11/30/2011 - Alchemists of the Cocktail - Vancouver Cocktail Bars On World Stage - Part II
Part II of our look at the best Vancouver mixologists and cocktail bars on the world stage. Go to the end of the article to see the six bartenders and establishments featured in Part I.Trevor Kallies - The Granville Room - Downtown
When he's not working as Bar and Beverage Director of the Donnelly Group of establishments in Vancouver, Trevor Kallies can be found mixing it up at cocktail competitions and bartending events around the world. In 2011 he acted as a local cocktail apprentice in the Tales of the Cocktail on Tour, which originated in New Orleans and chose Vancouver to be its first international tour stop. Kallies is a Director of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association, which strives to promote and maintain standards in the industry. You can find Kallies concocting at the Granville Room in the core of the Granville Street entertainment district. Follow him on Twitter at @tkallies.
Jay Browns - Callabash Bistro - Gastown
Another mixologist and bartender quickly earning his spot
among the best in the craft is Jay Browns of Callabash Bistro, a Gastown mecca
of urban art, music, fine rum and cocktails and Caribbean food that has earned
rave reviews from local critics. Browns was declared the winner of the 2011
CPBA Cocktail Challenge for his creation using Flor de Canada Rum - which earned
him a trip to the home of Flor de Cana and a tour of its distillery in
Nicaragua.
David Wolowidnyk - West Restaurant - South Granville
A long-established fine dining restaurant in the
South Granville neighbourhood, West is also the place to go for precision
cocktails thanks to David Wolowidnyk. Winner
of the 2007 Best Mixologist in Canada at the Grey Goose 'National Arbiter of
Cool' Competition, 2008 Vancouver Magazine Bartender of the Year and 2010 Bar
Chef Champion at the National Bar Chef Ketel One Competition, Wolowidnyk is
known for his attention not only to detail, but to exceptional service and the
enjoyment of his guests. He is also a Director and Treasurer of the CPBA. Follow him on Twitter at @drinkfixer.
Josh Pape - The Diamond - Gastown
Pape trained and worked with world renowned cocktail venues in Australia and New Zealand before returning to Vancouver and winning both the Maker's Mark cocktail competition and competing in the Gifford's Cocktail competition in France. Vancouver Magazine awarded him its first Bartender of the Year Award in 2006 and he earned the same distinction from the industry in 2009. Josh applied his gift to The Diamond, which is an intimate upstairs cocktail lounge, restaurant (and mixology school) in Gastown.
Jacob Sweetapple - Chambar - Downtown
Jacob Sweetapple honed his trade at some of the best cocktail bars in his native Australia and in New Zealand before coming to Canada. A graduate of internationally renowned bartending school Alex Beaumont in Sydney, Australia, and with a resume that includes being a brand ambassador for Absolut and a mixologist at the exclusive Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, in the fall of 2011 Sweetapple joined Belgian restaurant Chambar as its lead bartender. His signature 'Roaming Buffalo Punch' is the official cocktail of Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver 2012.
David Bain - UVA Wine Bar - Downtown
David Bain is a native Vancouverite and Bar Manager for the award-winning UVA Wine Bar and CIBO Trattoria. He has served at some of the leading fine dining restaurants in Vancouver as well as top bars in Melbourne and Perth, Australia. Bains has earned certification at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and is considered a favourite among peers and patrons.
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