A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

Bottle Club

1951 souvenir photo from Club 64 (bottle club upstairs at 64 E. Hastings). From the personal collection of Christine Hagemoen

Bottle Club | societal phenomenon, historical | Prior to 1954 all Vancouver cabarets and nightclubs operated as “bottle clubs”. They sold ice and soft drinks while allowing patrons to bring in their own concealed bottles of hard alcohol. The VPD’s “dry squad” would regularly raid clubs looking for contraband liquor, so nightclub owners devised various systems to hide the presence of liquor from the police – from hidden ledges and drawers under tables to the long-standing use of teapots (see Cold Tea). After the liquor laws relaxed, some upscale clubs and hotel lounges were finally granted liquor licenses, but establishments across the Downtown Eastside (including Gastown, Chinatown and Hogan’s Alley) didn’t see a proper license until 1969.

Usage: ‘If you think Vancouver is a ‘No Fun City’ now, you should be glad you weren’t around during the bottle club era!”


The images below are from inside the Logger’s Social Club, the long defunct bottle club and gambling establishment on East Hastings above The Only Seafood restaurant. From the personal collection of Andrew Morrison.

  • 8224624284_034ebafa11_o
  • 8224611518_c55aa383cd_o
  • 8223647033_407fed51b3_o
  • 8223510497_b010bbd205_o
  • 8223500789_4a7a7d1bf4_o
  • 8223513297_1e2ea1314f_o
  • 8223516797_4e813f0436_o
  • 8223497993_a4cd0b76f6_o
  • 8223529359_d3b48df6f3_o
  • 8223539321_65268de2c1_o
  • 8223545117_ef0e1e9f8a_o
  • 8223644495_bf30b7a38c_o
  • 8224568646_005eb90ff9_o
  • 8224578690_f7d318eb6b_o
  • 8224582256_d296cd5fba_o
  • 8224599588_80df606cca_o
  • 8224570802_44fd3fc870_o
  • 8224596304_93041ced64_o

One of the Most Beloved Players to Ever Wear a Canucks Uniform

“I was there when Gino scored a penalty shot goal against Calgary. The way the crowd erupted, you’d think we had just won the Stanley Cup!"

How a Climate Change Event Created a Local 'Cause Célèbre'

"Is Barge Chilling Beach a good first date or nah?"

How Generations of Underaged Partiers Have Avoided Cops and Cover Charges in BC

"On our way up to Jones Lake on Sunday we had to wait for a slow convoy of hungover bush party survivors to pass..."

How Vancouverites Know a Targeted Hit on a Gangster Has Just Gone Down

"Like sunshine after rain and dawn after dark, a report of a burning vehicle usually means a gangster has just been shot at."