Revelstoke’s winter drink roundup

Editor’s Note: No alcoholic beverages were consumed by Revelstoke Mountaineer staff. All cocktail or liquor-based seasonal drinks were described by their creators. Additional drinks were added to the article Friday, Dec. 20, 2024

Whether it’s a latte with some seasonal flair, a dark ale that pairs well with cold nights or a spicy twist on a childhood favourite, Revelstoke’s winter drink options have a little something for everyone. Maybe you’re looking for a pick-me-up before heading out for the day or a way to wind down after adventures in the snow, either way we’ve got the scoop on some of the holiday treats around town. With some of your favourite food trucks shuttered for the winter, this month’s review goes inside to try new cozy concoctions. 

Dose Coffee

If you’re looking for a hot chocolate with a kick to it, Dose Coffee’s Diablo hot chocolate is the treat for you. Based on their beloved Diablo cookie, the secret chocolate sauce is made at Dose’s roastery and served at their Second Street. cafe. The smooth, chocolaty sweetness eases you in before the signature cayenne pepper wakes you up with a warm kick in the back of the throat. When enjoying the drink in store, you’ll be treated to a milky, foamy top sprinkled with chocolate shavings that slowly melt into the drink, depending on how quickly you indulge in your sweet and spicy tooth.

Holm coffee company

Holm brings the fruity roots of coffee to the spotlight with their cascara tea, a flavourful experience that needs to be enjoyed while hanging out in Holm’s lounge instead of racing out to play in the snow. Cascara is the fruit and pulp that surrounds a coffee bean, offering caffeine levels similar to a green tea. What could be considered a byproduct waste from the roughly 2.25 billion cups of coffee consumed worldwide every day instead becomes a fruit tea that deepens in taste and consistency the longer it brews. 

Settle in to watch the initial brewing process at the hands of one of Holm’s staff and then give the fruits a minute before enjoying a crispy fruit tea with a smooth coffee undertone. Chat with your friends, enjoy a game of chess or settle in with some reading material and let the fruit tone build and syrupy consistency develop.

“Working with that fruit really helps you appreciate the amount of labour that it takes even for a shot of espresso,” Izzy Lamoureux, Holm Coffee Company founder told Revelstoke Mountaineer while serving up the cascara tea. 

Modern Bakeshop and Cafe

Are you  bound and determined not to lose a day this season to the sniffles? Then Modern Bakeshop and Cafe’s ginger elixir might be exactly what you’re looking for. Fermented ginger, citrus juice and natural sweeteners create a drink that gives some heat and then soothes things out whether served hot or cold. The foamy head may also give the feeling of a stronger brew while keeping you alert enough to head for the hills or the trails.

If chai is your winter drink of choice, Modern’s in-house chai latte is a blend of spices that settles into the back of the throat for an easy pick-me-up. The creamy latte will still go down smoothly and warm you right back up.

Monashee Spirits

Spruce Tip Gin has once again returned to Monashee Spirits. Crafted with locally-foraged spruce tips harvested from around Revelstoke, the gin profiles juniper, fresh spruce, cardamom, peppercorns and subtle aromatics from orris and angelica root. It’s a blend that captures the alpine spirit of Revelstoke in a smooth taste.

Mount Begbie Brewery

Mt. Begbie Brewing Co.’s Revelstoke Dark Lager pours dark and rich with a beautiful white foam head. With hints of roasted malt and cocoa, the body and taste are still light and crisp like a lager. It’s the perfect beer for the winter season and should be enjoyed beside a warm fireplace après ski or enjoying the view at Mt. Begbie’s tasting room.

Terravita Kitchen

Terravita Kitchen’s caramilk latte is crafted with the team’s carefully guarded caramilk recipe, featuring Grass Roots Dairies. The blend of housemade caramilk and Oso Negro espresso delivers a creamy drink that puts the attention more on the milk and caramel than the coffee. If you ever grew up with turtle milk (warm milk, brown sugar and vanilla) as your hot chocolate alternative, then this is the mature version of the surgery holiday drink. The caramilk latte is available all winter long and will pair great with any of the baked goods offered at Terravita.

Divinely Decadent Cacao Elixir

Developed by Elemental Energy’s Nikki Kaur Ball here in Revelstoke, Divinely Decadent Cacao Elixir rolls together the appeal of cacao and the benefits of mushroom blends for an energizing concoction that should get you through those harder winter days. While some mushroom-featured drinks can’t help but profile the particular taste of the shroomy blend, Divinely Decadent instead offers a milky chocolate taste that also features the warmth of cayanne pepper, a dash of sea salt, cinnamon highlights and coconut sugar to sweeten the deal. You can order Divinely Decadent Cacao Elixir online, or stop by Flourish Bakery for a cup.

Rumpus Room

Rumpus Room brews their Thundersnow every Fall so that it is ready by mid-December to be enjoyed around the darkest days of the year. 2024’s version comes in at 8.1 per cent proof, and is a drink for sitting by the fireside contemplating causal topics like the absurdity of existence and staring into the void of the dark ale. Why try to remember what sunshine was like anyway? Thundersnow is a Colorado-style imperial stout, throwing back to the early 2000s when imperial stouts were found in every liquor store next to the average pale ales and IPAs.