A twist on a local classic: Moon Under Water Brewpub's themed shaft flights

Get Victoria's food scene news and updates straight to your inbox

Shafts are a staple drink here in Victoria. Despite the great debate of where the shaft originated, Victoria locals have claimed the drink as their own. The shaft usually consists of Kahlua, Baileys, vodka, coffee or espresso, and cream. That’s a lot of ingredients to have handy when making them at home, but luckily, Clay Potter from Moon Under Water Brewpub and Distillery has perfected the ultimate one-bottle shaft mix. The Moon Shaft Liqueur ingredients include Moon Espresso Vodka, freshly pulled espresso from local Oughtred Coffee, sugar, almonds, cocoa nibs, and Mexican vanilla. Simply pour one or two ounces of the Moon Shaft Liqueur over half-and-half cream, and congratulations, you have made a shaft at home!

Inspired by the Moon Shaft Liqueur, mixologist Christina Pelletier decided to put a spin on the classic shaft and make weekly themed Moon Shaft Flights. Since September 2020, Pelletier has created more than 100 different flavours of shafts. The Moon Shaft Flights have been an absolute hit and have earned Pelletier the Queen of the Shaft title.

Ice Cream Lovers was a recent weekly theme, with featured flavours of cherry, cookie dough, bubble gum, and cotton candy. Each shaft flight comes with four drinks on a half-moon-shaped board—the perfect size to share or enjoy all to yourself. And the presentation was spot-on! The cookie dough shaft had whipped cream and mini chocolate chips, and the cotton candy shaft had actual cotton candy as the topping.

Taste and try each flavour and decide which one is your favourite. Bubble gum was a highlight out of the Ice Cream Lovers options, but each flavour was expertly infused into the shafts so they all tasted shockingly like ice cream. Pelletier says she wanders the grocery store aisles every week, looking for new ingredients and inspiration to figure out how she can infuse each flavour. From melting down candy bars, making cereal milk, adding toppings, and using real ice cream—Christina has done it all!

The Moon Under Water Brewpub and Distillery’s Moon Shaft Flights are the perfect date idea or a fun idea for an outing with your household bubble. The theme and flavours change weekly and are available in Moon Under Water's Distillery Lounge and Patio for $12/flight on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12pm to 8pm.

Moon Under Water's Moon Shaft Liqueur is a fantastic gift idea and a must-have when you feel creative and want to make shafts at home. The Moon Shaft Liqueur comes in two sizes: 375ml for $24 and 750ml for $36. It is available for purchase at Moon Under Water's Distillery Lounge and Pub and can also be purchased from the following liquor stores:

• Cascadia Liquor
• Spinnakers Spirit Merchants
• Royal Oak Liquor Plus
• Cask & Keg
• Liquor Planet
• Logan’s Liquor Store
• Lucky’s Liquor Store (Nanaimo)

About the Moon Under Water Brewpub and Distillery family

Moon Under Water Brewpub and Distillery is a family-run business by Anne, Steve, and their son Clay Potter and his wife, Julia. It is a family affair, as all four owners are involved in the business’s day-to-day activities. Brewmaster Potter had always had an interest in craft beers. It wasn’t until a university co-op position at Lighthouse Brewery where Potter discovered his passion for brewing. After this, Potter went on to work for Lighthouse Brewery for four years, which ultimately led him to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he pursued a master’s in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University.

After returning to Canada, Potter was working at a Vancouver brewery but always had bigger dreams of opening his own brewery one day—a dream he shared with his step-father, Steve Ash. These dreams came true when Ash and Potter purchased Moon Under Water Brewpub. Since buying the pub, Potter has continued to raise the bar with his all-natural, unfiltered and naturally carbonated beers, exceptional spirits, and creative liqueurs.

Moon Under Water Brewpub and Distillery

Address: 350 Bay St., Victoria
Instagram: @moonunderwaterbrewery