Recipe courtesy of Bodega on Main
1oz Shelter Point Smoke Whisky
1oz Disaronno Amaretto
0.5oz Licor 43
1oz lemon juice
1oz egg white
Peychaud’s Bitters
Madrid Sour
Great world bars we love: The Elephant Room
In a city with no shortage of conspicuous cocktail bars, it’s refreshing to see a small, independent establishment gain serious attention. Such is the case with Singapore’s Elephant Room, which made an impressive debut on this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars’ extended list, coming in at number 64. A self-described “culture-forward” bar, The Elephant Room is a staunch ambassador for everything India and has been showcasing the diverse flavours, colours and stories of the world’s second-most populous country, by way of Singapore’s Little India.
New 70’s ‘love motel’-inspired cocktail bar with snacks opening in Vancouver
An exciting project from a Michelin-starred team is about to debut
The crew behind some of Vancouver’s most acclaimed – and sexy – restaurant concepts is at it again, this time revealing plans to launch an intimate cocktail and snack bar just steps away from their one Michelin-starred spot.
Cheers to the VCW community
Vancouver Cocktail Week features events for everyone, in support of the city’s hospitality industry
Unlike some boozy events, Vancouver Cocktail Week isn’t just a big party (though it offers plenty of opportunities to raise a glass and get your ya-yas out). And unlike other boozy events, it’s not a trade show where you wander from booth to booth sampling wee sips of things (though it does feature loads of exciting new spirits, bitters and cocktails to taste and try).
What Vancouver Cocktail Week is, is a celebration of community, and not just the community of talented bartenders and industry professionals in this city. It’s also a celebration of you, the guests they serve, the whole reason the industry exists in the first place.
That’s why VCW events take place, not in a convention hall, but in the bars and restaurants where the city’s best bartenders can show you what they do best.
And it’s also why VCW24 has something for everyone, whether you are only just discovering cocktails or want to add to your collection of recipes for your next dinner party, expand your knowledge as an industry professional or simply enjoy a fun night out on the town.
Here are just some of the exciting experiences you can discover at VCW24, March 3 to 10.
Grilled Pineapple Sour
The Grilled Pineapple Sour takes you to the tropics with its combination of the smoky sweetness of grilled pineapple, the complexity of tequila and the tartness of fresh citrus juice.
1oz Herradura Ultra
1oz fresh lime juice
1oz fresh lemon juice
1oz grilled Pineapple Syrup
2 dashes Aromatic bitters
1 egg white (or vegan foamer)
Alberta whisky named Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year
The win marks an exciting shift in small-scale distilling across the country
After seven years of domination by B.C. and Ontario, an Alberta distillery has taken home the top prize at the 2024 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition.
In a series of blind tastings, a cross-Canada panel of judges selected The Fort Distillery‘s Mountain Pass Whisky as the Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year. The Fort Saskatchewan distillery prevailed over more than 80 small-scale spirits producers from 10 provinces and territories, who entered nearly 300 products in the competition; its whisky was only the second ever to win CASC’s top award.
Where to Drink Right Now on Grand Cayman
This expat-filled, Canadian-favourite winter destination is planting a flag on the world-class bar map. With pretty perfect daily weather and literally a Seven Mile Beach to enjoy during the day, and plenty of sunset and nightlife spots, there’s no need to wait until Cayman Cocktail Week (an annual festival, in the last week of October) to visit.
First we take Manhattan
And then we try these other city cocktails
Like its namesake city, the Manhattan is elegant but uncompromising and invulnerable to fashion’s changing whims. Oh, sure, it can bend a little—rocks or up, bourbon or rye, occasionally willing to entertain a variation like the scotch-inflected Rob Roy—but it will always be what it is: a drink of whisky, vermouth and bitters.
It’s been that way since the 1880s, when it was invented. Or maybe it was the 1870s or 1860s. In any case, writing in Difford’s Guide, Simon Difford notes that “the Manhattan is regarded as the first ‘modern cocktail.’” Or as the late bartending legend Gary “Gaz” Regan once said, “It was the drink that changed the face of cocktails.”
Toronto
The Toronto first appeared in print in 1922, replacing the Manhattan’s vermouth with the darker, more intensely herbaceous Fernet-Branca.
2 oz rye whisky (Canadian, of course)
0.25 oz Fernet-Branca
0.25 oz simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: orange twist
Brooklyn
The Brooklyn is a drier Manhattan: whisky, dry (French) vermouth, maraschino liqueur, Angostura bitters.
2 oz rye whisky
1 oz dry vermouth
0.25 oz maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: brandied or maraschino cherry, preferably Luxardo