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.
Can’t decide what events to go to? Start with these
Experience top brands’ cocktail creations at Vancouver Cocktail Week. Living Room Creative photo
Each year there are those cocktail week events that you find yourself telling your friends about over and over—or that you forever regret having missed out on. Here are five that will be all the buzz this year; if you don’t have your tickets yet, what are you waiting for?
Fraser Crawford captures Kissa Tanto’s Tokyo jazz lounge vibe in a glass. Hakan Burcuoglu photo
Congratulations to Fraser Crawford! The bar manager at Kissa Tanto has just been named the winner of the 2024 Michelin Guide Vancouver Exceptional Cocktails Award, adding even more lustre to the Chinatown restaurant’s glittering star.
Good Thief is a cocktail odyssey across Southeast Asia
The spicy, fruity, complex Six-Inch Yellow is an excellent way to start your cocktail journey at Good Thief. Juno Kim photos courtesy of Good Thief
The rain on the pavement reflects the red, green and orange of the Main Street traffic lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows and into the dim of Good Thief. In the summertime, the windows open completely to blend the divide between inside and out, but on a wet autumn evening, Good Thief beckons the curious and adventurous into its modern yet cozy space, promising not just drinks but a journey through the flavours of Southeast Asia and cutting-edge mixology techniques.
At The Watson, it’s all about a laidback vibe and well-travelled cocktails
The Watson’s bar manager, Jordan Coelho, experiments with flavours he’s discovered around the world. Chelsea Brown photo
The late afternoon light filters through the window, casting a lazy haze over Main Street’s newest bar, The Watson.
The crew preps for opening, whirring around the dark wood and green leather interior accented with marble and gold fixtures. The space feels simultaneously Parisian yet West Coast, Art Deco yet contemporary.
Bar manager and partner Jordan Coelho says he wanted it to feel like a library and gestures to the apothecary shelf behind the bar that he hopes to deck out with homemade bitters. Their house-blend amaro already sits in pride of place, aging in Woodford Reserve barrels.
As opening approaches, shakers are already ringing out in the capable hands of bartender Thomas Dodds (previously of The Diamond).
Look for the sign and go up the stairs to this sexy, intimate spot for drinks and snacks—soon!
Ama is a new Japanese-inspired cocktail and raw bar hidden above a Michelin Guide-recommended Greek restaurant in Vancouver. Lindsay William-Ross/V.I.A. photo
The only tell that there is a sexy, intimate Japanese-inspired cocktail and raw bar tucked in the space above a bustling Fraser Street Greek restaurant is the clever metal sign positioned above eye level to the right of an unadorned orange-hued door.
Get ready for a spicy taste of Miami right here in Vancouver
The Flamingo Room is the next chapter for Havana’s theatre space. The Commercial Drive bar and restaurant will offer drinks, late-night snacks, and live music and comedy. Opening day is set for Dec. 6, 2023. Photo by Ksenia Dempster/The Flamingo Room
Weary locals can soon escape Raincouver for a taste of hot Miami nightlife without buying a plane ticket thanks to a new bar with late-night snacks and live entertainment on Commercial Drive.
Executive Chef Andrew Hounslow and Beverage Director Alexa Greenman have created a food and drink menu of fun, tropical-inspired items for The Flamingo Room. Photos courtesy The Flamingo Room
The concept is “neighbourhood watering hole-meets eclectic cocktail room,” in the 52-seat, 900-square-foot space.
Revellers can expect to find live music and comedy served up alongside fun drinks and eats created by the Havana team.
“Our live stage will be a hub of local talent and personalities, bringing our community together through performances that make each visit a unique experience,” said Tyson McNamara, Stage Manager, in a media release from The Flamingo Room. “We believe in the power of supporting local artists, providing a space where their creativity shines.”
Compressed watermelon with Tajin is among the dishes coming to the food menu of The Flamingo Room. Photo courtesy The Flamingo Room
Food and drink menu: Shareable dishes, cocktails and mocktails with tropical vibes
The Flamingo Room’s executive chef, Andrew Hounslow, will serve up a food menu of playful snacks with a South Floridian twist, like a share-able Cubano sandwich (on a stick!), Huevos Diablos, Tajin-spiced compressed watermelon, and a jicama and chickpea “ceviche.”
The drinks program was created by Beverage Director Alexa Greenman, and features several tropical drinks (including zero-proof mocktails). Expect to find shareable cocktails for groups and a locally-focused beer and wine list, too.
The Flamingo Room’s drinks menu will also feature mocktails, like the zero proof Flightless Bird. Photo courtesy The Flamingo Room
The Flamingo Room’s food, drink, and merriment will be showcased in a space described as offering “a lush space layered full of playful textures and saturated colours” with “banquet booth seating, decorative lighting, a warm wood bar, and a forthcoming bespoke feature mural wall.”
“We look forward to welcoming guests into an intimate, tropical space, where inventive drinks and snacks are underscored with amazing live music and comedy,” said Reuben Major, Managing Partner of Havana Vancouver and The Flamingo Room.
Bites for sharing is the main focus for the food menu at The Flamingo Room. Photo courtesy The Flamingo Room
“I’m so proud of our team for their dedication and hard work bringing The Flamingo Room to a reality. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re excited to open our doors!”
When The Flamingo Room (1212 Commercial Dr) officially opens on Dec. 6, it will operate Wednesday to Sunday, from 5 p.m. to late.
Inspired by the lush and vibrant vibes of Miami, The Flamingo Room will offer Vancouver an escape to where the heat is always turned up. Photo by Ksenia Dempster/The Flamingo Room
It’s “Vancouver’s first jungle-inspired cocktail lounge.”
The Jungle Room is a new cocktail lounge and restaurant located on Denman Street in Vancouver’s West End. The official opening date is April 28, 2023. @jnglroom/Instagram
Keen-eyed Vancouverites have been watching the West End space at 961 Denman St since late 2021, when signs went up for a “health bar and cocktail lounge” called The Jungle Room moving in where the Dover Arms pub stood for many a year.
Vancouver’s Gastown creates a safe, social outdoor oasis for the return of cocktail culture this summer. It makes perfect sense for the neighbourhood founded on the bar that helped build a city.
Supplied photo
Under some welcome umbrella shade on the Jules Bistro patio, live music wafts over from a nearby performer, the all-day-happy-hour Chambord kiss of French Martinis flow for $14, while cocktailians sip under vintage lamposts festooned with lush flower baskets. It almost feels like the “before times.”
As life slowly returns to normal this summer, Vancouver’s Gastown—the neighbourhood where the city started, and where our most famous bar ever was started by its namesake, nicknamed Gassy Jack (aka John Deighton) more than 150 years ago—has embraced pandemic conditions to enhance its reputation as patio central.
Check back often for new events and updates or subscribe to the Vancouver Cocktail Week mailing list to receive event and ticket information as it is released.
