Artisan eggnogs to gingerbread old fashioneds, where to find festive spirits on Vancouver's cocktail scene
At bars from Botanist to Meo, mixologists riff on Christmas pudding, mulled wine, grandma’s baking, and much more
Left to right, holiday quartet at Bacchus; mulled wine in a teacup at the Botanist; a Mistletoe Margarita lesson at D/6.
HOLIDAY DRINKS HAVE been a thing since eggnog met rum and mulled wine made magic with cinnamon sticks. But the city’s growing number of artisan cocktail spots has holiday drinks hitting a whole new level of sophistication. Offerings this year draw on everything from nostalgic toy catalogues to culture-mashing spices.
Below, a long, but by no means exhaustive, list of local mixologists’ insanely creative interpretations of yuletide drinks—and even a master class to craft holiday cocktails on Christmas Day. A word to the wise: some of these spots already have their reservations filling up.
Botanist’s artful Sleigh All Day. Photo by Mark Yuen
Botanist Bar
Fairmont Pacific Rim’s elegant mecca for botanically-minded cocktails has crafted a holiday drink list that boasts lovingly housemade syrups and other inventive artisinal ingredients. Sample sip: The West Coast Mulled Wine is served warm, in your grandma’s favourite antique teacup, seriously elevating the classic with dates, pinot noir, brandy, port, and winter spices. For a splurge? Fork out for the $40 Sleigh All Day—which combines Christmas pudding gin, aged rum, red wine, winter spices, black tea, and citrus—just to see the frosted, sculptural, straight-outta-Jules Verne vessel it arrives in.
Peya
This rad new restaurant in Hastings Sunrise combines French techniques with the bold flavours of India, and its holiday cocktail menu is an equally culture-hopping mix. Several of the offerings are set off with chai spice. Sample sip: The rich Festivus Flip mixes St. Remy XO, Mt. Gay Eclipse, Olorosso Sherry, cream, whole egg, and chai spice.
Meo
265 E Pender Street
The coral-cool Chinatown haunt riffs on its curvy ‘70s decor with a retro cocktail menu that looks exactly like the old TV Guide, putting inspired holiday spins on standards; think Candy Canetini and a Gingerbread Old Fashioned that comes complete with a cookie. Sample Sip: Brigitte’s Eggnog puts an innovative twist on the classic with a wholly unexpected ingredient: creamy-maple-syrup-tasting candy-cap mushroom anglaise. It blends beautifully with cacao butter Bumbu Rum, orange, spruce, and nutmeg.
Minami’s NAUGHTY LIST and NICELIST.
Minami
Bar manager Morgane Lefort has divided holiday drinks into good and bad: the NICELIST (“sweet, sparkly, and trying very hard to impress Santa”, with housemade cranberry syrup, white chocolate, lemon juice, ginger beer, whipped cream, and candied cranberries) and the NAUGHTY LIST (“Chocolatey, boozy, and absolutely notsorry”). Sample sip: We’re drawn to the latter drink’s dark side, a hazelnut and whisky combo that comes complete with The Woods Crema Nocciola, Momokawa Nigori Sake, Bearface whisky, and hits of tonka bean and hazelnut graham crust.
H Lounge
Reliably coming up with some of the city’s most whimsical takes on seasonal drinks, H Lounge is titling its high-concept menu this year “12 Cocktails of Christmas Toys”—as in, nostalgic takes on actual toys in the old Sears catalogue. We don’t want to give away the best part—the presentation and vessels these beauties arrive in—but we can tell you that last year, one rolled along the table in a kids’ toy rollerskate. Sample sip: Forget this year’s cookie exchange; instead go for the liquid form in H’s handcrafted Brick & Butter, a sinful mix of spiced brandy, Copperpenny akvavit custard, and Danish cookie butter cream.
Some of Bacchus’s holiday offerings.
Bacchus Lounge
With décor that can only be described as “sumptuous Christmas”—check out that bough-bedecked fireplace—the cozy Wedgewood Hotel lounge serves up atmosphere to match a full range of holiday cocktails. Sample sip: Say hello to the Snowgroni, a bright spin on the Negroni that features juniper botanicals with wintry-crisp orange and alpine notes.
One of the creations from a D6 masterclass.
D/6 Hidden Lounge at the Parq Hotel
Here’s a way to get hands-on involved in your festive drinks: new masterclasses in the cozy Hidden Bar, tucked behind an unassuming bookcase in D/6, teach you how to perfect holiday-themed cocktails. There’s even a Christmas Cocktail Hour Masterclass, including one on December 25 from 5 to 9 pm, when D6’s mixology team will help you mix, shake, and taste three holiday-inspired concoctions. (The classes, which include a history lesson that journeys through the Golden Age of Cocktails, continue throughout the New Year.) Sample sip: A smart and simple Mistletoe Margarita, turned smooth and snowy white with a hit of coconut milk, and shaken to perfection, with just the right amount of ice, with the help of an expert.
The Havana
Think Christmas in Cuba as this Drive stalwart puts a slightly tropical twist on holiday drinks, whether that means pineapple, Latin American rum, or coconut. Sample sip: De La Abuela finds the bartender paying tribute to abuela's homemade holiday goodies, mixing raisin-and-cinnamon-infused, 12-year Flor de Caña with Coco Lopez, coconut milk, baking spices, and vegan clarified. 
Related Articles
