Photo: Chambar‘s Kingston Crown
Vancouver’s cocktail scene continues to grow and diversify, a testament to the talent and innovation of its bartenders.
At restaurants, scenic bars and lounges, and speakeasies, you can enjoy locally-inspired drinks that draw upon regional ingredients in creative ways. Vancouver’s passion for healthy living extends to drink menus, which increasingly feature non-alcoholic options, making it possible for every cocktail enthusiast to savour delicious, interesting, and well-crafted drinks. Gone are the days of the Shirley Temple!
Below is a guide to where you can find zero-proof cocktails and alcohol in Vancouver:
Photo: PiDGiN‘s Bubble Gum
PiDGiN has gained a reputation for its thoughtful bringing together of Asian and West Coast ingredients, as well as its tasty cocktails. Not only do they feature zero-proof wine (Edenvale shiraz) but they also serve low alcohol beer (e.g., Nonny Czech pilsner) and several zero proof cocktails, such as the Bubble Gum with magic purple tea, lemon, egg, rhubarb syrup, and a dash of plum bitters.
Photo: Chambar‘s Hibiscus Lemonade
This long-running Vancouver favourite is celebrating two decades of stellar cuisine and service. Chambar‘s hybrid of Belgian and Moroccan cuisine has developed a loyal following for dishes like braised lamb shank tajine, and their different moules frites options (e.g., vin blanc). Zero proof concoctions are refreshing, with seasonal shrubs with soda; Hibiscus Lemonade with hibiscus syrup, fresh lemon, and soda; and the Kingston Crown with mango juice, cinnamon, lime, and ginger beer.
Photo: Prophecy Bar‘s Basho
Choosing a cocktail at Prophecy Bar is an experience unto itself. The drinking establishment, located in the elegant lower level of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, is both modern yet nostalgic in its design, with an expansive cocktail menu that focuses on storytelling. Look for the “Free Spirits” section, which instructs you to “break free from preconceived notions” with drinks like the refreshing Smalltown Boy with Labrador tea, grapefruit oil, lemon juice, and orange blossom and the herbaceous Basho with Seedlip Garden, gyokuro, hoja santa, and lime.
The Victor‘s Floris; Photo: Nora Hamade
Found at the Parq, The Victor exudes classic steakhouse vibes. It also has a stunning bar and lounge area and a striking rooftop patio with views of BC Place. For a fun retro night out, consider visiting on a Wednesday from 7:30pm to 9:30pm when The Victor transforms into the Victorious Melody Club with jazz, swing, and ragtime performances by the Agency Singers. Sip on a cocktail, such as the Ultimate Zero Proof G&T with Lumette non-alcoholic gin, Fever Tree tonic, juniper berries, pink peppercorns, and fennel, or the Floris with butterfly pea flower-infused non-alcoholic gin, lemon, and lavender. It’s a fresh and aromatic drink.
Photo: Glowbal‘s pumpkin spice Dalton coffee
Located centrally downtown, Glowbal Restaurant is a sleek, lively spot for grabbing a mocktail or other non-alcoholic bevies to enjoy over small bites like wagyu steak tartare and crispy humboldt calamari or mains like scallops with oyster mushrooms, braised leek fondue, prosciutto, and hazelnuts. Their garden-themed patio is particularly lovely. The cocktail menu is sizeable, and includes sister restaurants’ cocktails as well as zero-proof options like a cucumber ginger fizz, an elderflower and mint fizz, and a jasmine and passionfruit iced tea. Or, if you’re moving into an autumn mood, order their elevated pumpkin spice Dalton coffee, with whipped coffee, brown sugar, pumpkin spice syrup, almond milk, and luscious pumpkin spiced coffee cream.
Photo: Jungle Room‘s It Girl (I-t-G-i-r-l); Rice, Rice Baby; and Summer in Sicily
Escape to somewhere tropical even on a non-sunny day when you visit Jungle Room. This restaurant and cocktail bar in Vancouver’s West End serves refined Indonesian and Japanese street food, with lots of non- and low alcohol options to pair with your food. Order the Leitz sparkling Riesling or the BSA Tropical Sour; or choose from inventive mocktails like the I-t-G-i-r-l (Ghia, balsamic, watermelon Kool-Aid, and feta), Summer in Sicily (Bibi bitter aperitivo, ginger, lemon, olives, and fizz), and Rice, Rice Baby (house pandan-infused condensed milk, coconut, acid-adjusted orange juice, and yuzu).
Photo: Sing Sing
Sing Sing, now two locations-strong on Main Street and Commercial Drive, is particularly popular on sunny days due to their patio game. Pho, pizza, and other comfort food are on the menu—and like other Freehouse locations, you’ll also find an extensive drink list, which includes many spirit-free selections. They include Asahi 0.0 Super Dry and Asian-leaning cocktails like the Pah Meh Soft Tea with matcha, lemongrass, pandan leaf, and lemon juice; and Good Kitty with chai, vanilla, hazelnut, basil, lime, ginger, and sparkling water.
Meo; Photo: Ian Lanterman
One of Vancouver’s latest cocktail favourites is Meo, from the team behind Chinatown’s Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto. Meo is situated below the latter; it’s a playful space with 1970s-inspired velvet and wood panelling. Cocktails are the star here, with globally-inspired small plates. The drink menu contains non-alcohol beer (e.g., Strange Fellows Nevertheless), bubbles (The Expedition Sparkling Cuvée), and cocktails, such as the Cozmo Fizz and Old Fashioned).
Photo: Good Thief‘s Six Inch Yellow
One of the most exciting openings this summer was Good Thief, the sister establishment to the popular Anh and Chi. The latter serves authentic, yet contemporary Vietnamese cuisine, paired with vibrant cocktails, like the non-alcoholic Trái Thơm Colada, with Lumette LumRum, coconut/pandan cream, nutmeg, and pineapple. Meanwhile, Good Thief bills itself as “Rebellious Vietnamese,” taking the reinterpretation of Vietnamese cuisine further while shifting to a more drink-forward experience. For zero-proof drinking, go for the Six Inch Yellow, which features yellow chartreuse, rectified starfruit and guanabana, salted honey, galangal, pineapple, and spicy super foam.
Photo: Gringo‘s Dry Hump
For fun non-alcoholic drinking, head to Gringo, which currently has three locations (Davie Street, Gastown, and North Vancouver). The Tex-Mex restaurant has created a vacay-vibe menu with a range of tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and bowls with tasty proteins (e.g., the Jerky Jack with jerk spiced jackfruit, mango cucumber salsa, lime red slaw, green onion, and sesame seeds). The drink menu is equally as tongue-and-cheek, with “Like a Virgin” selections like the Dry Hump, with Corona 0.0% Sunbrew dipped into a bucket of their house-made Virgarita (non-alcoholic margarita). The drink is topped with margarita citrus salts and frog candies. If you want to add heat go for the spicy version, which has jalapeño brine and pickled jalapeños.
Photo: Please! Beverage Co.‘s Mango Cucumber Mule
Due to the success of their bottled cocktails, Please Beverage Co. opened a brick-and-mortar location where you can enjoy their drinks, as well as small plates like falafel. On sunny days, grab a seat on their curb-side patio; they also roll up their front garage door so they whole place is airy. In addition to the North Point non-alcoholic pale ale, they also have refreshing zero-proof drinks, like the mango cucumber mule, which contains mango puree, muddled cucumber, Dickie’s ginger beer, and soda.
Photo: Mèreon‘s Vanilla Lavender
If you’re looking to sip mocktails on the North Shore, visit West Vancouver’s Mèreon, a French bistro that opened at the beginning of this year. Think classic French fare with some West Coast influences in dishes like French onion soup, tuna tartare, moules frites, and steak au poivre. The drink list encompasses classic and signature cocktails, in addition to a few mocktail creations, like the Pineapple Tarragon; Cucumber Sage Lime; and the Vanilla Lavender. The latter is a blending of butterfly pea flower-infused Seedlip Grove 42, golden vanilla lavender cordial, martini floreale, and lemon juice.
Photo: The Drive Canteen
In addition to food and drink establishments in the city embracing spirit-free beverages, new retail stores have opened that specialize in alcohol-free spirits.
In addition to fun snacks (e.g., hot dogs and freeze-dried candies) and specialty food products to enjoy at home, The Drive Canteen has a great selection of non-alcoholic bevvies, both local and international. If you’re looking for beer, wine, a range of spirits, and canned cocktails, they’re the place to visit. Plus, staff are very knowledgeable and can provide recommendations for food pairings and palate preferences. Or, drop by one of their tastings to sample a product firsthand.
Also on Commercial Drive, Mocktails, which opened subsequent to The Drive Canteen, is exclusively a non-alcoholic liquor store. They have an extensive selection, which includes adaptogens and nootropics, and host regular tastings, sometimes accompanied by snacks, like charcuterie.