Cocktail spots to check out in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. Does hearing that word-especially when it’s thrice repeated-spike your blood pressure? Yeah, me too.
With all that jazz going on with our not-so-neighbourly Southern neighbour, many Canadians are aiming to vacation within our incredible country. According to a March 2025 survey, more than half of the respondents (59%) said “they’re less likely to visit the U.S. this year than in 2024”.
Many have already pulled the plug on their holidays. You’ve probably heard on the news how flights to America have plummeted by over 75% compared to last year.
I figured this is a great time to discuss some treasures we have right here in Canada. This blogpost’s due date seemed somehow quicker than usual, so when it smacked me upside the ears, I responded by yanking out an oldie from my Medium files.
Here are two drinking hotspots right in our own country.
Vancouver, B.C. Gem #1
“Find us a cool spot for cocktails,” challenged my partner as he opened his laptop to get some pay-for-the-trip work done.
I’m far from elegant. And I’m not much of a drinker. Yet I knew the Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar was a winner the instant it sashayed onto my phone screen.
And it was exactly what I hoped it would be—a haven where I felt instantly comfortable and posh even in my not-so-fancy duds.
Every day, until lunch bellies stop rumbling, it is a café bar. And then, later in the day, it morphs into a hoity-toity-meets-down-to-earth cocktail bar. Wall panels are opened. The clean lines of shelves magically appear—stuffed-but-organized with enough varieties of booze to keep even Booze Traveler Jack Maxwell grinning.
My partner, a martini aficionado, has recently become a Negroni newbie. Uva did not disappoint.
If like me you’ve never heard of this apertif sweat not. It’s simply three ingredients stirred together—Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth.
“But,” as Justine Sterling explains, “its flavors are devilishly complex and layered with bitter, medicinal notes and zesty hits of grapefruit peel and juniper.”
The story behind the Negroni, according to author Matt Hranek, is that “Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender in Florence to stiffen an Americano by replacing the soda water with gin”.
You can settle into Uva’s wingbacks and try one. Or, like me, go for something completely different. I waffled between the banana-y One Night Stand and the Fireside Night Cap, infused with maple syrup. Ultimately, the Irish Cream Martini won me over.
And I sipped it luxuriously. Just like any short-sporting superstar in central Vancouver would.
Vancouver, B.C. Gem #2
“Think they make chocolate martinis?” my partner asked. Strolling around the West Georgia and Cambie area, we stumbled upon the funky wood-fronted District Bar.
Escaping the now-pelting rain, we yanked open the unassuming glass door and shook out our umbrellas. Hoping the answer was yes, we sunk into scarlet leather chairs beside a fireplace with no fire.
“It feels a little like a Barbie house, right?” joked the server as she placed our drinks on the round table between us. The one that was about the height of Ken’s Beach Cruiser and had just enough room for our cocktails and gluten-free lava cake.
It was one of those perfect places where the servers and bartenders look like plastic-surgery-free people. Smiling and joking, the server shared with us the reason for her sparkle-covered white spikes of hair.
“It makes people happy,” she beamed, “and we all need to be happy. Especially after Covid. But maybe I overdid it a tad bit tonight.”
She didn’t overdo her hair. Or the cake. Or the cost. Perfect, right?
By the way, the crystal clear chocolate martinis aren’t on their menu. But they’re more than worth the ask.
If you ever find yourself wandering the streets of the Lower Mainland, especially when rain’s pelting you into a puddle, don’t hesitate to check out these two hot spots that even a country gal like me fit into.