Tonight was the accumulation of a week’s worth of parties and drinking. This was the 50 Best Bars Awards Ceremony, and as per the tradition, Vancouver’s second year in a row hosting.
Coming to it, the city was already in a celebratory mood, having 4 bars make it on to the extended 100 list, two of which being first timers.
Having been to the ceremony last year I can speak to the differences and how more grandiose this evening was. First the larger venue from hotel ballroom to convention centre. Given more room and way for a lot more guests and even more drinks. Thankfully there was also plenty of passed small bites to balance this out.
Guests got checked in and were given entry wrist bands. We all then took photos in-front of the sponsor branded backdrops.
Back stage aside, the entirety of the room was lined with booths. Each representing a sponsoring spirit, each holding their own category, and each with a couple of bartenders and bar backs mixing, shaking, and stirring. Doors opened at 6pm and it was an open bar affair until the awards started promptly at 8pm. Many of the cocktails were as international as their bartenders, truly encompassing the global spirit of 50 best bars.
The following is what I tried, from what I can remember, and I did not even get to all the booths, let alone all the available cocktails.
One such North America’s 50 Best Bars sponsor was Cointreau. For those unfamiliar, this is a premium, colourless, orange-flavoured liqueur classified as a triple sec, produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d’Anjou, France. It is made from a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels and sugar beet alcohol. With a 40% alcohol-by-volume (ABV), it is known for its crisp, balanced orange flavor and is essential in cocktails like the Margarita and Cosmopolitan.
My goal is always to visit the booths I am most interested in first, whether it is because of some trick mixology, the use of new technology, a celebrity bar star, and/or a new or limited edition bottle to sample. The latter was the case for Cointreau, which was easy to spot with their bold orange branding. Today they were pouring a spicy margarita, mixed using their new special edition spicy Cointreau. This was an equal part zesty and refreshing, and a good start to wade us into the night.
Next I bee-lined it to Roku Gin where I had my favourite cocktail of the evening. The Salt & Coco was clarified and creamy, it went down smooth like dessert. Roku Gin, Green Chartreuse, White Cacao, Grapefruit, Milk, and Salt & Pepper.
From Nikka we shared their two offerings. The Apricot with Miyagikyo Single Malt, Shiro Norwegian Sake, Apricot Liqueur, Dry Vermouth, Fino Sherry, Elderflower and Apricot. And The Cherry with Nikka From The Barrel, Dry Vermouth, Cherry Liqueur, Cherries, and Dark Chocolate. Both dark and bold, despite the levity in their fruit-forward names.
Seven Rooms, in representing Door Dash was offering up surprise cocktail flavoured Jell-O shots. Each shot came with a prizes, the product and experience were so good that we came back for seconds. Guest could either randomly get a Margarita shot that was burn your mouth spicy with Serrano Pepper. The Espresso shot, which was chocolatey, or the Lychee martini that was sweeter and prettier in glitter. This booth was so effective that it had me looking into the means of ordering these for any future event.
From Remy Martin we tried both their cocktails. One was a Raspberry tomato high ball and the other a Passionfruit orange guava Sazerac.
The most photogenic cocktail of the evening came with a smoke show. Mixed with Les Vergers Boiron. Not a spirit, but high-quality frozen fruit and vegetable purées geared towards culinary professionals, chefs, and bartenders. Today our bar professional was mixing a clarified chestnut, vanilla, and raspberry puree with Rémy and Cointreau. and finishing it off with a smoke show.
From Torres Brandy We tried 2/3 of their cocktails. The Perfect Concha was named after the Montreal bar La Cantina Concha. This was Torres 10, Amontli sweet vermouth, and BR upcycled coffee grinds. Where both were on the stiffer end of the spectrum, The Parlor Pomme 75, named after the Toronto bar was slightly brighter with the apples. Torres 10, Saskatchewan cold-pressed apples, demerara syrup, saline solution, cava fino xeres mist, and brandied cherry.
From Altos they had 3 tequila cocktails. Beets by Dre was juicy with Altos Reposado tequila, Siete Misterios Espadín mezcal, beetroot, lime, and agave syrup clarified. Coco’s Margarita by Megs was Altos Plata Tequila, Cointreau orange liqueur, Mancino Bianco Vermouth, coconut syrup, coconut water, and sour mix. And the Crafted Paloma had Altos Plata Tequila, grapefruit, lemon, agave syrup, and 3 Cents pink grapefruit soda.
The crowd was impressed by the look of Noam, a Berlin brand of luxury beer. This was new to Vancouver today and it served as a break in between all the sugary cocktails. Eye catching and stylish in its slim and ridged glass bottles.
Representing Monkey Shoulder was La Cantina Concha and Civil Liberties Bar with 3 different cocktails. The Bitter Behaviour was Monkey Shoulder, Campari, Grapefruit, Lemon, Simple Syrup, Angostura, and Mint. And Civil’s OUD Fashioned was Monkey Shoulder, Bar Garbials “Oud Syrup”, Fernet Branca, Angostura Bitters, and an Orange Coin.
From our very own Meo in Vancouver’s Chinatown they prepared 3 St Germain centred cocktails, but we only tried 2. The Jardin De Venture was St~Germain Elderflower Liqueur. melon and pandan vodka, extra dry vermouth, celery leaf cordial, and sake reduction. And the Sinful Blossom 2.0 was St~Germain Elderflower Liqueur, black pepper and oolong tea gin, damson plum, osmanthus cordial, and yuzu.
Ketel One had their popular nitro espresso martinis as the evening’s caffeinated pick me up.
And our last cocktail before cut off was from Disaronno, a Sour with Disaronno, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup.
From here the awards ceremony began, the bars were closed and those of us who knew what to expect were double fisting to have enough to drink through the 1 hour plus count down.
All the guests gathered and eyes were glued to the stage and screens. We stood listening and waiting to cheer for our favourite Canadian, United States, and Mexican bars. Naturally, the room erupted at any mention of Vancouver. Stand outs included The Keefer Bar being voted as the Best Canadian Bar of 2026. And the list of Vancouver mentions are as follows.
No. 7 The Keefer Bar
No. 17 June on Cambie
No. 32 Prophecy
No. 38 Botanist Bar
No. 59 Bagheera
No. 64 Meo
No. 72 Laowai
No. 91 Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions
After the No.1 bar was announced and confetti fell, the bars reopened for another hour. However, majority of the crowd dispersed to their respective after parties, myself included. More on that in a separate post.
