The Alchemist Magazine BC | B.C. Distilleries

The Vancouver Cocktail Week events that savvy insiders don’t ignore

February 13, 2026 No Comments

Presenting the High-Value Edit: World-class VCW events for under $100

We’ve created the High-Value Edit: a shortlist of world-class Vancouver Cocktail Week events under $50 and under $100. Living Room Creative photo

Want to “do” Vancouver Cocktail Week properly? The secret isn’t a bigger budget—it’s a better map.

The full 2026 calendar is officially live, and while the galas and cocktail-paired dinners are spectacular, there is magic to be found in the masterclasses, parties and neighbourhood crawls that don’t break the bank. We’ve curated the High-Value Edit: a shortlist of world-class VCW events that prove you can stretch your festival dollar without lowering your standards.

Recipes, Tasting Panel

Vesperado

February 6, 2026 No Comments

Recipe by Chey Haima of El Gato Gab Gab and Reflections, Vancouver.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 oz Brij3 Espadin Mezcal

0.5 oz Nakano Shuzo Co’s Citrus Mix Sake

0.75 oz Lillet Blanc

2 tsp Noilly Extra Dry Vermouth

Garnish: Lemon twist

Recipes, Tasting Panel

M&M&M

February 5, 2026 No Comments

Recipe by Taylor Kare of H Tasting Lounge, Vancouver.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 oz Derrumbes San Lois Potosi infused with corn tortilla (see note below)

1.5 oz Amaro Montenegro infused with charred poblanos (see note below)

Vancouver Cocktail Week

Brunch, but better: 3 reasons to join us for the VCW Cocktail-Paired Brunch

January 27, 2026 No Comments

A scene from the 2022 brunch, called The Garden Club: A Botany of Brunch. Jana Bizzarri photo

Before Vancouver Cocktail Week became the city-wide celebration of sips, spirits, and evenings it is today, it all started much earlier in the day—with a very good idea and an even better drink.

Let’s rewind to January 2020. The original Punch Brunch wasn’t just another brunch—it was the moment Vancouver Cocktail Week came to life. A bold, daytime experiment that signaled something important: this city was ready to treat cocktails with the same creativity, care, and cultural weight as food.

Recipes, Tasting Panel

Mezcal Sour with Mango & Parsnip

January 23, 2026 No Comments

Recipe created by Andrew Kong of Bar Supernova, Vancouver.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.25 oz Solmano Mezcal Espadín (either regular or mango)

• 0.75 oz Meletti Amaro (Montenegro is a good alternative)

• 1 oz Acidified Parsnip (see recipe below)

• 15 ml (0.5oz) Mango Coconut Syrup (see recipe below)

Recipes, Tasting Panel

Blanco Mezcal Negroni

January 22, 2026 No Comments

Recipe by Chris Enns of Peya, Vancouver.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Solmano Mezcal Espadín con Mango

• 1 oz Martini Bianco

• 1 oz Suze (or, for a local option, try Woods Amaro Chario or Victoria Distillers Bitter Bianca)

• Garnish: Grapefruit twist

News

Canada’s winningest whiskies

January 16, 2026 No Comments

J.P. Wiser’s 24 Year Old takes top prize at the 16^th annual Canadian Whisky Awards

Photo courtesy of Canadian Whisky Awards

Davin de Kergommeaux founded the Canadian Whisky Awards in 2010 to boost the awareness and quality of our homegrown spirit, announcing the winners each January during the annual Victoria Whisky Festival.

Sixteen years later, as he prepares to hand the awards over to a new generation of whisky lovers, he describes the state of Canadian whisky as “diverse and robust,” and says: “Canadian distillers are doing stuff that was unheard of even 16 years ago. What we have is something really exciting and really Canadian.”

Features

Peat & pot stills

January 16, 2026 No Comments

Think you know Irish whiskey? Diverse styles and new distilleries are defying the stereotypes

Cork’s Shelbourne Bar is a must for whiskey lovers,
with a menu that offers more than 500 options, all from Ireland. Photos courtesy of Shelbourne Bar

Ireland’s southern “second city” of Cork has many things going for it, including an easy walkability, a perhaps surprisingly impressive culinary scene and more than a brewery or two of note. For anyone with an interest in Irish whiskey, however, without question its top attraction is the Shelbourne Bar.

Features

Dirty sodas, clean profits

January 9, 2026 No Comments

Life is sweet these days for a Kelowna-based syrup maker

At the Simps Modern Beverage shop in Kelowna, customers can find more than 70 syrups and other products—and they can craft their own dirty sodas just for fun, too. Photo courtesy of Simps Modern Beverage

The day I stop by Simps Modern Beverage, located in an industrial part of Kelowna, everything is in cheerful chaos. Customers mill around the tiny shop, which is in the process of a makeover; behind the scenes, a small team is furiously packing boxes, answering calls, taking deliveries and sending even more of them out the door, everyone apparently doing at least three things at once.

Recipes