Vancouver is the host city for North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and that means several awesome cocktail events with visiting bar stars
Vancouver will host the announcement of North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2025. Leading up to the event was first the revelation that three local bars have been named to the expanded rankings, including Prophecy. Several events in the city will showcase our fantastic cocktail pros along with visiting guest bartenders from around the world. Photo courtesy of North America’s 50 Best Bars
What’s shaking in Vancouver? Quite a bit, when it comes to the cocktail scene.
The announcement of the 2025 North America’s 50 Best Bars rankings takes place in Vancouver for the first time on Tuesday, April 29, and there are several prominent local and global bar stars stirring up some excitement as part of the festivities.
Leading up to and capping off the awards ceremony there will be numerous events showcasing incredible spirits and talented cocktail pros, including those visiting from around North America and beyond. Top spots for tipples across the city will be opening up their bars for collabs, showcases, seminars, and guest shifts.
Along with Vancouver serving as host city for the first time is another thrilling first: An extended list of rankings honouring spots 51 to 100 was recently revealed.
Tara Davies (left) and Erik Vazquez are back behind the bar with Chupito at the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand spot’s new home in Mount Pleasant. Rubén Nava/Lessnoise Studio
“A new chapter is unfolding!” shared Chupito via email this week. Specifically, the former shipping container bar and seasonal hangout known for its excellent cocktails and elevated but approachable Mexican dishes is ready to welcome guests in a new indoor-outdoor space in Mount Pleasant.
The new French meets West Coast brasserie will be “a space unlike any other in Vancouver thus far.”
Cambie Street’s highly-anticipated debut June has set an opening date for early April 2025 and will feature an exciting drinks menu and French-inspired West Coast food. Photo by Luis Valdazon/courtesy of June
Located in Cambie Village in the former Biercraft space, June is a bi-level French-inspired brasserie from the team behind Vancouver’s award-winning Keefer Bar.
The 4,500-square-foot space features seats for 100 in the upstairs dining room, with 35 more seats downstairs in the bar area coming soon, along with three planned patios.
The perfectly restored French Line bar at Le 9e, the ninth floor of the Eaton Building in Montreal. Instagram.com/lefrenchline photo
Step through the glass doors and let the elevator whisk you back to another, more gracious time. Welcome to Le 9e, a perfectly restored Art Deco masterpiece on the ninth floor of the Eaton Building in downtown Montreal.
Back in 1927, Lady Flora Eaton, whose family owned the Eaton’s department stores, commissioned the French architect Jacque Carlu to design a restaurant inspired by the dining room in the Île-de-France transatlantic ocean liner. It became one of the finest examples of Art Deco design in Canada, and the place for ladies to lunch after their shopping sprees. But in 1999 the company filed for bankruptcy and the restaurant closed, a bagpiper mournfully playing Amazing Grace to mark its passing.
Our expert panel chooses their favourite bourbons — and the cocktails they make with them
Bourbon barrels aging in a rickhouse. iStock.Getty Images Plus/Try Media photo
Its name might be shrouded in mystery, but bourbon’s unmistakable flavour is anything but uncertain. Some believe it was named after Bourbon County in Kentucky, where early settlers first distilled whiskey using local corn, while others trace it to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, a key market for the spirit. Regardless of its name, what’s undeniable is bourbon’s distinctive taste thanks to the strict regulations that define it. By law, bourbon must be made from at least 51 per cent corn, distilled to no more than 160 proof, aged in new charred oak barrels, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. These standards, combined with time-honoured traditions, give bourbon its rich, complex flavour that continues to captivate whisk(e)y lovers worldwide.
We caught up with a panel of industry experts from B.C. and Ontario to uncover their go-to bourbons and the cocktails they love crafting with them. From tried-and-true classics like the Old Fashioned to inventive new creations, these cocktails reflect the versatility and character of bourbon, proving there’s a perfect tipple for every palate. So, grab your glass, and get ready to explore the bourbon picks and cocktails these pros can’t stop sipping.
The gem, known for its inventive, French-inspired cocktails and effortless charm, is awarded for delivering exceptional hospitality and a transportive guest experience
The Bar Pompette team. Photo courtesy of North America’s 50 Best Bars
Toronto’s Bar Pompette has been announced as the winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, part of the fourth annual North America’s 50 Best Bars awards, sponsored by Perrier. Created to recognize the importance of hospitality in the bar experience, the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award is voted on by the 300-plus members of the North America’s 50 Best Bars Academy, who are asked to name the bar where they have received the single-best hospitality experience within the 18-month voting period. The Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award is the first award in a series of special awards announced leading up to the highly anticipated awards ceremony for North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025.
Bar Pompette is a refined yet relaxed Toronto gem, known for its take on modern and classic cocktails. Located in the heart of Little Italy, the bar’s minimalist-chic design evokes the effortless charm of a Parisian café, which is juxtaposed with the creativity and inventiveness that drives the cocktail offering. Since earning a spot on the list in 2023, Bar Pompette has continued to elevate Toronto’s cocktail scene, with a seasonally rotating menu that highlights innovative flavors and expert craftsmanship. Guests can choose how they want to experience Bar Pompette, whether it’s imbibing casually or experiencing the process behind each drink, including a guided visit to the cocktail lab. With small bites from its sister French brasserie, guests are offered a taste of France while remaining grounded in the vibrant energy of Toronto. At Bar Pompette, the drinks, ambiance, and hospitality create a seamless blend of past and present, somewhere for people to linger, glass in hand, time and time again.
Emma Sleight, Head of Content for North America’s 50 Best Bars, says: “It’s been incredible to see Bar Pompette’s growth since its first recognition on the list in 2023. From the expertly curated cocktail menu — where each drink tells a story of seasonal creativity and truly impressive craftmanship — to the inviting ambiance of its open-air patio and cosy, Cognac-colored banquettes, Bar Pompette creates that rare alchemy where world-class drinks and genuine, welcoming service collide. It’s a transportative destination, offering a taste of France with every sip, while managing to remain firmly rooted in the heart of Toronto’s dynamic cocktail scene. It’s that magical synergy between exceptional drinks and a welcoming atmosphere that keeps guests coming back to Bar Pompette. ”
Innovative cocktails abound at Bar Pompette. Photo courtesy of North America’s 50 Best Bars
Co-founder Hugo Togni, a former chef, contributes culinary expertise to the bar’s creative yet approachable drinks menu. Signature drinks like the Nitro Colada — served on tap with centrifuge-clarified pineapple juice and coconut oil-washed rum — and the Cornichon, a Martini-inspired cocktail featuring dill pickle distillate, showcase the team’s playful creativity. Even with these sophisticated methods, Bar Pompette remains a true neighborhood bar, where the focus is always on making every guest feel welcome.
Hugo Togni, Co-Owner of Bar Pompette says, “We are truly humbled and grateful to receive this award. More than just a bar, Bar Pompette is built on passion, dedication, and a genuine love for hospitality. Our team—many of whom have been together for nearly three years—has become like family, and that chemistry is what makes every service special. To us, it’s not just about making great drinks, but about creating a space where people feel at home, whether it’s their first visit or their fiftieth. Hospitality is at the heart of what we do, and we’re excited to keep sharing that experience with our guests every day.”
Matt Magliocco, Executive Vice President of Michter’s Distillery, says: “Bar Pompette is a wonderful bar, and their hospitality is second to none. Congratulations to Maxime Hoerth, Hugo Togni, and the entire Bar Pompette team on this extremely well-deserved recognition.”
The North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 awards ceremony will take place in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. This represents the first time the awards ceremony will be staged in Canada and recognizes the region’s presence on the global cocktail scene. North America’s 50 Best Bars aims to provide consumers with an exceptional list of expert-approved drinking destinations across North America.
The countdown of the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars and the awards ceremony will also be broadcast to a global audience who are not able to attend in person, and bar and cocktail lovers will be invited to join through the 50 Best Bars TV YouTube channel.
Higher taxes, a production cap: B.C. distillers push for wine-like treatment
Okanagan Spirits principal Tyler Dyck has been lobbying for years for the B.C. government to change liquor policies. Submitted photo
B.C. craft distillers have told BIV that there are several specific ways in which the B.C. government is treating them less favourably than it does wineries.
For one thing, government mark-ups, or taxes, on spirits is higher than it is for wine.
Another beef is that craft distillers have a production limit that they must stay below to gain some tax advantages. Wineries do not have that restriction. Finally, wineries get financial kick-backs, or reimbursements, when they sell products in government-run liquor stores. Distilleries do not.
Rub shoulders with international bar stars and brand ambassadors at Vancouver Cocktail Week
Hisatsugu Saito mixes cocktails at the Nikka bar at 2024’s Green Garden Gala. Living Room Creative photo
Stop in for cinq à sept at one of Vancouver Cocktail Week’s participating bars and you never know who might be perched on the bar stool next to yours. It might be an out-of-town cocktail lover, a global brand ambassador or a rock star bartender from overseas. Hanging out with VCW visitors is one of the most exciting aspects of the whole week.
Here are just a few bar stars we know will be in town, and where you can see them — note that many will also be at the Black and White Gala.
