The Champ is Back!
Stacey Lynden Named 2025 Canadian Coffee In Good Spirits Champion
She did it again! Swiss Water Cupping Room Manager Stacey Lynden defended her title as the reigning Canadian Coffee in Good Spirits Champion this month right here in Vancouver, on the heels of her 2024 win! Team Swiss Water was delighted to cheer Stacey on (and help taste-test her drinks outside of office hours) in this annual coffee mixology competition that puts coffee cocktails in the spotlight. Stacey will next move on to the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship at World of Coffee in Geneva, Switzerland, where she’ll face other coffee mixologists from all over the globe.
Local Focus
This year’s competition being so close to home was a special treat, says Stacey, who grew up in a small farming community in British Columbia. For her signature drink creation, the Fir Sure, she tried to bring in as many locally BC-grown or produced ingredients as possible—including, of course, Swiss Water® decaf coffee!
“It was a lot of fun having the opportunity to showcase some of the great ingredients that are grown and produced right here in BC,” says Stacey. “I sourced the strawberries for my Strawberry Shrub from Emma Lea Farms from my hometown of Ladner—my brother actually used to work on their farm in the summers when we were in high school.”
In addition to local strawberries, Stacey’s drink included Forest Dweller Gin from Arbutus Distillery, a simple syrup made from East Van Bees honey, Kina-Salal from the Equimalt Wine Company, and a 10% saline solution from Vancouver Island Sea Salt. The decaf coffee component? Our recent Emerald Micro Lots offering from Luz Helena Salazar of Quindío, Colombia—La Leona Honey. Together, the drink is a fruity, arboreal twist on the classic gin & tonic. During her routine, Stacey described the drink as “tealike and foresty” with notes of Concord grape, raspberry, and dark chocolate in a silky texture.
Decaf: The Coffee Cocktail X-Factor
But was great decaf—a component that allows people to enjoy a coffee cocktail no matter how close it may be to bedtime—Stacey’s X-factor?
“Using decaf is a great option for coffee cocktails,” says Stacey. “I personally think it just makes sense, you get the same great coffee flavour, but you don’t have to worry about the caffeine.”When she’s not working in the Swiss Water® coffee lab or training for competition, Stacey keeps an eye on the world landscape of mixology. Here in Vancouver, Stacey says she’s inspired by bartender Kaitlyn Stewart, a World Class Global Bartender champion, who she says makes cocktail education “easy, fun, and approachable”. Out on the town, Stacey’s a fan of Keefer Bar and whatever they’re mixing up, and when traveling down the coast, she recommends Thunderbolt in Los Angeles. “Their cocktails are always delicious and so fun,” she says.
Team Swiss Water at the Canadian Coffee in Good Spirits competition at Funk Coffeebar in May. L-R: Nelson Teskey, Savleen Makkar, Stacey Lynden, Teddy Liao, and Mike Strumpf.
We can’t wait to hear her recommendations for Switzerland, and hope you’ll join us in cheering on Stacey when she heads to the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, June 26–28.
Cheers!