Botanist brings Canada's top cocktail bars for summer pop-ups
Three-week series at the Fairmont Pacific Rim features acclaimed bars from Calgary, Montréal, and Toronto with nightly 5–8 p.m. service.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Botanist, the Forbes Five-Star cocktail bar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, is hosting a three-week takeover series featuring some of Canada's top cocktail talent.
The Sips Across Canada series will showcase six acclaimed bars across three Monday evenings, each 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with no reservations required — first come, first served.
June 15 kicks off with Calgary's Shelter Cocktail Bar (ranked No. 20 on Canada's 100 Best Bars; No. 98 on North America's 50 Best Bars) and Business & Pleasure (No. 21 on Canada's list). Shelter, known for seasonally rotating cocktails and active aroma compounds, will feature bartender Ryan San Diego. Business & Pleasure, a low-lit hideaway in Calgary's Inglewood neighbourhood behind a coffee shop, brings Kaitlyn Alonday and a menu built on daring drinks and playful food.
June 22 shifts to Montréal with Cloakroom (No. 1 on Canada's 100 Best Bars; No. 56 on North America's 50 Best Bars) — a 25-seat haven in the Golden Square Mile featuring Andrew Whibley — and Bar Numéro (No. 17 on Canada's list), a modern bar in Petite-Italie balancing creativity and classicism, with Alex Quinton behind the stick.
July 6 closes the series with Toronto's Civil Liberties (No. 4 on Canada's list), a speakeasy known for stellar hospitality and custom service led by Kyle Wilkinson, and Suite 115 (No. 13 on Canada's list; No. 74 on North America's), a downtown cocktail bar focusing on craft drinks and small dishes in an inclusive speakeasy setting, with Oliver Leung.
Each evening draws together bartenders and approaches from across the country in one room. It's a rare chance to taste how Canada's best bars think about the craft.