freeze while enjoying a sweet frozen treat. The ice cream at Marble Slab Creamery is anything but ordinary: pick from dozens of flavours, from banana rum to raspberry; choose some toppings, from sliced almonds to gummy bears; then watch as it’s all mixed together on—what else—a cold marble slab. (more…)

Eastern Canada’s Best Beaches

By SHANNON KELLY

Kelly’s Beach, Kouchibouguac Park, NB (Photo: Tourism New Brunswick)

Last week the west coast got all the beachy glory. Now we head east to focus on the top beaches in the east: sandy Maritime playgrounds, windswept dunes, surfer spots and crystalline beauties on eastern Canada’s ocean- and lake-fronts. (more…)

The Best Beaches of the Canadian West

By SHANNON KELLY

Tribune Bay Beach, BC (Photo: Tourism British Columbia)

We’re well into summer, and it’s time to get yourself beachside if you haven’t already. The best ocean- and lake-front beaches in the West may come as a surprise. First, they’re not all in British Columbia. (Though most are, since that province monopolizes Canada’s Pacific coast. Vancouver alone has 10 beaches!) Secondly, they’re not all hugging the southern border—some excellent northern lakes and oceanfront strands have made the list, too. (more…)

Discover the Calgary Folk Music Festival

The crowd at The Calgary Folk Music Festival. Photo: Lynne Hawrelko.

One of Calgary’s most beloved summer events, The Calgary Folk Music Festival, runs Thursday through Sunday at Prince’s Island Park. Music fans and families flock to the city’s large urban park to enjoy the warm weather, take in music and comedy performances on seven stages, sip suds in the beer garden and savour the tastes of numerous food kiosks. The festival’s Johanna Schwartz gives Where Calgary the inside scoop on what 2012 festival attendees absolutely must see.

Twilight Stage programming
On Friday and Saturday night our Local 501 Stage 4 becomes the Twilight Stage, where the vibe is an up close and personal dance party. On Friday it’s funk night with Blitz the Ambassador, Shad and Melvin Gibbs Elevated Entity. On Saturday (more…)

Summer Cocktail Recipe: The Blue Heron

Check back every other Wednesday this summer for a new cocktail recipe and enter for your chance to win one of four ultimate summer prize packs from proof!

Ingredients
4 basil leaves
2 tsp cane sugar
1 oz  sparkling water
3 tbsp frozen blueberries
1 oz fresh lime juice
1½ oz proof rum
1 basil branch
2 wild blueberries and small skewer for garnish

Directions
Combine basil leaves and cane sugar into an old-fashioned glass and add sparkling water. Mix ingredients lightly with pestle. Add frozen blueberries, crush and mix for a second time. Fill the glass two-thirds full with crushed ice. Add lime juice and proof rum and stir well. Thread wild blueberries onto skewer. Garnish glass with wild blueberry skewer and basil branch. Makes 1 cocktail.

Pitcher size: To a pitcher, add ½ cup basil leaves, ⅓ cup cane sugar and 6 oz sparkling water. Muddle with the back of a wooden spoon. Add 1½ cups frozen blueberries and muddle again. Finally add 6 oz lime juice and 9 oz proof rum, stir well to mix. Pour into glasses filled with crushed ice. Makes 6 drinks.

For more great recipe ideas, visit www.proofbrands.net.

SPONSORED POST

« Older posts