Tickets now on sale for Vancouver Cocktail Week 2022

Dozens of events planned for the city’s inaugural celebration of cocktail culture, March 6 to 10, 2022.

Diageo World Class 2021 Bartender of the Year James Grant prepares the Pathfinder, a cocktail made with Johnnie Walk Black Label, Umé Shu plum wine, maple green tea cordial, cardamom bitters, Fever-Tree club soda, a rosemary sprig and a candied pine cone. Jana Bizzarri photo

At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3, it became official: Vancouver is about to have its first ever cocktail week. We’ll drink to that!

From March 6 to 20, 2022, Vancouver Cocktail Week presented by The Alchemist magazine will celebrate the excellence of the city’s cocktail scene and the hospitality of its bars, hotels and restaurants.

“Tickets are going on sale… right now,” announced Gail Nugent, publisher of The Alchemist, at the lively launch event held at Gotham Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, which featured cocktails poured by local and global bar stars. Nugent, who is also the founder and event producer of VCW, added: “Thank you to everyone in this room who helped make VCW a reality. I wanted to support our amazing culinary and cocktail culture in Vancouver and the people behind it. We couldn’t have done it without the support of the spirit brand sponsors, the bartending and restaurant industry, our VCW committee, The Alchemist team, Gotham Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and Destination Vancouver.”

“We’ve been talking about this idea for years and we knew right from the beginning that it would have to be about community—not just the bartending community that is so central to this event, but the wider community of Vancouver,” said Joanne Sasvari, editor of The Alchemist and co-founder of VCW. “After the last two years, that’s never been more important.”

Kaitlyn Stewart (2017 Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year) prepares her Preserved Paloma, a cocktail made with Don Julio Blanco, Aperol, salted grapefruit cordial, tonka bean, Peychauds and Fever-Tree club soda. Jana Bizzarri photo

The Alchemist invites everyone to celebrate the artistry and hospitality of the cocktail community with five days and nights of seminars and events across 50 venues, and supported by more than 40 spirit brand sponsors.

The week kicks off with an elevated cocktail-paired brunch at the Fairmont Pacific Rim on March 6, then follows with a series of events that include: ARC After Dark Cocktails—Drag Edition, featuring some of the city’s most popular drag performers; a special happy hour that’s sure to make a splash at Vancouver Aquarium; a boozy Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tour through Gastown; and more cocktail-paired dinners than you can shake a cobbler at.

Among the canapés passed around at the Vancouver Cocktail Week launch party, held at Gotham Steakhouse and Bar, was the Prime Steak & Prawn skewers. Jana Bizzarri photo

Those who want to learn more about cocktails and spirits should sign up for seminars that range from a Diageo World Class how-to to spirited masterclasses. And everyone should take part in the Cinq à Sept series of elevated happy hours that celebrate food, drink, art and community.

The week wraps up at one of the city’s most historic venues—The Roof at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver—which will be renovated just in time for the Fun City Gala. This marquee event travels through the city’s decades of drinks culture, serving up everything from pre-Prohibition cocktails at “Gassy Jack’s Saloon” to Cosmopolitans at the 1990s “tini” bar. (Note that those who want to indulge responsibly can take advantage of special hotel rates.)

The Grey Goose espresso martini was a fun throwback to the cocktails of the ’90s. Jana Bizzarri photo

Finally, no celebration of community can go without supporting those who make it possible, especially when they need it most, so Vancouver Cocktail Week is proud to announce that a portion of ticket sales will go to our charity partner, the BC Hospitality Foundation.