What did ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½â€™s earliest British settlers dream about? Adam Bunch, creator of the , a series of postcards left in public places that feature fictional tales about historical figures, talked about bourbon and beheadings over drinks at the on Queen St. W.
The drinks: Adam and I got a head start on , a week-long, city-wide whisky event beginning on Monday. The Bitter Bourbon Fizz — ginger beer, cinnamon-infused bourbon, lime, grenadine and lots of Angostura bitters — was Adam’s pick, while I took a stab at the Travelin’ Man, bartender Jeremy Cheng’s Whiskylicious entry, where bourbon, tequila and house root beer bitters are balanced out with Yellow Chartreuse, an elusive elixir available in limited quantities through LCBO Vintages. “I like using Yellow Chartreuse as a bit of a sweetener,†says Cheng. “It has all the floral notes of the Green Chartreuse, but with a little honey to it.†Wanting to highlight the bourbon in this cocktail, Cheng uses only a quarter ounce of the French liqueur because it can easily overpower a drink.
What inspired you to start the postcard campaign?
I’d always been interested in doing something public space-oriented, leaving stories for people to find. The summer that came to town and did his graffiti, I thought it was cool but it didn’t reflect the sense of place. It had nothing to do with ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ . . . so I thought I could combine all these ideas that were kicking around in my head.
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Your writing sometimes has a semi-fictional and absurdist take on local history. Is the truth sometimes stranger than fiction?
Sometimes. I’m really fascinated by Robert Baldwin. Not that many people know about him compared to his role in history. Not only is he responsible for founding Canadian democracy but he battled serious depression following the death of his wife. There are stories about him wandering the streets listlessly on the anniversary of her death, going to all the places they shared — Queen and Spadina in particular. When he died, they buried him in the family vault, then at Spadina House. They later found a note in his pocket saying that he wanted his coffin chained to his wife’s coffin and for his body to be given the same scar as the caesarian section that killed her. They later dug him up, cut his abdomen and reburied him.
Who would you say is ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ history’s most underrated figure?
Elizabeth Simcoe is one that comes to mind. We talk a lot about John Graves Simcoe because he founded the city and there are lots of things named after him. But her diary — which I think is one of the best ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ historical documents I’ve ever read — really drives home the emotional life of the earliest settlers.
Did she ever record any of her dreams?
She wrote about a nightmare she had about getting shot at from the woods. This is about a week after the news that Marie Antoinette was beheaded in Paris finally reached our shores. Here’s the first lady of Upper Canada, living in a tent on a beach while the first lady of Paris is getting beheaded. It really captures that moment in time — a serious time of upheaval, new thoughts on politics and enlightenment.
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Eric Veillette Eric Veillette is a former freelance contributor for The Star.
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