If you don’t know, you might never know… about this gem of a hidden popup bar. Located at the very back of Nightshade (Vancouver’s newer vegan/vegetarian restaurant), this 80’s & 90’s themed bar is the city’s newest best kept secret.
But there is a hitch, it is intended as a phone free zone. Given the cramped quarters and the emphasis on the curated vibe, they are asking that you turn off your phone and instead engage in your surroundings. (Worth noting, I was invited to cover/review my time spent, and therefore allowed photography and videography).
The space is a single room with neon lights: blue on the ceiling and green at the bar, with their name spelled out in orange on the far wall. As per the theme, the music overhead is a listing of 80’s classics and 90’s hits that you can make requests for and add to their running queue. And if you don’t know any 80’s or 90’s songs, the menu can advise you there.
The menu is a concise listing of wine, beer, and cocktails. I wasn’t able to try all of the latter, but was able to get some great shots and descriptions of all but 1 of their 9 available cocktails; for your consideration.
Each cocktail is named after a reference to their decades of choice. It includes the ingredient listing and a blurb on the inspiration. Truth be told I only got a few of the name references, but was able to lock in more of the song references.
Each drink is entertainingly paired with song request. I liked the idea, but didn’t necessarily get the pairings (much like the references above, that went over my head). For example the “Secret of the Ooze” was a smokey dry ice cocktail with a greeny hue, named after the 1991 Ninja Turtles 2 movie, but the song suggestion was Kylie Minogue’s “The Loco-Motion”. And the “Spot Gremlin” cocktail is a dark black beverage that ironically is paired with the song “Blinded by the Light”, by Manfred Mann.
The more obvious references connected the name of drink to name of song. Like “Ponzu Shook Me Up” made sense with ACDC’s “You Shook me all Night Long”. And the “Sex in the Champagne Room” cocktail went nicely with Scorpion’s “Rock you like a Hurricane”, if you really thought about it.
The following is all the cocktails our group ordered. With specific drinking notes only for the ones I tried.
Sex in the Champagne Room made with Zubtowka, champagne, peach nectar, raspberry sour puss, and peach bitters. The rim of the class is frosted with icing and given pink pearl sprinkles. It mimics a lipstick mark and matches the red flush the milky drink is given, thanks to a dribble of the raspberry sour puss at the very end. This was an easy drinking cocktail, I couldn’t even taste the alcohol. Fruit forward with tropical notes.
The Van-Damme Split Kick is the party starter, served in a child’s sand pail; much like what I have heard stories of and seen photos of in Thailand. El Jimador, Baron Samedi, ginger tamarind syrup, pineapple and mango juice, and Thai chilli.
Where Jean Claude gets a bucket, Molly Ringwald gets a tea cup and saucer and she approves; in her inspired Molly Ringwald Approves cocktail. Prepared with Nakano-rose Umeshu, soho, empress gin, yuzu juice, and rose soda; and served with a mini chocolate wafer cookie on the side.
The Soot Gremlin is a black cocktail, as expected. Made with actual activated charcoal, Suntory-Stoli Whiskey, Luxardo Maraschino, Tawny Port, charcoal syrup, and back walnut bitters.
The Ponzu Shook Me Up is served in a coupe that is is given the smoke treatment with a scent and flavour adding smoker. It is a mix of Wild Turkey Long Branch, Amaro Montenegro, ponzu, simple syrup, and grapefruit bitters and zest.
I was absolutely enamoured by the presentation of the Haze For Daze. A cocktail inspired by Cheech and Chong with a rosemary rolled and lit joint as garnish. Fun fact: the bar hand rolls at least 25 of these a day for this cocktail. Although you are not able to smoke indoors and this joint is intended for novelty; you are able to smoke the joint safely for a head rush, should you choose to doggy bag it for later. I snuck in a puff and found that the smoke went right to my face and lingered in the nose with a tingle. As for the cocktail itself it is a mix of El Jimador, Appleton 8, Zubrowka, Triple Sec, Chambord, house raspberry and lime shrub, and cola. As for how it tasted it was a more savoury cocktail, not strong in alcohol, but more cola forward. I could/would imagine this pairing well with an actual joint.
The Kaju-en Neugroni was a fun cocktail with a slice of dragonfruit in the glass, a strawberry pink Pocky over top as garnish, and back lit with a flashing ice cube. Umeshu Plum wine, strawberry infused Campari, and Cocchi Barolo Chinato.
The Secret of the Ooze was a premade cocktail that bubbled and smoked with dry ice, as our bartender poured it out over actual ice. Hendricks Orbium, Absinthe, fennel oil, kiwi, cucumber, and lime juice.
And with all this drinking, you best order some food to graze on, and balance yourself out with. Luckily the bar has a selective food menu that goes great with their drinks.
The Lemongrass olives are a classic order. Served warm, I found the unique sensation of the additional temperature a nice contrast to the chilled cocktails over ice. It also paired nicely with the more sweet drinks, highlighting sweet and fruity with its natural salty and tangy flavour.
The Artisanal Vegan cheese platter was two vegan cheeses paired with pickles and crackers. I have had vegan cheeses where based on their grainy texture you could tell they were made from ground nuts. With these, there was no telling that they were dairy-free. The hard cheese had a texture similar to an aged cheddar, with a equally sharp and salty nuance. And the dark grey creamed cheese reminded me of a spreadable brie in flavour. It was so silky smooth that it added some much needed moisture to the otherwise rock hard seed crackers.
In closing, if you are looking for a fun spot to decompress without your phone in. A venue to enjoy drinks that are fun and creative at: Lightshade is your bar. However keep in mind, as a Popup what you read here and now, might not be when you actually get when you visit. But that is half the fun of a Popup.
Lightshade
1082 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2R9
(604) 566-2955
lightshadeyvr.com
