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Vancouver’s Best Spring Cocktails For Kicking Back & Welcoming The Sunshine

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by Talia Kleinplatz | With the cherry blossoms in bloom and flowers starting to show, Spring has pretty much sprung in Vancouver. And with the change in seasons comes an incredible new selection of light, fruity, spring-inspired cocktails to choose from. Here are five of my current favourites for your ranking consideration…

Arancia | Juniper | 185 Keefer St. | CHINATOWN | www.junipervancouver.com
It was no doubt that with Shaun Layton at the helm of Juniper’s bar program, the cocktails would knock it out of the park. That being said, the Gin and Tonic selection still surpassed expectations. Start with the Arancia – gin, blood orange, rosemary and tonic (pictured above).

El Ritmo | The Diamond | 6 Powell St. | GASTOWN | www.di6mond.com
Diamond barman Giancarlo Jesus is heading to The Bacardi Legacy Global Finals in San Francisco this April with his take on a classic Pina Colada. The addition of Cynar cuts the sweetness of this tropical cocktail and creates a lovely riff on one of my favourite warm weather libations.

Whiskey Smash | L’Abattoir | 217 Carrall St. | GASTOWN | www.labattoir.ca
With the addition of lemon, L’Abattoir’s Whiskey Smash is deliciously reminiscent of a classic Mint Julep with a refreshing touch of citrus. Pull your Derby hats out of storage and sip on one of these to prepare for all of your favourite spring time, racetrack festivities.

Harty Paloma | Bao Bei | 163 Keefer St. | CHINATOWN | www.bao-bei.ca
The Paloma may very well be one of my favourite lazy sunny afternoon cocktails. Its perfect marriage of tequila, grapefruit and lime is hard top but Bao Bei may have found a way. Their addition of Mezcal adds a lovely smokiness to an otherwise refreshing cocktail.

Cosmopolitan Slushee | Supermarine | 1685 Yew St. | KITSILANO | www.supermarine.ca
Nothing says spring time like a corner store slushee. Now our slushee is all grown up and Supermarine is helping us get our nostalgic fix. Currently tapped is the Cosmopolitan, but don’t wait too long to get your hands on one as the flavours rotate throughout the year.

Which would you drink first?

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