Canada’s first “pod” hotel opened in Whistler, British Columbia, last summer. Also known as a “capsule hotel,” pod hotels were developed in Japan, featuring a large number of small, private sleeping compartments. The communal concept — which sits somewhere between a hotel and a hostel — is all about keeping prices down for travelers when such little time is spent hotel rooms, and the idea has taken off.
At Pangea Pod in Whistler, the hotel was created to offer a place where the outdoorsy tourists of the area could relax and unwind in personal space without having to book a swanked-out hotel room the Village is known for having.
In The Living Room – the hotel’s cafe and bar – cocktails are far from compromised in this lodging experience. Same can be said for The Rooftop, the hotel’s (and Whistler’s only) rooftop patio overlooking the Village.
“Just like our guests, we take a lot of inspiration from the places we’ve traveled and the things we’ve tried while traveling,” says Matt Scott, a master mixologist and Pangea’s in-house director of food and beverage. “We draw upon these experiences when creating drinks: be it an international twist on a classic Canadian staple, like our Smoked Sriracha Caesar, or an all-out celebration of a particular country, such as our Brazilian Smash. This, along with the contemporary physical environment of The Living Room, provides an experience that would fit into any major city in the world, as opposed to the general Whistler way of exaggerating the ‘ski village’ factor.”
In the Romina Sour cocktail, Scott pays homage to Romina, the female protagonist in the cafe’s mural, conceived by imagining what kind of drink she would sip. An adaption of the classic Clover Club cocktail, the mixologist shakes up homemade berry syrup with egg white, lemon juice and gin from Whistler’s Montis Distilling for a locally spun, silky-textured libation.
“There are a lot of amazing local and international gins out there, but most stick to the more classic style,” Scott says of the local spirit. “For this drink I wanted more flavor to balance the sweetness of the berries… This cocktail starts with high-quality ingredients, which are then crafted in a relaxed environment.”
Relax with this cocktail at home courtesy of Scott’s recipe, or head to Pangea Pod and enjoy it in person, maybe with the Baked Fondue, a wheel of triple creme brie smothered in roast garlic purée and served with stone-baked artisan flatbread.
Romina Sour
Makes 1 cocktail
1 ½ ounces gin
¾ ounce lemon juice
¾ ounce berry syrup*
¾ ounce egg white
Garnish: edible petals
Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing tin and shake without ice. Add ice, shake again and strain into a coupe. Garnish with edible petals.
*Berry Syrup
Makes 1 ½ cups
½ cup mixed berries
½ cup sugar
½ cup filtered water
Steep the berries in water at 165° F until softened and the juice has extracted. Pass through a fine sieve then combine with the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until fully dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to use.
