6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Condé Nast Traveler
Botanist — Bar Review
Botanist Bar—part of Vancouver's luxe Fairmont Pacific Rim's Botanist restaurant—serves an array of cocktails, from tried-and-true classics to housemade inventions. But the crown jewel of this airy, neutral-toned, light-filled downtown space is its Experiential Cocktail list, which encompasses only four drinks—each one inspired by a different state of water. Ordering an Experiential Cocktail actually starts with a palate cleanser, such as a glass of Oddbird dealcoholized sparkling wine and a bite-sized negroni jelly (made from, of course, an actual negroni). From there, the real show begins. The Raincouver, for instance, is made with vodka, pine aperitif wine, Perrier sparkling water, vegan foam, and fennel pollen, and is served with an edible 'rain' cloud (made from green tea and cherry blossom) hanging above it. The cloud slowly drips into the drink, subtly changing it as time goes on. For even greater enhancement, each Experiential Cocktail is also paired with a small nibble of food from the Botanist kitchen. For the Raincouver, it's a crispy, boneless chicken wing topped with salmon roe—familiar yet surprising, with a burst of umami that plays perfectly against the drink's sweet and sour notes.
