Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/810732
JANIS NICOLAY (MAIN STREET BREWING), BEN ASTON/FLICKR (COMMODORE), KK LAW (JUNIPER), SCOTT LITTLE (CHAMBAR) 32 W H AT T O E AT, D R I N K , TA S T E V ancouver's many dens give you great reasons to drink up, especially with its top-notch bartenders shaking and stirring up artfully craed cocktails. Here are five places to keep the party going from morning to night. On the town Listen to live music, wriggle your way out of an escape room or sip craft beer and cocktails like a local during a night out in Vancouver HOP ON BOARD: Vancouver Brewery Tours offers a rotating schedule of three-hour brewery tours across Metro Vancouver. 1 RISE AND SHINE Lineups at Café Medina aren't just for the Belgian waffles, but for brunch- time wake-up cups like the Samanyolu, a hybrid of gin, fresh strawberries and house breakfast tea syrup. 2 LIQUID LUNCH Feeling peckish? Chambar's The Blue Fig pairs a martini of house-made-fig- infused gin with a side of blue cheese. 3 AFTERNOON DELIGHT The Fairmont Pacific Rim's Lobby Lounge is where ladies who lunch meet high flyers of finance. If budget allows, a $490 Royal Sazerac celebrates the marriage of Louis XIII Cognac, salted absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters and lemon oil. 4 HIGH FIVE (O'CLOCK) Sabrine Dhaliwal holds court at Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar, stirring up whistle-wetters like Peater Rabbit, a mix of Famous Grouse blended scotch, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, red vermouth, boreal cordial and Cascade Celery Bitters from local brand Bittered Sling. 5 NIGHTCAP True to its name, Juniper boasts a gin-forward bar with a rotating list of local distilleries and aromatics. Try the Catalan, a G&T made with B.C. gin, Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic water, grapefruit and a giant sprig of fresh thyme. COCKTAIL HOURS ROOMS WITH BREWS Vancouver's craft breweries are clustered around the city, with Main St. and its surrounding avenues as one of the go-to areas. The 19th- century Brewery Creek 'hood that disappeared in the 1920s has a new generation of craft beer tasting rooms. The Steel Toad Brewing Company off Main St. in Olympic Main Street Brewing Co. Village serves pints of its Oatmeal Stout in a restored industrial building. Farther west is Big Rock Urban Brewery & Eatery, which has signature beers such as its Citradelic Single Hop IPA. Deeper into Mount Pleasant is the hipster-approved Main Street Brewing Co., which pours a proper British Westminster Brown. MUSIC AND MYSTERY Live music venues draw diverse crowds to their compact environs while the new escape room craze tests players' puzzle-solving prowess. Downtown: Opened in 1929, the Commodore Ballroom is still the place to take in concerts by locals like Matthew Good and international artists such as Sting. The Roxy has also long been at the heart of Vancouver's entertainment district, with its house band covering classic songs and new hits. For adventurous entertainment outside, collect clues on downtown streets as you solve a mystery with Vancouver Mysteries. Gastown: At Guilt & Co., a cozy basement bar, get up close to musical acts at pay-what-you-can prices. Nearby, five themed escape rooms challenge players at SmartyPantz, including Doomed Submarine 2.0. Kitsilano: Jazz fans can sip champagne or scotch while listening to live acts like Bruno Hubert Trio perform at the new Blue Martini Jazz Cafe on Yew St. Catalan