Vancouver’s Cocktail Scene

Cin cin! Salud! Cheers! No matter how you say it, in Vancouver there are as many places for a great cocktail as there are reasons to raise a glass.

Vancouver’s cocktail scene is one of the best in Canada. Besides innovative creations and classics with a twist, the city can now proudly boast that it’s home to one of the best bartenders in the world. Kaitlyn Stewart, bar manager at Royal Dinette, was named Diageo World Class 2017 Bartender of the Year – and for good reason. She’s shaking up cocktail culture with libations like the Kumbaya with a cedar-smoked rye, Amaro Montenegro, cherry cedar bitters, and burnt cinnamon marshmallow. But Royal Dinette isn’t the only out there option for more progressive patrons. The Avocado Gimlet from L’Abattoir features rosemary and olive-infused gin with fresh avocado, Lillet Blanc and lime, while the extensive cocktail list at UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar can please any palate. Sample the White Ties and Tails cocktail made with bourbon, Earl Grey tea, grapefruit and lemon juice, clingstone peach bitters, and an egg white.

While wild concoctions are easy to find, some may want to sit back and relax in a lounge reminiscent of the Mad Men era. The Prohibition Lounge at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia takes guests back to the razzle-dazzle of the roaring ‘20s with classically crafted cocktails. Not to be outdone, Pourhouse and the Cascade Room also offer boozy beverages from bygone days.

Vancouver’s newest hot spots may be rookies on the cocktail circuit, that doesn’t mean their menus haven’t been carefully curated. See and be seen at Botanist inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim with a Pollinator in hand. This playful libation is blended with pisco, pollen, bitter bianco, Lillet Blanc, chamomile, and haskap bitters. Adding to the brand new hotel bars is the D/6 Bar & Lounge at Parq Vancouver.

Shaken, stirred, mixed, or muddled, Vancouver is a veritable playground for cocktail connoisseurs.