21 fantastic fall cocktails you'll find in Vancouver right now

Dec 20 2017, 1:53 am

With a change in seasons comes a change in ingredients, dishes, and sweet treats at restaurants, cafés, and bakeries everywhere. Also shaking things up as summer has given way to fall are cocktail menus around Vancouver.

While some new drinks being poured these days are all about warming imbibers up from the inside out, others are holding on to the last precious drops of sweet summer sun. Whatever your taste, keep an eye out for these new fall cocktails at some of the city’s favourite bars and restaurants.

L’Abattoir

The Cousteau (Courtesy L'Abattoir)

The Cousteau (Courtesy L’Abattoir)

It doesn’t have to be a dark and stormy night to enjoy one of L’Abattoir‘s fall drinks–though in Vancouver it just might be, anyhow. The Cousteau: This broody cocktail pairs Cognac with a rich Cocchi Torino vermouth, local Apothecary Smokey Pear Bitters, and Ramazzotti Amaro.

Glowbal

Drink your veggies, courtesy Glowbal and their Beets & Walnuts Cocktail. It’s Makers Mark meets beet syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and walnut bitters for an inventive take on autumn in a glass.

Odd Society Spirits

Odd Society's Mongrel and the Alpha Dog cocktail (Photo courtesy Odd Society Spirits)

Odd Society’s Mongrel and the Alpha Dog cocktail (Photo courtesy Odd Society Spirits)

Odd Society Spirits recently released Mongrel, an unaged spirit made from rye perfect for fall. Bartender Kylie Bartlett came up with the Alpha Dog cocktail to showcase this spirit: Muddled sour cherries meet Mongrel, lemon juice, egg white, Lapsang Souchong tea, and cacao bitters.

Supermarine

Photo courtesy Supermarine

Photo courtesy Supermarine

Fall? Sweet! Check out Supermarine‘s The Sweetapple: This slushee-style drink is made with vodka, apple, peach, cinnamon, lemon, and aromatic bitters.

Pidgin

Pidgin_Gardener's_75

Gardener’s 75 (Jess Fleming / Vancity Buzz)

Pidgin is making a Gardener’s 75, with gin, apple, and cocchi. Garnished with sliced green apple, this attractive and aromatic libation is smooth and easy to drink.   

Wildebeest

Photo courtesy Wildebeest

Photo courtesy Wildebeest

Warm up at Wildebeest with this bold meld of cocoa-infused scotch, Punt e Mes, cherries, and lemon called Guts & Grit. That should get you growling!

Bambudda

Gastown’s Bambudda is certainly on the cutting edge of cocktail culture in Vancouver (they helped develop a botanical egg white sub for use in drinks like their tasty Pisco Sour), and bartenders Tarquin Melnyk and Dylan Williams have got two must-try drinks this fall. Their Trinidad Shandy is a brilliant beer cocktail that plays on the spices and vibrancy of the Caribbean, with Angostura 7-year old, lime juice, housemade Mauby Syrup, Carib Lager beer, Angostura bitters, and a cinnamon stick (the real deal!) garnish.

Pome of Aprhrodite (Photo courtesy Bambudda)

Pome of Aprhrodite (Photo courtesy Bambudda)

Their Pome of Aphrodite melds Pisco, Rosolio Ratafia (VanDusen Roses, Kirsch, Coriander, Cinnamon, Sundew), B.C. Sour Apple blend (Ambrosia, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith & Red Delicious), citric acid, Quince & Chinese Fragrant Pear Marmalade, Ms Better Bitters Orange Tree, and a splash of Cava to create a unique “harvest aromatic exploration” of floral, citrus, and sparkle that elevate the traditional autumnal apple flavours.

Homer St. Café & Bar

Settle in for some sips at this cozy corner café and try the The Broadside. It’s got Dark Horse whisky, plum liqueur, orancio, and suius cherry bitters. And, psst: If you’re at the Homer St. Café & Bar you should probably just settle in and order their roast chicken, too.

Sai Woo

Shanghai Alley (Photo courtesy Sai Woo)

Shanghai Alley (Photo courtesy Sai Woo)

Sai Woo‘s Bar Manger David Truscott has come up with a pair of fresh cocktails to usher in fall. The Sai Woo Sour combines Bombay East gin, Benedictine, lemon juice, ginger syrup, and an egg white, garnished with Angostura bitters for a bright, spicy fall bev. Their Shanghai Alley is also a ginger, citrus, and gin combo, this time a cocktail built with Bombay Sapphire gin, Dickies ginger beer, lime juice, simple syrup, and bitters.

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro is mixing up two new fall-themed cocktails. The Pursuit of Happiness by Dave Mott features Disarronno, Glenlivet 12 year, Chartuese, lime juice, orange curl and Amarena cherry. And the North By Southwest by Dave Bulters aims to give your autumn a zing, with vodka, spiced lime and maple syrup, Aperol, pineapple juice, and smoked pear bitters.

Bodega on Main

Gato Loco (Photo courtesy Bodega on Main)

Gato Loco (Photo courtesy Bodega on Main)

The recently-opened Bodega on Main has three great cocktails debuting for fall. Their Gato Loco is made with fig infused akvavit, Antica Formula, marmalade, and orange cream bitters, with a snack-worthy garnish of a chocolate-covered and mascarpone-stuffed fig. They’re also making Smoke on the Water (Quarter cask Laphroig, Aperol, lemon juice, gomme, orange and juniper bitters, lemon twist) and La Loba (Makers 46, Averna, Torres Moscatel oro, Lem-Marakech bitters).

Maenam

It’s no surprise that Kitsilano’s Maenam is keeping things fiery for fall. Their Fireside Lime includes pisco brandy, lemongrass, green peppercorn, campfire bitters, coriander and lime, with a Dubonnet wash.

Mamie Taylor’s

All Inclusive at Mamie Taylor's (Photo courtesy Mamie Taylor's)

All Inclusive at Mamie Taylor’s (Photo courtesy Mamie Taylor’s)

Mamie Taylor‘s fun All Inclusive cocktail is aimed at pleasing drinkers dreaming of their winter vacations to warmer climes. It boasts tequila, Dubonnet, Cointreau, lime juice, pineapple juice, orgeat syrup, grenadine and Angustora bitters.

Prohibition

You-Don't-Know-Jack-Prohibition

You Don’t Know Jack (Jess Fleming / Vancity Buzz)

Brad Stanton and Robyn Gray, Prohibition‘s head bartenders, have been busy concocting delicious warming fall-themed drinks that incorporate seasonal ingredients and top quality spirits, like the delightfully savoury You Don’t Know Jack, which is comprised of hazelnut and almond butter washed Jack Daniel’s, egg white, lemon, pumpkin spice syrup, pimento dram, and Angostura bitters. Even the daily house punch is getting the fall treatment.

Pier 7

North Vancouver’s Pier 7 offers a great opportunity to enjoy some libations from the other side of the inlet. Right now they’ve got a Thanksgiving Mojito (Oakenheart spiced rum, pomegranate seeds, mint, lime, and cranberry juice) to toast the season, while their Winter Sangria (Zinfandel, apricot brandy, peach schnapps, sliced orange & apples, and soda) lets guests hold onto the last sips of summer.

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

+ News
ADVERTISEMENT