The Alchemist Magazine BC | B.C. Distilleries

Storied drinks

December 12, 2025 No Comments

Narrative-driven cocktail menus don’t just list drinks, they tell a story of place

At Vancouver’s Prophecy Bar, the menu includes cocktails like the Souvenir, which comes with a personal story that has universal relevance. Maggie Lam photo

This summer at Cry Baby Gallery, a cocktail bar hidden behind a small art gallery in Toronto’s Little Portugal, the menu took a new direction—from minimalism to maximalism.

Once a sparse and straightforward list with a dozen cocktails, the menu at Cry Baby is now a 22-page nostalgia trip rooted in analog-era Toronto. It borrows its format from the Yellow Pages, an artifact that is described on the menu as sort of a pre-digital influencer. Each drink is tied to a fictional business of days gone by—psychics, martial arts studios, modelling agencies and others—to build out an imagined community and history.

News

Alchemy in a Bottle: Copperpenny Distilling Co. Sweeps Global Gin Awards

December 9, 2025 No Comments

The North Vancouver craft distillery earned three prestigious medals for its rare Lost Horizon Rare Tea Gin and the soon-to-be-released Ember BC Pine Smoked Gin at a blind tasting competition in London.

Photo courtesy of Copperpenny Distilling

North Vancouver’s vibrant craft spirits scene just received a major gold infusion. Copperpenny Distilling Co. has achieved a remarkable feat by winning an unprecedented triple gold at The Spirits Business Global Gin Masters 2025 in London, England. This prestigious blind-tasting competition, viewed as one of the world’s most highly regarded, recognized the distillery’s deep commitment to innovative, world-class spirits.

At the bar

Spirits, spice and everything nice

December 8, 2025 No Comments

At the Indian-French fusion Peya, Chris Enns mixes up an irresistible cocktail

At Peya, influences from France and India flavour both the food and cocktails like this Curry Gibson, garnished with a masala-inflused pearl onion. Roxanne Mailloux photo

On an unassuming corner of East Hastings Street near Victoria Drive sits one of Vancouver’s most exciting and underrated cocktail lists.

It’s here, at the Indian-French restaurant Peya, that award-winning bartender Chris Enns works his singular magic. Peya, which debuted in the base of a brand-new East Vancouver housing development, has been quietly and humbly serving the neighbourhood since it first opened its doors in March. But Vancouverites from other neighbourhoods should take note: This cocktail menu is worth a pilgrimage.

The Alchemist

12 Drinks of Christmas

December 5, 2025 No Comments

Sip and celebrate your way through these seasonal and pop-up drinks events in Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler and Toronto.

The Miracle holiday bar pop-ups support Nellie’s, a non-profit that brings warmth to women and children in need. Aldo Percatore-Tardioli photo

Bar Bites

Whisky from the West

December 2, 2025 No Comments

It’s great to see those interprovincial trade barriers being chipped away, especially when that means we get to enjoy delicious things from across the country. Case in point: two exceptional whiskies from Western Canada that are entering the Ontario market.

Photo courtesy of Shelter Point Distillery

Vancouver Cocktail Week

Tickets are on sale now for Vancouver Cocktail Week 2026!

December 1, 2025 No Comments

The city’s best party returns March 1 to 8 with all your favourite events and brand-new ones, including the unmissable Gala of Cocktails.

Tickets are on sale now for Vancouver Cocktail Week’s Signature Events, including the Gala of Cocktails. Living Room Creative photo

The most spirited week of the year is back! Get ready to raise a glass because Vancouver Cocktail Week presented by The Alchemist is returning March 1-8, 2026 with a spectacular line-up of events, and tickets for the highly-anticipated Signature Events are officially on sale now!

The Alchemist

How to pair tequila with food, according to a tequila sommelier

November 28, 2025 No Comments

Audrey Formisano is the tequila sommelier at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa teaches guests how to pair tequila with a variety of cuisines. Photo courtesy of Marriott Puerto Vallarta

While tequila’s most iconic sidekicks might be a lick of salt and a slurp of lime, those are far from the only flavour pairings that work for the iconic Mexican agave spirit. Tequila makes a surprisingly great sipper and pairing alongside a variety of foods—not just Mexican cuisine.

13 gift ideas for the spirit lovers on your list

November 24, 2025 No Comments

These spirited gifts will warm hearts and glasses all season long

Vancouver Cocktail Week

Vancouver Cocktail Week returns March 1 to 8, 2026

November 21, 2025 No Comments

Tickets go on sale December 1 for the March event

Passion Project featuring Ketel One Vodka at the 2025 Black and White Gala | @livingroom_creative photo

Start planning now for Vancouver Cocktail Week presented by The Alchemist magazine, a celebration of the city’s immense and internationally award-winning cocktail talent. In March 2026, VCW celebrates its fifth anniversary with all the fabulous, cocktail-focused events Vancouver has grown to love—and some exciting brand-new ones, too.

Bar Bites

A really likeable read

November 17, 2025 No Comments

We can’t wait to read 2017 World Class champion Kaitlyn Stewart’s new book, Three Cheers: Cocktails Three Ways: Classics, Riffs, and Zero-Proof Sips (Penguin). Stewart, the Vancouver bartender also known as Likeable Cocktails, takes 55 classics and offers a modern version and a non-alcoholic one for each, for an impressive total of 165 recipes for every mood—and everybody.