The Alchemist Magazine BC | B.C. Distilleries

Spirits, spice and everything nice

December 8, 2025 No Comments

At the Indian-French fusion Peya, Chris Enns mixes up an irresistible cocktail

At Peya, influences from France and India flavour both the food and cocktails like this Curry Gibson, garnished with a masala-inflused pearl onion. Roxanne Mailloux photo

On an unassuming corner of East Hastings Street near Victoria Drive sits one of Vancouver’s most exciting and underrated cocktail lists.

It’s here, at the Indian-French restaurant Peya, that award-winning bartender Chris Enns works his singular magic. Peya, which debuted in the base of a brand-new East Vancouver housing development, has been quietly and humbly serving the neighbourhood since it first opened its doors in March. But Vancouverites from other neighbourhoods should take note: This cocktail menu is worth a pilgrimage.

The Alchemist

12 Drinks of Christmas

December 5, 2025 No Comments

Sip and celebrate your way through these seasonal and pop-up drinks events in Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler and Toronto.

The Miracle holiday bar pop-ups support Nellie’s, a non-profit that brings warmth to women and children in need. Aldo Percatore-Tardioli photo

Bar Bites

Whisky from the West

December 2, 2025 No Comments

It’s great to see those interprovincial trade barriers being chipped away, especially when that means we get to enjoy delicious things from across the country. Case in point: two exceptional whiskies from Western Canada that are entering the Ontario market.

Photo courtesy of Shelter Point Distillery

Vancouver Cocktail Week

Tickets are on sale now for Vancouver Cocktail Week 2026!

December 1, 2025 No Comments

The city’s best party returns March 1 to 8 with all your favourite events and brand-new ones, including the unmissable Gala of Cocktails.

Tickets are on sale now for Vancouver Cocktail Week’s Signature Events, including the Gala of Cocktails. Living Room Creative photo

The most spirited week of the year is back! Get ready to raise a glass because Vancouver Cocktail Week presented by The Alchemist is returning March 1-8, 2026 with a spectacular line-up of events, and tickets for the highly-anticipated Signature Events are officially on sale now!

The Alchemist

How to pair tequila with food, according to a tequila sommelier

November 28, 2025 No Comments

Audrey Formisano is the tequila sommelier at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa teaches guests how to pair tequila with a variety of cuisines. Photo courtesy of Marriott Puerto Vallarta

While tequila’s most iconic sidekicks might be a lick of salt and a slurp of lime, those are far from the only flavour pairings that work for the iconic Mexican agave spirit. Tequila makes a surprisingly great sipper and pairing alongside a variety of foods—not just Mexican cuisine.

13 gift ideas for the spirit lovers on your list

November 24, 2025 No Comments

These spirited gifts will warm hearts and glasses all season long

Vancouver Cocktail Week

Vancouver Cocktail Week returns March 1 to 8, 2026

November 21, 2025 No Comments

Tickets go on sale December 1 for the March event

Passion Project featuring Ketel One Vodka at the 2025 Black and White Gala | @livingroom_creative photo

Start planning now for Vancouver Cocktail Week presented by The Alchemist magazine, a celebration of the city’s immense and internationally award-winning cocktail talent. In March 2026, VCW celebrates its fifth anniversary with all the fabulous, cocktail-focused events Vancouver has grown to love—and some exciting brand-new ones, too.

Bar Bites

A really likeable read

November 17, 2025 No Comments

We can’t wait to read 2017 World Class champion Kaitlyn Stewart’s new book, Three Cheers: Cocktails Three Ways: Classics, Riffs, and Zero-Proof Sips (Penguin). Stewart, the Vancouver bartender also known as Likeable Cocktails, takes 55 classics and offers a modern version and a non-alcoholic one for each, for an impressive total of 165 recipes for every mood—and everybody.

At the bar

We are who we meet

November 14, 2025 No Comments

At No Vacancy, Troy Gilchrist distills a lifetime of experience into flawless hospitality

At No Vacancy, the Smokey Nagata’s Supra cocktail merges mezcal and coffee with Asian flavours. Brenton Mowforth photo

Behind the wood at No Vacancy, veteran bartender Troy Gilchrist and his small crew of fellow bartenders Kat Yu and Nick Hurd embody the ethos that personal connection is the business they are in and everything else is simply implementation. The result is one of those places where entertainment, showmanship and finely crafted cocktails are born together, and live together, within its walls.

The spirit of the coast, redefined: Sanctuary Single Malt’s new Whisky

November 10, 2025 No Comments

A new release of Phillips Brewing’s signature whisky hits the shelves this November

Sanctuary Single Malt Whisky – Signature Edition embodies the rugged charm of Vancouver Island. Photo by Jay Wallace for Phillips Brewing.

Phillips Brewing is raising a glass to a bold new chapter with the rebrand and 2026 release of its Sanctuary Signature Whisky.

Drawing inspiration from the wild beauty of the Pacific Northwest’s coastal forests, the Victoria-based brewery and distillery has unveiled a refreshed new whisky and refined story for its Sanctuary Single Malt — a spirit that embodies the rugged charm of Vancouver Island.