“Blueberry Bomber” declared Lynn Valley’s Drink of the Summer

Raise a toast to the Sassy Shakers for their creation—Blueberry Bomber— has been declared Lynn Valley’s Drink of the summer.

The Sassy Shakers, Isha Raniga, Katherine Jang, Celia Wong and Amaiya Walters, are all recent graduates of Argyle Secondary School and the winners of the much-coveted Mocktail Mix-Off trophy given at a competition organised by the St.Clement’s Anglican Church as part of the Lynn Valley Days.

The win came as a surprise for Katherine Jang, who was competing with her parents for the trophy. “We were very surprised to win. We were last to make our drink, so we sat there watching the other teams make their drinks first. Everyone’s drinks were very impressive and looked amazing, so we didn’t think we were going to win,” she said.

The Sassy Shakers looked up summer Mocktail recipes and aimed for a drink that would be “mature” and would appeal to the adult judges. “We also wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing, which is why we decided on the gradient drink. We then put some of our own twists on the drink to make it our own,” she said.

The Blueberry Bomber—a mixture of sparkling water, ginger, sugar, and of course, fresh blueberries—bubbled to the top in an event shepherded by MC John Stowe and supported by Lynn Valley Lions, who were delighted to welcome the new event to the annual Lynn Valley Day line-up, said Rev. Peggy Trendell-Jensen, the deacon of the St.Clement’s Anglican Church.

She said the church suggested the event to the Lynn Valley Day organizers, and the Lynn Valley Lions welcomed the idea with open arms, invited them and and provided stage and sound for the event. The church had been thinking on how to be more inclusive in its hospitality, she added.

“This was a fun way to gather around a drink table that was open to people of all ages and stages, and it has given us some good recipes to serve at our parish “Social Fridays” and dinners. All part of making sure we keep the Happy in Happy Hour, and being mindful of the wellbeing of our parishioners and guests,” she said.

Among the celebrity judges were North Vancouver District Councillor Jordan Back, Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub assistant bar manager Chris Hogg, and St. Clement’s interim priest, the Rev. Philippa Segrave-Pride.

“The contestants did their best to charm the judges – one entrant even reading them a very fine poem written for the occasion by his mother – but the judging trio were all business and kept a steady eye on the flavour blends, mocktail umbrella-twirling technique, sweet-to-sour ratio, and overall drink presentation,” said Rev. Trendell-Jensen.

The competition for the trophy was fierce, even with the family as the competitors. The Janger Bangers, Phoebe Young and Danny Jang, parents of Katherine, came second with their drink, the Lynn Valley Lavendar Lemonade. Right behind them were The Rosemary Babies, a strawberry-ginger-rosemary mix, concocted by Chris Trendell and her grandson Torben Trendell-Jensen.