From rooftop garden to drink shaker, the cocktail culture in Whistler is flourishing, fuelled by a group of local distillers and mixologists creating artisan cocktails inspired by local ingredients.

The 2011 Cornucopia Food & Wine Festival brings local masters of mixology to the stage to showcase their creative cocktails paired with delectable canapés as part of the Viking Stage Series.

Known as the Commander and Chief of Beverage at Nita Lake Lodge – Hailey Pasemko has defined a cocktail culture for the resort’s Aura restaurant and Cure lounge and patio.  The cocktail menu at Nita Lake Lodge consists of Pasemko’s original creations – utilizing fresh herbs and flowers from the rooftop garden including thyme, watercress and mint. Pasemko’s passion for the fresh, combined with her forward-thinking approach, lead her to create her own bitters, garnishes and unique infused sprits. From pickled Jerusalem artichokes, to cedar-infused rye, Hailey takes the cocktail experience to a higher level.

Aura’s Executive Chef, Tim Cuff, will take centre stage with Pasemko pairing cocktails with handcrafted canapés. Highlights are sure to include Aura’s house made charcuterie. Nita Lake Lodge presents their Viking Stage Seminar on Friday November 11 from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Whistler Conference Centre.

The passionate proprietors of FoodLovers – A bistro located in the nearby Pemberton Valley, just north of Whistler, will present their Viking Stage Seminar “Sharing Life, Love and Local Foods” on Sunday November 13 from 12:30 – 2 p.m. at the Whistler Conference Centre.  The brainchild of Pastry Chef Jenna Dashney and award-winning chef Maxim Ridorossi, FoodLovers creates artisanal food with local, organic ingredients sourced from the abundant Pemberton Valley. Jenna and Maxim will be combining their locavore creations with Pemberton Distillery’s cocktail sensations from husband and wife team Tyler and Lorien Schramm.

Cocktails will feature the international award-winning Schramm vodka – the only certified organic small batch potato vodka in the world, the new blueberry-infused vodka as well as Canada’s first organic gin. Lorien Schramm emphasizes that “similar to wine, with cocktail pairing, the food drives the drink and you can either complement or contrast flavours to create the ideal tasting experience. However, with cocktails you have the ability to build and tweak the complexity of the cocktail to work with the dish being served, whereas with wine or beer you already have a set flavour profile.”

Cornucopia 2011 also welcomes Sonoma County Vintners, featured at the CRUSH Gala Grand tasting, the Industry trade tasting, Regional Walkabout and headlining exclusive trade and consumer seminars. Sonoma cool climate wines deliver unique qualities derived from an environment like no other. The differences and subtleties of the terroir of the American Viticulture Areas of Carneros, Sonoma Coast, and Russian River Valley will be explored. Sonoma’s cool climate growing regions are sculpted by the Pacific fogs rolling in and out from the ocean nearby, making these areas perfect for producing elegant, subtle Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines with character and distinction. Sonoma County Wines will present their wine seminar on Saturday November 12^t from 4.30 – 6 p.m.at the Whistler Conference Centre.

Visit www.whistlercornucopia.com for ticket and event information. Media are invited to apply for accreditation to Cornucopia 2011. Accreditation forms can be accessed at http://www.whistlercornucopia.com/about/media.html