Vancouver skyline ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
With its stunning combination of coastline and mountains, hiking trails, and world-class ski slopes, all just a three-hour drive from Seattle, Vancouver’s reputation as an outdoor adventurer’s paradise is well-merited. But there is another side to Canada’s third-most populated city, less well-known but every bit as exciting to the right sort of aficionado.
Vancouver is a drinks destination offering everything a curious imbiber would desire.
It’s the birthplace of craft brewing in Canada, was a cider mecca long before cider was cool, is located adjacent to the second-largest wine region in the country, and perhaps most importantly, has become a hub of craft distilling and creative mixology. Vancouver has it all, and it all lies within a relatively tight, easily traversed urban core.
Day One
Among the grandest and most storied hotels in the city are the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and Rosewood Hotel Georgia, located within a block of each other in the heart of downtown. Either make an elegant jumping-off point for exploring, in addition to having destination cocktail bars of their own.
Begin your day a few short blocks away at Café Medina, where morning options range from simple granola to a breakfast cassoulet or paella, served alongside some of the city’s best coffee, and then while away your morning at the nearby Vancouver Art Gallery. Known continent-wide for its innovative curation, the emphasis on Indigenous and Pan-Asian art will keep you visually and culturally engaged for hours.
Lunch with the downtown crowd at Nightingale, a gorgeous, high-ceilinged restaurant and bar located near the waterfront. Pizzas here arrive with suitably blistered crusts and can be complemented by a Pacific Oak cocktail, made with B.C.-distilled Shelter Point Classic single malt and a pair of amari, plus honey and ginger.
After lunch, grab a rideshare to Sons of Vancouver Distillery to try its Palm Trees and Tropical Breeze rye. Although originally a limited release, plans are in place to have it available regularly this year, although other small batch releases are also usually available.
Since you’re right nearby, take the three-minute walk to The Woods Spirit Co., B.C.’s premier distiller of aperitifs and digestifs, like the bright and clear Amaro Chiaro and deep and spicy Barrel-Aged Nocino. Settle in for a restorative Negroni before heading back downtown for cocktail hour at Botanist.
Regularly cited as one of Canada’s top-ten bars, Botanist sits on the second floor of the stunning Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, up the staircase from its Lobby Bar (which is nearly as good). Whisky aficionados visiting Botanist will be tempted by the Lost in Translation, featuring Toki Japanese whisky and oolong tea, but it’s also worth considering the trademark Botanist Martini, bright and crisp with an appealing hint of seashore breeze.
A 15-minute walk through the popular Gastown neighborhood, which is filled with shops, art galleries, and trendy bars and restaurants, brings you to L’Abattoir. There you can start with a Meat Hook #3 cocktail, a mix of foie gras-washed Angels Envy bourbon, British Columbia-produced Arbutus rye, two types of vermouth, and Pierre Ferrand Dry curaçao, to precede your dinner of creative French-influenced fare. For a truly unforgettable experience, ask your bartender to pair each course with a cocktail or whisky.
Spend the balance of the night bar hopping in Chinatown, taking in the eccentric The Keefer Bar, which is apothecary-themed and laden with whisky choices, from Classic Laddie ($14/1 oz.) to Oban 21 year old for $120. Move on to the eastern-themed Bagheera, a speakeasy-style bar hidden behind the Happy Valley Turf Club—ask to place a wager on King Louie to gain access—where a dram of Amrut Neidhal for $25/1 oz. would seem appropriate. Then head to the venerable Irish Heather Shebeen, now in its third incarnation, where the whisky list is extensive and the prices are quite reasonable, like Ardbeg Scorch for $27/1 oz.
On the way back to your room, stop for a nightcap at Notch8 in the Hotel Vancouver, where a roll of three dice, one for base whisky, one for syrup, and one for bitters, will dictate the composition of your Let the Dice Decide Old Fashioned.
Day Two
Begin the day with a light bite at Breka Bakery & Café on Denman Street before renting a bicycle a few doors down at Spokes for a tour of Stanley Park, the city’s 1,000-acre natural rainforest on the western edge of downtown. Packed with attractions, from monuments to beaches to curated gardens to the centuries-old “Hollow Tree,” it would be easy to spend the entire day there, but there are distilleries to visit!
After returning your bike, take a short cab ride to Granville Island and The Liberty Distillery, where whiskies are a specialty. The distillery’s Trust Ancient Grains expression, made from spelt, emmer wheat, and Khorasan wheat, is a standout. Enjoy a sampler, then explore the adjacent Artisan District—including the Granville Island Broom Co. which makes and sells traditional Shaker-style straw brooms—before heading back to Gastown for lunch at Pourhouse.
Combine a traditional scotch egg with a salad and a pint of IPA from local favorite Four Winds Brewing before setting off to East Vancouver’s Odd Society Spirits, the city’s pioneering craft distillery, to sample its exemplary single malts. Tasting complete, and perhaps bottle in hand, walk up the road to Resurrection Spirits, where rye is made in the form of new make (White), semi-aged (Pale), and fully matured (Rye) whiskies.
If you’re hungry, catch the bus on Hastings to Whiskey Six BBQ for a snack of expertly smoked brisket accompanied by the city’s best selection of locally crafted whiskies. En route back to the hotel, a stop at Legacy Liquor provides the opportunity to purchase a bottle of what you’ve tasted so far, as well as other whiskies you can’t find in the U.S.
Before heading out for the night, settle in at the newly renovated 1927 Lobby Lounge in the Hotel Georgia for a Hotel Georgia ($19), a blend of Broker’s gin, orgeat, lemon juice, orange flower water, and egg white, which may just be Canada’s only cocktail named after a hotel. Take in the room’s sumptuous elegance before venturing forth by mass transit or rideshare for dinner.
Published on Main is a stylish but refreshingly unstuffy Michelin-starred restaurant that combines Pacific Northwest cuisine with classical kitchen techniques and expert mixology, including the Oban Little Bay-based Adrian, named for one of the founding partners who tragically died just after the restaurant opened. Pair it with an appetizer of venison crudo for an exceptional start to your meal.
Finish the night on a Polynesian note at the Shameful Tiki Room, a short walk south from Published. Unsurprisingly, rum rather than whisky rules here, but the mixology is impressive and the vibe unparalleled, all providing the ideal coda to your perfect Vancouver weekend.
Hotels
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, 900 W. Georgia St.; fairmont.com/hotel-vancouver
Rosewood Hotel Georgia, 801 W. Georgia St.; rosewoodhotels.com
Distilleries
The Liberty, 1494 Old Bridge St., Granville Island; thelibertydistillery.com
Odd Society Spirits, 1725 Powell St.; oddsocietyspirits.com
Resurrection Spirits, 1672 Franklin St.; resurrectionspirits.ca
Sons of Vancouver, 1431 Crown St., North Vancouver; sonsofvancouver.ca
The Woods Spirit Co., 1450 Rupert St., North Vancouver; thewoodsspiritco.com
Bars and Restaurants
1927 Lobby Lounge, 801 W. Georgia St.; rosewoodhotels.com
L’Abattoir, 217 Carrall St.; labattoir.ca
Bagheera, 518 Main St.; no website Botanist Bar, 1038 Canada Pl.; botanistrestaurant.com
Breka Bakery & Café, 821 Denman St.; breka.ca
Café Medina, 780 Richards St.; medinacafe.com
Irish Heather Shebeen, 248 E. Georgia St.; irishheather.com
The Keefer Bar, 135 Keefer St.; thekeeferbar.com
Nightingale, 1017 W. Hastings St.; hawknightingale.com
Notch8, 900 W. Georgia St.; notch8-dining.com
Pourhouse, 162 Water St.; pourhousevancouver.com
Published on Main, 3593 Main St.; publishedonmain.com
Shameful Tiki Room, 4362 Main St.; shamefultikiroom.com
Whiskey Six BBQ, 826 Renfrew St.; whiskeysixbbq.com
Stores and Attractions
Granville Island Broom Co., 1406 Old Bridge St.; broomcompany.com
Legacy Liquor Store, 1633 Manitoba St.; legacyliquorstore.com
Spokes Bicycle Rentals, 1798 W. Georgia St.; spokesbicyclerentals.com
Stanley Park; vancouver.ca
Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby St.; vanartgallery.bc.ca
