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Mastering Gin at Copperpenny Distilling Co.

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North Van distillery reaps the rewards of craftsmanship

Jenn Kom-Tong and Jan Stenc founded Copperpenny after tasting gins around the world. Photo courtesy of Copperpenny Distilling Co.

Winning a prestigious Global Gin Masters Medal—only a few months after they opened their doors—is just one of the exciting things happening at North Vancouver’s Copperpenny Distilling Co.

“Our key focus here is that we recognize, as a distillery, we are more than a maker of spirits, we are a purveyor of experiences,” says Jan Stenc, co-founder of the distillery along with his partner in work and life, Jennifer Kom-Tong. “The whole idea that it is a meaningful social interaction is super-important to us.”

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The secret’s out at Wind Cries Mary

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Follow the signs to great food and drink in Victoria’s Bastion Square

At Wind Cries Mary, the brick walls create a welcoming space, and the well-stocked bar promises fine drinks to enjoy. Photos courtesy of Wind Cries Mary

A sign pointing you to fresh oysters and another just above the door are the only clues that one of Victoria’s most exciting food and drink experiences can be found here, tucked away in historic Bastion Square. 

Follow the stairs down to find a dark and moody candlelit space, where the canopied bar gleaming with bottles of local and international wine and spirits is a sure sign that this is the right place to come for a good drink. 

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The Godfather

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Disaronno Originale and The Busker offer a classic cocktail you can’t refuse 

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It’s rare that a cocktail is made from only two ingredients, without a third to provide balance and support. It’s even rarer that a two-ingredient cocktail is so perfectly crafted that it can withstand the test of time. 

The Godfather is just that drink.

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Black Pine Social

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Discover elevated après-anything cocktails at the heart of SilverStar Mountain Resort

At SilverStar’s Black Pine Social, the cocktails will tempt you off the hills.
Photos courtesy of Black Pine Social

Upstairs from the Red Antler at the heart of SilverStar Mountain Resort, the new Black Pine Social restaurant has two natures—like an urbanite-turned-weekend-warrior. 

The alluring room has shades-of-grey walls and floors, and a swishy copper chain mail curtain screening a sexy supper club. It’s also got rustic barnboard panelling and a wood-burning stone fireplace fronted with deep leather couches for enervated skiers and cyclists. There’s a wrap-around patio and a long bar, “comfortable and deep enough for dining and to encourage chat and questions as you taste and order,” says Jacob Sweetapple of Notion Concepts, the brain trust behind a selection of back-bar gems like Eagle Rare bourbon or Don Julio 1942 tequila.

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A World Class Partnership

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Hot off another Top 5 win for Canada, the competition teams up with Vancouver Cocktail Week

Previous World Class Canada winners congratulate Massimo Zitti (centre, in the purple shirt), the latest national Bartender of the Year, who placed fifth at the global final. Photos courtesy of World Class Canada

Last month, at the global finals of the Diageo World Class competition in Sydney, Australia, all eyes were on Toronto’s Massimo Zitti. The action was riveting. 

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Focused on hospitality

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Meet the talented bar leaders at Wentworth Hospitality Group

Serving fine drinks and a warm welcome, from left: Andrew MacDonald of Homer Street Cafe; Nicola Roland at Maxine’s Café & Bar; and Nich Box at Tableau Bar Bistro. Leila Kwok photos

The restaurants in the Wentworth Hospitality Group are known for their welcoming atmosphere, friendly neighbourhood vibe and excellent food and drink. As the group’s beverage director J-S Dupuis says, “We’re elevated without the elevated price tag.”

He credits much of that to his talented team of bar managers. “When you come into the bar, you are coming into their house and they will treat you as such,” Dupuis says. “We really focus on hospitality with the leaders we have. They really understand that.”

Meet the team leading the bars at Homer Street Cafe, Maxine’s Café & Bar and Tableau Bar Bistro.

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Lyre’s has arrived

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Drink your way with the world’s most awarded non-alcoholic spirits

Photo courtesy of Lyre’s

The world’s best bartenders shake and stir with them. Michelin-starred restaurants create inventive drinks with them. And now Lyre’s, the world’s most awarded non-alcoholic spirits, have arrived in Canada. 

Today, no- or low-alcohol riffs on the Negroni, Martini, Daiquiri and other cocktail classics are as on-trend as their spirit-forward counterparts—and every bit as delicious. They can be the star of your next cocktail party or your next Wednesday night in. With sophisticated, complex flavour profiles that pay homage to the spicy, bitter and sharp notes of classic cocktails, Lyre’s gives you the freedom to drink your way. 

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Lyre’s Daiquiri

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Photo courtesy of Lyre’s

This classic Daiquiri offers a perfect balance of sweet and sour. In fact, when one achieves the correct combination of white cane spirit to lime, the result is one of the freshest beverages in the known universe.

• 1.5 oz Lyre’s White Cane Spirit

• 0.75 oz simple syrup (1:1)

• 1 oz lime juice

• Pinch salt (optional)

• Garnish: lime zest

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Boom time

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Vincent Vanderheide leads a talented bar at Victoria’s Boom + Batten

Beverage director Vincent Vanderheide. Photo courtesy of Boom + Batten

Boom + Batten is a dazzling contemporary hot spot with a prime location on Victoria’s Inner Harbour. It’s also one of the city’s best places to get a well-made cocktail, thanks to the skills of beverage director Vincent Vanderheide and his team. “I always like to say it’s not a bad office,” he says with a laugh. 

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