It’s all about the craft for Cascade Room’s new bar manager, Yonah Sweetapple

Family brought Yonah Sweetapple from his native Australia to Canada in 2012. He followed his brother Jacob (also a noted mixologist) to Vancouver, looking forward to being a proper uncle to Jacob’s kids. His own bartending career was well underway, from working his way through university everywhere from nightclubs to cocktail bars and restaurants. But it was in the two years before his move to Canada that, he says, his real passion for cocktails developed. “I really enjoy creating craft drinks, and I take a lot of pride in my work,” he smiles.

The recently arrived bar manager at Cascade Room, Sweetapple earned his Vancouver stripes behind the wood downtown, at the Granville Room and Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar. He’d always loved the vibe of the Main St. space, having participated in cocktail competitions the bar regularly hosts. He was also keen to get away from the downtown hustle, and Cascade Room, with its passionate focus on cocktails, was the perfect fit.

Despite the bar menu changing seasonally, Sweetapple likes to keep the cocktail list inspired by the country he now calls home. “I’m a fan of booze-forward cocktails, and going into the colder months, I like to use vermouths and bourbons,” he says. “The cocktails are warming and wintery, with flavours you’d find in something like an apple pie.” The bar menu currently has 12 custom cocktails, including the London Calling (a vermouth and apricot brandy cocktail) and the Standed Mountie (with bourbon, cinnamon and maple syrup).

But once Vancouver’s wet winter rolls over into spring, Sweetapple admits he may be tempted to look farther afield for inspiration. “When spring and summer rolls around, I will definitely give things a bit of an Aussie twist.”

Make the Standed Mountie. 

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY: 
The Cascade Room
2616 Main Street
TheCascade.ca