For our latest cocktail, we’re heading to Hearth Restaurant for something a little different.
The SSO’s Tom Brown is joined by Craig, General Manager at Hearth, to make the Sonata, a custom cocktail created to showcase our After Dark Gin collaboration with Black Fox Farm & Distillery.
Featuring Saskatoon berry, raspberry, rose, lemon, and a mix of botanicals, the Sonata is a unique cocktail with plenty of local flavour.
Introducing, the Sonata!
What You’ll Need
Ice
After Dark Gin
Crème de Violette
Bénédictine
Lemon juice
(Secret Ingredient) Housemade Saskatoon berry, raspberry, and rose syrup
Amarena cherry (for garnish)
Ingredients & Measurements
1.5 oz After Dark gin
0.5 oz Crème de Violette
0.25 oz Bénédictine
0.5 oz Lemon juice
0.5 oz Housemade Saskatoon berry, raspberry, and rose syrup
1 Amarena cherry
Recipe
Fill a shaker tin with ice
Pour the After Dark gin, Crème de Violette, Bénédictine, lemon juice, and rose syrup into the shaker tin.
Attach the large end of the shaker tin and shake the ingredients together with ice to cool them down.
Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with an Amarena cherry.
Enjoy!
Notes
HOUSEMADE SASKATOON BERRY, RASPBERRY & ROSE SYRUP: Made in-house at Hearth using real Saskatoon berries, raspberries, and rose. The exact recipe is a Hearth secret, but it adds a fruity and floral element to the Sonata. If you’re making it at home, try a berry syrup with a small splash of rose water as a substitute.
TIP FROM JOHN: Add enough ice to the shaker tin so that it adequately cools down all the ingredients when shaken.
WATCH THE RECIPE! The video below shows this cocktail being made in real time. Watch the full walkthrough with Craig from Hearth Restaurant and SSO’s Tom Brown as they make the Sonata.
For our latest After Dark Gin cocktail, created in partnership with Black Fox Farm & Distillery, we’re going back to a classic!
With just three ingredients, the Gimlet keeps things nice and easy, combining After Dark gin with lime juice and simple syrup for the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
For our latest recipe, SSO’s Tom Brown is joined by Keaton Leier of The National Ballet of Canada to show you how to make this classic cocktail at home.
Ready to give it a try? Let’s get into the recipe.
What You’ll Need
After Dark Gin
Lime Juice
Simple Syrup
Ice
Lime (for garnish)
Shaker
Strainer
Glass
Ingredients & Measurements
One scoop of ice
1 oz of After Dark Gin
0.5 oz Lime Juice
0.75 Simple Syrup
Recipe
Add 1 oz of After Dark Gin
Add 0.5 oz of lime juice
Add 0.75 oz of simple syrup
Add one scoop of ice
Shake!
Strain into a glass
Garnish with a lime twist
Enjoy!
Notes
RECIPE VARIATIONS: Feel free to adjust the simple syrup between 0.5 oz and 0.75 oz depending on how sweet or tart you prefer your gimlet.
TIP FROM TOM: After adding all the liquid ingredients and ice into the shaker, give the lid or top section a quick tap to properly seal it before shaking to prevent leaks.
WATCH THE RECIPE! The videos below show this cocktail being made in real time. Choose the quick, straight-forward recipe video (left) or watch the full walkthrough with SSO’s Tom Brown and Keaton Leier of The National Ballet of Canada (right).
Crafted in honour of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, After Dark is more than a gin — it is a composition. A performance. A celebration of what can happen when artistry, agriculture, and imagination come together on a shared stage.
At a Glance
Bright cardamom, orange petals, and fresh citrus lead the aroma, followed by a warm, resonant blend of juniper, angelica, coriander, and cinnamon. Layers of fennel, anise, grains of paradise, cubeb, rose hip, and sage add subtle texture and nuance.
On the palate, vibrant citrus and gentle spice mingle with floral and herbaceous notes for a harmonious, balanced experience. The finish is long and graceful, carrying soft spice, citrus, and floral warmth.
Inspired by the experience of sitting in a theatre as the lights dim and the music begins, After Dark captures the layered complexity of an orchestra in full flight. Just as each musician contributes something essential to the whole, every botanical in this gin plays a deliberate part in shaping the final sensory experience.
The opening notes arrive bright and purposeful: green cardamom, shimmering orange petals, and the zest of fresh citrus. These are the violins — luminous, expressive, immediately captivating.
Supporting them is the warm, resonant foundation of juniper, angelica, coriander, and cinnamon, forming the deep harmonic bedrock on which the composition rests. Into this structure weave the woodwinds of the gin world: fennel, anise, grains of paradise, cubeb, rose hip, and a breath of sage — each adding texture, nuance, and unexpected moments of delight.
On the palate, the gin opens like a perfectly phrased musical passage:
Cardamom brings clarity, fennel adds gentle sweetness, citrus peels create lift and movement, warm spices offer depth, botanical florals add air and light, herbaceous tones ground the composition.
It is complex yet harmonious — vibrant yet controlled — a testament to the Black Fox philosophy of balance, terroir, and flavour driven by the land itself. Every layer contributes to a gin that feels alive, expressive, and unmistakably crafted.
The finish is long and graceful, carrying fresh citrus, soft spice, and floral warmth — the lingering resonance of a final chord held in stillness.
Bottled at 42% ABV, After Dark is designed to perform beautifully whether sipped neat, played into a martini, or woven into cocktails that celebrate citrus, herb, and spice.
In recognition of its muse, a portion of each bottle supports the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, helping ensure that the music that inspired this gin continues to thrive.
After Dark stands as one of the most layered and expressive gins Black Fox has ever composed — a spirit that invites you to slow down, listen closely, and savour the beauty that emerges after dark.
The SSO has partnered with Black Fox Farm & Distillery for many years, but now we’re taking it to the next level with After Dark. We would like to thank Black Fox Farm & Distillery for our partnership and this exciting opportunity!
Be one of the first to purchase now through Black Fox’s website.
Learn how to make a new cocktail with the SSO’s After Dark gin! This time, we’re heading to Hearth Restaurant to try the Sonata, a custom creation featuring local berries and floral flavours. Read the recipe or watch SSO’s Tom Brown and Hearth’s Craig make this one-of-a-kind cocktail!
Learn how to make a classic Gimlet with the SSO’s After Dark Gin! With just three simple ingredients, this cocktail is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Click to learn the recipe and make it at home!
With winter FINALLY over for good (our May Long Weekend dump of snow officially melted), and a beautiful concert right around the corner, it’s time to introduce our newest After Dark gin cocktail. With summer weather underway, we wanted to highlight fresh bright ingredients like citrus and mint. Since this flavour profile gives a similar … Read more
Learn how to make a new gin cocktail with the SSO’s After Dark gin! This time, we’re pouring heavier to really showcase the impeccable notes of this local liquor. Click to learn the recipe!
Learn how to make a new gin cocktail with the SSO’s After Dark gin! This month, we’re trying a romantic twist on a French 75. Read the recipe or watch SSO’s Tom Brown teach conductor Judith Yan how to make this smooth sipper!
Learn how to make a gin cocktail with the SSO’s After Dark gin. Read the recipe, watch the how-to, or watch John Cote from Black Fox walk us through each step!
Last month, we made a refreshing cocktail at Black Fox Farm & Distillery with John Cote called the ‘After Dark Intermezzo’. Now to follow that, for this month’s After Dark gin cocktail, we wanted to come up with something that said February.
With our Valentine’s Day concert happening this month, what better cocktail to make than something that feels romantic? So we got together with Judith Yan (conductor of Everything is Romantic) and had the SSO’s Tom Brown pass the skills he learned from John Cote last month on to her.
Without further ado, let’s get into February’s gin recipe for a romantic twist on a classic French 75.
What You’ll Need
Champagne flute
Cheater tin and strainer
Bar spoon
Ice
After Dark gin
Hibiscus syrup (or substitute)
Lemon
Champagne of choice
Ingredients & Measurements
1oz After Dark gin
1/2oz hibiscus syrup (or substitute)
1/2oz fresh lemon juice
2-3oz champagne
Recipe
Fill cheater tin with ice
Add 1oz After Dark gin
Add 1/2oz hibiscus syrup
Add 1/2oz fresh lemon juice
Stir
Strain into champagne flute
Top with 2-3oz champagne
Garnish with lemon twist
Enjoy!
Notes
SYRUP SUBSTITUTIONS: A typical French 75 is made with simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water). For this Valentine’s Day themed French 75 though, we substituted the simple syrup for pink hibiscus. This way, we still get the sweetness from the syrup, but we also bring in another flavour (and it gives our drink the pink colour, making it feel more on-theme!). If you are wanting to stick with the pink theme but hibiscus isn’t your choice, strawberry and raspberry are also delicious options! Almost anything could work though.
TIP FROM TOM: Stirring the first three ingredients in a cheater tin instead of shaking them over ice gives the base of the cocktail a smoother texture and a less diluted taste.
WATCH THE RECIPE! The videos below show this cocktail being made in real time. Choose the quick, straight-forward recipe video (left) or the full walkthrough with Tom Brown from the SSO alongside conductor Judith Yan (right).
