The Alchemist Magazine BC | B.C. Distilleries

Great World Bars We Love: Handshake Speakeasy

September 12, 2025 No Comments

Vibrant flavours sing in the Mexi-Thai. Viranlly Liemena photo

Behind an unassuming black door marked “13” in Colonia Juarez, Mexico City, lies the best bar in the world: Handshake Speakeasy. Since opening in 2019, the bar has evolved from its original Polanco roots into a world-class destination, complete with a newly expanded basement space that complements its upstairs Art Deco-inspired lounge. They also swiped the title of No. 1 on the lists of World’s 50 Best Bars and North America’s 50 Best Bars (twice now), amid numerous other prestigious global awards.

Have Glass Will Travel

Where to drink in Tofino right now

September 5, 2025 No Comments

Tofino’s cocktail scene might be small, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking.

The Wickaninnish Inn’s On The Rocks Bar features classic cocktails done right, paired with stunning views of Chesterman Beach. Jeremy Koreski photo

This beloved Vancouver Island surfing town is known for its food, and for good reason: dining here is fresh, inventive, and fun. The drinks at these establishments, however, are equally worthy of praise. Here are five places in Tofino to grab an expertly-crafted cocktail.

Tasting Panel

Canada in a glass

August 29, 2025 No Comments

Bye-bye bourbon. It’s Canadian whisky’s time to shine in these modern cocktails

Cocktails such as Lost Highway (above), created by Griffin Cox, bar manager at Bernie’s Supper Club & Cinema in Kelowna, use Canadian whisky in place American bourbon. Photo courtesy of Bernie’s Supper Club

For decades, Canadian whisky has played the quiet backbone in everything from Manhattans to whisky sours. But now, a new wave of bartenders is reclaiming it—not just as a versatile base spirit, but as a way to express local terroir, seasonality and storytelling in the glass. Whether it’s smoky and coastal, floral and bright, or tropical and spiced, Canadian whisky is proving that it can do more than blend in: It can take the lead.

We sat down with seven bartenders from across Canada to find out which whiskies they’re reaching for and the signature cocktails they’re crafting to showcase them.

Recipes

The Belly of the Beast

August 28, 2025 No Comments

Recipe by Tristin Vissers, bartender at Toronto’s Library Bar.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 oz Appleton Estate 12 Year old rum

0.75 oz Brown Butter Fat-Washed Bearface Triple Oak whisky (see note)

0.75 oz Metaxa 5 Star brandy

0.75 oz grapefruit juice

0.75 oz sea buckthorn juice

0.75 oz Toasted Pecan & Mace Orgeat (see recipe below)

1 dash Angostura bitters

Garnish: cedar sprig, cinnamon sticks, bitters

Recipes

Rat Boy

August 27, 2025 No Comments

Recipe by Kat Saulnier, bartender at Toronto’s Bar Mordecai.

INGREDIENTS:

0.75 oz Lot 40 Rye Whisky

0.75 oz Tio Pepe fino sherry

0.5 oz Strega liqueur

0.75 oz Salted Oat Orgeat (see note)

0.5 oz fresh lemon juice

1 dash Angostura bitters

Garnish: star anise pod

Recipes

High Fives All Around

August 26, 2025 No Comments

Hight Fives All Around. Photo courtesy of Salt & Brick

Recipe by Bradley Horseman, bar manager, Salt & Brick in Calgary.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 oz Forty Creek Copper Bold

0.5 oz Punt e Mes vermouth

0.25 oz maraschino liqueur

0.5 oz Chinese Five Spice Agave Syrup (see recipe)

1 oz pineapple juice

0.75 oz fresh lemon juice

Recipes

Lost Highway

August 8, 2025 No Comments

This thoughtful spin on a whisky smash uses flavour mapping to showcase the whisky’s range. Recipe by Griffin Cox, bar manager at Bernie’s Supper Club & Cinema in Kelowna.

Recipes

Pollination

August 1, 2025 No Comments

Bearface’s distinct character serves as the perfect foundation for a cocktail that connects flavour, place and story in Lacey Roberts’s (Published on Main) Bianco Manhattan, which is poured tableside from a beeswax-coated vessel, the wax sourced directly from the Queen Elizabeth Park apiary.

Toronto Cocktail Festival

Tickets are on sale now for Toronto Cocktail Festival

August 1, 2025 No Comments

The first annual festival runs from October 22 to 26 with a full slate of events, including the unmissable Gala of Cocktails

Tickets are now on sale for the first annual Toronto Cocktail Festival presented by The Alchemist magazine. Save your seat for the best seminars, most delicious cocktail-paired dinners and unmissable signature events like the Gala of Cocktails and the Closing Cocktail-Paired Brunch.

“We are proud to support and promote Toronto’s incredible cocktail community and culture. The success of Toronto Cocktail Festival is made possible through the collaboration of everyone in the industry including bartenders, venues, brands, consumers, and the supporting media,” says Gail Nugent, publisher of The Alchemist magazine and event producer for TCF.

Recipes

Devil

July 31, 2025 No Comments

Recipe by Ryan Buchanan, bar manager at Arcana Spirits Lounge, Vancouver. Note that he uses lime ash to create black bitters to draw the pentagram on the drink, but recommends that home bartender use Angostura instead.