Kaiser Sour; Photo: Pier 7
Vancouver bartenders are incredibly skilled, crafting classic cocktails as well as inventive creations inspired by fresh regional ingredients and spirits from local distilleries. This summer, take advantage of the city’s vibrant cocktail scene, which encompasses rooftop establishments, speakeasies, lively patios, and superb restaurant bars.
Here are 10 places to go for a summer cocktail in Vancouver:
El Peregrino at Prophecy Cocktail Bar; Photo: Tara Lee
Located in the iconic Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Prophecy Cocktail Bar is a dreamy space. Descend below street level and you’ll find plush interiors in which James Bond would luxuriate. Show-stopping chandeliers as well as digital artwork that will change over time evidence an attention to a coherently elevated experience.
Beverage Director Jeff Savage has created an impressive and ambitious drink book, premised on the stories that cocktails can tell. Drinks are organized in a fable-like fashion, with themes such as “Legends Among Us,” “Love of Land and Sea,” and “Free Spirits” (a playful name for zero-proof drinks). A flavour legend (e.g., spiritous, refreshing, herbaceous, lush), flavour map, and cocktail index allow for easier selection of drinks that speak to the palate (and mood) of a given drinker.
For easy summer drinking, you could go for a refreshing cocktail, like the Second Nature, with Casamigos Blanco Tequila, ancho verde, green herbs, lime, and carbonation. It’s bright, clean, and herbaceous, with slight heat. If you’re looking for something lusher, El Peregrino, arriving in a striking skull vessel, has Paranubes Oaxacan Rum, Derrumbes Durango Mezcal, banana, cinnamon, allspice, and lime. It’s aromatic, tropical, and very drinkable.
Pair your drinks with some of their share plates, such as wagyu beef dumplings, garlic prawns with shishito peppers, or the divine A5 wagyu katsu sando on buttery brioche.
Kaiso Martini and Seaside Negroni at Pier 7; Photo: Tara Lee
If you’re looking for a cocktail with a spectacular view, take the SeaBus to North Vancouver’s Shipyards District. Perched on the waterfront, Pier 7 Restaurant + Bar fittingly focuses on West Coast cuisine (think fresh local seafood). Their patio is one of the best in Metro Vancouver with clear sight-lines of downtown Vancouver across the way.
Tianna Brammer, the new Beverage Manager, is revisioning the cocktail menu, sourcing from local artisanal distilleries while showcasing fresh summery flavours. The drinking will be easy and balanced with a Seaside Negroni (Sheringham Seaside gin, Woods Amaro Chiaro, Lillet, and an orange twist), a Kaiso Martini (Belvedere vodka and nori-infused La Panza olive oil, garnished with a crisp nori); and a tropical Kaiser Sour (coconut rum, Sons of Vancouver blue curacao, fresh pineapple, lime, and egg white). Paired with their signature seafood tower (lobster, Dungeness crab, tuna poke, oysters on the half shell, mussels, prawns, scallop crudo, smoked salmon) and the location, the cocktails taste even better.
The Desert Dreams at Lavantine Restaurant & Skybar; Photo: Tara Lee
The newly opened Lavantine Restaurant & Skybar in the AZUR Legacy Collection Hotel is a rooftop stunner, featuring lush greenery, a variety of seating options, and water accents. The menu takes its inspiration from the Levant region, with some influence from West Coast flavours and ingredients. The cocktail menu, like One Thousand and One Nights, has many chapters, with themed drinks like The Desert Dreams with pinot grigio, Cocchi Extra Dry, banana, pineapple, mango, pomegranate, plum, papaya, citrus, and aloe vera; The Thief of Alexandria with Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal, Gabrinus Elisir, cherry, black pepper, and cherry; and the Thailand with Grey Goose vodka, Maker’s Mark, pandan, cream cheese, citrus, vanilla, and sherry. Drinks are refreshing and crafted to complement dishes such as muhammara and lamb Aleppo kebabs.
Freehouse Collective has opened a second location of their popular Sing Sing on Commercial Drive (the first location is on Main Street). It’s a buzzy spot with large patios on the side of the restaurant as well as curb-side. In addition to classic cocktails like an old fashioned and margarita, they craft house cocktails like the Beautiful You, with Aperol, Altos tequila, passionfruit, pineapple, almond orgeat, and lemon. As part of their “Free to Be” Pride initiative, Sing Sing as well as other Freehouse locations are featuring a special, limited-edition cocktail, Chi Chi on Fire, which has Absolut vodka, coconut syrup, mint, lime, and a shot of jalapeno pineapple liquor for heat. They’re donating $1 from each cocktail sold to Rainbow Railroad; as well, if you post a pic of the cocktail on social media by August 4 (midnight), you could win a trip to San Fran’s Outside Lands Festival. See here for full details.
Photo: Laowai
Laowai has become one of the foremost cocktail bars in the city. The speakeasy, found behind Blnd Tgr, takes as its cue 1920s Shanghai, creating cocktails that are both nostalgic yet newly inventive. For intriguing summer drinking, order drinks like the Breakfast of Champions with Beijing Er Guo Tou Baijiu, Cointreau, Odd Society bittersweet vermouth, Taboo absinthe, and Scrappy’s Orleans bitters; or the Manchurian Candidate, with Tito’s vodka, Osake Junmai Nigori sparkling, Osake Junmai Ginjo Nigori Genshu, Shiro Shoyu, matcha yuzu foam, and wasabi mist. Each drink is steeped in historical lore.
The Mambo Sun; Photo: The Chickadee Room
Located in Juke Fried Chicken, The Chickadee Room has a lot of fun with cocktails, revamping their menu every season. For their summer drinks, the vibe is tropical and fruit/citrus forward. Six new cocktails have been added to the menu, including the Mambo Sun (Havana 3 year rum, Myers’s rum, Woods Blood Orange Liqueur, red pepper, and lime); the Silly Goose (El Jimador Reposado Tequila, Vida Mezcal, grapefruit, gochujang, gooseberry, and lemon); and the Red Roses for Me (Herradura Reposado Tequila, Boomsma Genever, calendula mead, Lillet Rose, and green strawberry). They also have Summertime Spritz options, such as a Garibaldi Spritz (Campari, orange juice, Prosecco, and soda) and a Japanese Highball Spritz (Nikka Days Whisky, soda, and sparkling sake). You can order eats from the Juke menu, which means you can enjoy their awesome fried chicken, ribs, and mac ‘n’ cheese as you’re sampling different cocktails. The crispy chicken skins go particularly well with chill summer drinking.
The Sunny Side; Photo: Botanist
The award-winning Botanist Bar, helmed by Beverage Director Grant Sceney, showcases delicate artistry in its cocktail-making. Like the restaurant itself, the cocktail menu takes British Columbia as its muse, with categories like “mountain + meadow,” “coastal + oceanic,” and “orchard + field.” The Sunny Side is a very appropriate drink for the summer, with vodka, mint, cucumber, sparkling wine, sudachi, kinome, and lime; or order the tropical Coco Nuts with gin, coconut water, seasonal spices, lemon, and coconut shavings.
Slip Slidin’ Away; Photo: Chambar
With their patio reopened for the season, Chambar is embracing summer eating—and drinking. From now until August 31, they’re offering a Summer Tasting Menu Series ($49 per person), with three-course menus that change monthly. July’s menu includes dishes like bison tartare with assorted aioli and buttermilk onion rings; and albacore tuna with ajoblanco, peppadew, capers, green beans, and roasted almond sauce vierge. Meanwhile, August will have items such as game hen, done three ways (braised, roasted, and fried) with preserved lemon, green olives, zucchini, and chickpeas. New summer cocktails include the Smash & Burn, with 400 Conejos Mezcal, Giffard Piment d’Espelette, hibiscus, acidified passionfruit juice, and mint; as well as the floral/mellow Slip Slidin’ Away with Suntory Toki whisky, Luxardo Bitter Bianco, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, and Cocchi Americano.
Photo: Jungle Room
Since opening last year, Jungle Room has already developed a reputation for great cocktails and well executed, Asian-influenced small plates. Their cocktails are intended to transport you somewhere warm and relaxing, as evidenced by their Vacation Series-Part I, featuring the zippy Mexican Sunset with Patron Reposado tequila, amontillado sherry, Cynar, hibiscus punch, pulparindo cordial, candied Thai chili, and lime. Their current feature spirit is Flor de Cana Nicaraguan rum, showcasing drinks like the Naga Lady, with Flor de Cana 12 year rum as well as Stiggins’ Plantation Pineapple rum, coconut water, turmeric, ginger, lemon, and dashes of absinthe. Order green papaya salad and Indonesian chicken taliwang to enjoy with your sips.
Espresso Manhattan and the Calabrian; Photo: Tutto Restaurant & Bar
For those looking for a refreshing cocktail over brunch, Tutto Restaurant & Bar in Yaletown has just launched a new mid-day weekend menu, with special cocktails to go with your eggs benny (e.g., mushroom, porchetta). Go for a classic cocktail like a bellini with chilled prosecco and peach puree, or try two new cocktails: the Calabrian cocktail, with Calabrian chili-infused El Jimador blanco, triple sec, fresh lime, and pickled pepper; and the Espresso Manhattan. In their elegant room, sip your cocktail, while brunching on dishes like a decadent omelette with butter poached lobster, gouda, sauteed spinach, shaved truffle, and lobster sauce—served with potato croquettes; or casarecce with pork and fennel sausage ragu, cream, and parmigiano. They’ve also recently added the Hugo Spritz to their dinner menu, with St-Germain, sparkling wine, a splash of soda, and mint.
See here for more ideas on where to go for a superb Vancouver cocktail. Happy summer drinking!