Latest news with #bars
CTV News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Early morning alcohol service returns to Calgary for 2025 Stampede
People will once again be able to drink booze with their breakfast during the 2025 Calgary Stampede. Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) said on Tuesday that Calgary bars, lounges, taprooms and restaurants have the option of starting liquor service at 8 a.m. during the event, which runs from July 4 to 13. The blanket approval also allows liquor licensees along the parade route to start serving booze at 7 a.m. on the day of the Stampede Parade: Friday, July 4. In addition, private Stampede events can apply for individual approval from the AGLC to start serving drinks at 6:30 a.m. Closing hours for liquor service are not changing and all other rules guiding the service remain in effect. The AGLC occasionally grants early service hours for major international sporting events or major community events. The organization has given permission for extended liquor hours for the Calgary Stampede since 2014.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Booze With A View: California's Ultimate Roof Bars
Spire 73 occupies an outdoor terrace on the 73rd floor of the Wilshire Grand Center (right), tallest ... More building on the U.S. West Coast. (Photo by David McNew) San Francisco set new expectations for high-rise bars when the Top of the Mark opened in 1939 inside what had previously been the 19th-floor penthouse at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Since then, the Golden State has literally raised the bar higher and higher with skyscraper summits and outdoor cantinas with increasingly awesome city, bay, ocean, and mountain views. Here are five of the best: As you might have guessed by the name, this lofty lounge overlooks the City of the Angeles on the 73rd floor of the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel — the tallest open-air bar in the western hemisphere. The view looks south towards Long Beach and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. And on clear days, you can see Catalina Island floating off the coast. Craft cocktails like the Cloud Nine, Eclipse Martini and Sundown Spritz channel the sky-high ambience, while the food menu offers a range of trans-Pacific shareables, appetizers and entrees. The bar's Sunset Sips happy hour showcases a different premium spirit each week to the sounds of a live DJ spinning tunes high above Hollywood. Vintage view from the legendary Top O' The Mark bar in San Francisco looking east toward Berkeley ... More and Oakland, with the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge on the right. (Photo by PhotoQuest) Despite a plethora of skyscrapers, many of San Francisco's rooftop bars are decidedly low rise. But not the Starlite, perched on the 21st floor of the Beacon Grand Hotel near Union Square. Originally opened in 1928 as the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, the property had a multi-million-dollar makeover in 2024 to resurrect its Roaring Twenties glory days, a restoration that includes the Starlite. The cocktails were created by esteemed local mixologist Scott Baird while the short but spectacular bites menu was conceived by Michelin-star chef Johnny Spero of the renowned Reverie restaurant in Washington DC. Besides the vinyl-spinning house DJ, the Starlite also offers occasional 'Sunday's A Drag' afternoon pride parties hosted by local drag queen legends. There's also the possibility of sipping at two renowned rooftop bars in the same evening by hopping the cable car that runs past the front of the Beacon Grand and up Nob Hill to the Top of the Mark. Super yachts and aircraft carriers are among the many watercraft that patrons might spot from the ... More Odysea bar overlooking San Diego Bay. (Photo by Kevin Carter) Odysea rides an outdoor deck at the Hilton Bayfront that overlooks San Diego Bay with views across the water to Coronado, aircraft carriers docked at North Island, and the famous blue bridge. There's also in indoor portion, an oval bar reminiscent of the cozy drinking holes sometimes found on cruise ships. Barrel-aged cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan are the house specialties, while bites like the Baja ceviche and chicharrónes reflect San Diego's proximity to Mexico. The regular Odysea Bar is open year-round, but a new Aperol suffused summer pop-bar bar called The Overlook that disappears after sundown on September 1st. The Heavenly Scenic Gondola offers incredible views of "Big Blue" as it rises from South Lake Tahoe ... More to Cafe Blue. (Photo by George Rose) It's not a roof bar per se. But Café Blue does sit on the roof of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Heavenly Ski Resort. Getting there is half the fun, a scenic gondola ride that starts in South Lake Tahoe and gradually rises to Halfway Point Station at 9,123 feet above sea level. The drink selection is limited — craft beers, Northern California wines, hard seltzers, and canned cocktails. But the view seems limitless, a panorama of 'Big Blue' and the surrounding Sierras from tables on the open-air terrace. Open year round 10 am to 2 pm. The Kimpton Rowan hotel is reflected in the rooftop swimming pool beside the High Bar. (Photo by ... More George Rose) Topping the six-story Kimpton Rowan hotel in downtown Palm Springs, the High Bar is especially cool at dusk as the sun dips behind the San Jacinto Mountains and the surrounding desert takes on a golden glow. Given the triple digit temperatures in summer, frozen cocktails are the way to go — the Teremana Margarita, Beachcomber's Daquiri or classic Piña Colada. Which you might want to share with sorbet or gelato. The rooftop swimming pool is open to guests or non-guests who hire a cabana for the day or evening, a deal that includes $200 or $150 for the rental and a $200 food and drink minimum for as many as six guests.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
15 new Hong Kong restaurants and bars to try in June 2025 for pasta, ramen, tacos and more
With so many of us planning, or about to take, a trip out of Hong Kong before the summer sun really turns up the heat, June is a great time to catch up with friends and family before everybody scatters. Looking for somewhere special for a decadent meal, a happy hour catch-up or a coffee and snack? These newly opened bars and restaurants may take your fancy. 1. Yorucho and Madara A modern izakaya has opened in Causeway Bay's Tang Lung Street, founded by two chefs who have worked in kitchens with modern flair – think Liberty Exchange, Silencio and Fukuro. Crispy nori tacos at Yorucho. Photo: Yorucho Expect dishes such as crispy nori tacos topped with red prawn head oil and prawn salt, and pickled plum-marinated tomatoes with yuzu ricotta. Attached to Yorucho's dining room is a secret bar, Madara, slated to open by late June. At the helm of the bar is Rayven Leung, previously of Takumi Mixology Salon , who is known for crafting Japanese-style cocktails with floral and fruity notes. 16/F, Circle Tower, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay Goose Island Taproom has opened in Central. Photo: Goose Island Taproom 2. Goose Island Taproom Chicago brewery Goose Island Taproom has opened a branch in Central. Among its line-up of beers is its signature and award-winning Goose IPA, as well as the Thirsty Goose, which took home the 2024 World Beer Awards China Gold in the Lager/Hoppy Pilsner category.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why the Ice in Your Cocktails Matters, Whether Shaken or Stirred
I recently started a new bartending job, and during the hiring interview, the owner asked me what the first thing I look for is when I sit down at a bar. My initial thoughts centered on cleanliness and organization, the types of garnishes and syrups they offer, the equipment they use, and their glassware. But while those are all right answers and important ones, I realized that what I look at first is ice. There's ice at every bar in the world. It is, inarguably, essential. However, when it comes to decent cocktails, and I would argue even something as basic as a Scotch on the rocks, the type of ice a bar uses matters more than most people know. 'Not all ice is the same, and it's not the same for every drink or for how you mix every drink,' says Camper English, the founder of Alcademics, an in-depth blog on the world of bartending, and author of The Ice Book: Cool Cubes, Clear Spheres, and Other Chill Cocktail Crafts, in a phone interview. 'But a general sign of better ice is that it's not the same ice that you get out of the ice machine in a hotel.' Most patrons have encountered this kind of ice at their local dive bar: It's flat or chip-shaped, tends to be watery, and over-dilutes drinks. 'If I go to a place that has chip ice, I'll usually stick to a shot and a beer,' says English. 'Or, if I want just something on the rocks, I'll get the ice on the side so that I can micromanage the dilution and chilling process as much as possible.' And while what constitutes the best ice can be complicated and overwhelming for the customer, many bartenders recommend two types of machines in particular. 'Some of the best cocktail bars will have a Kold Draft and a Scotsman,' says Ivy Mix, a veteran bartender and Brooklyn bar owner, in a phone interview. 'You can tell you're in a quality place if it has the two types of ice that they make.' Kold Draft has been the staple of every restaurant I have ever worked at. The ice the machine produces is an almost perfect 1-by-1-by-1¼-inch cube that maintains carbonation, has notable clarity and doesn't dilute the taste of spirits. A Scotsman machine produces the classic nugget-shaped ice often used for fountain sodas, tiki-style cocktails, and mint juleps. 'These two types of machines are all you need, and I say this as someone who buys their ice like everyone else,' says Mix. However, like most things, ice follows trends. And Mix says that today, bars are often abandoning reliability for a frozen aesthetic that costs more than it's worth. 'People just want clear ice in their drinks that they can see through, and bars are cutting large-format blocks to get it,' says Mix. 'It's charming, but it's also costly.' Cocktails in New York can run anywhere from $15 to $23, depending on the neighborhood and quality of the bar. Bars often use multiple types and shapes, including shaved, cracked, crushed, cubed and large ice cubes and spheres, both produced in molds. At an establishment that cuts its ice, a single hand-cut piece, like the one Mix describes, can cost between $0.50 and $0.75 each, if not more, significantly driving up the overall price of a cocktail. 'That's more expensive than an ounce of alcohol,' says Mix. 'And you're paying that price for something that is admittedly very pretty, but it's a fad, it's not necessary and it's just going down the drain when you finish.' 'It's a great affectation for special bars that are not high volume, but it's not the most efficient way to make an ice cube,' says English. But for Shintaro Okuda, chef de cuisine and part-owner of Bar Moga, a 1920s-era Japanese cocktail bar in Manhattan, the hand-cut ice they use isn't just an affectation. 'We use ice called Kuramoto from Kanazawa in the Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan because it not only provides a high level of consistency and craftsmanship, but also because we both share roots in the 1920s,' says Okuda, in a phone interview. The term 'moga' refers to the modern Japanese woman of the time, who, thanks to the liberal international cultures of the Roaring Twenties, enjoyed greater freedoms and fun than her forebears, replete with dancing the Charleston and enjoying a drink at the local cocktail bars in places like Tokyo's popular Ginza district. Kuramoto ice emerged in the same era. 'We share a century-old tradition of excellence and a historical parallel that makes using Kuramoto Ice meaningful to me,' says Okuda. Okuda says that the ice, which is imported directly from Japan via ship, has exceptional purity, clarity and structural integrity thanks to a 48- to 72-hour freezing process that removes 99.97% of impurities and air bubbles, resulting in an ultra-dense product that melts slowly without over-diluting drinks. 'Kuramoto provides a level of consistency and craftsmanship that aligns with our dedication to quality,' says Okuda. 'And even though it costs about $1 per cube, we don't integrate that into our cocktail prices because serving great quality ice is our responsibility to the customers.' However, regardless of the ice, any good bartender should still manage to produce a halfway-decent cocktail. 'Anyone can go buy any kind of ice,' says Mix. 'But you can tell when a bartender physically knows what they're doing by taking a moment and looking at their technique.' I always try to ensure that a bartender uses a good amount of ice in a shaking tin or mixing glass, making sure not to over-shake or over-stir, and that their shake has a consistent rhythm. Then, they usually pour the drink over fresh ice. But good bartenders can also be hard to come by. So, I still recommend checking the ice. And one of the easiest ways to decide if you can trust the person behind your bar is to close your eyes and listen. 'Some bartenders just don't understand that when they don't use the right ice, or enough ice, and they shake too much, what they're doing is just diluting and chilling,' says English. 'So, no matter what ice they may be using, when you hear sloshing instead of clinking, steer clear because that results in watered-down, bad cocktails.'
Wall Street Journal
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
The Inspiration Behind Their $450,000 Renovation? A Famous Cocktail Bar
When Dave Kaplan wanted to renovate his house in Bellevue, Wash., the co-founder of Death & Co drew inspiration from his legendary bars, which helped usher in the craft cocktail movement with drinks like the Naked & Famous and the Oaxaca Old-Fashioned. But Kaplan didn't want to mimic the exact look of the bars, which range from the dark, windowless, candlelit flagship in Manhattan's East Village to the high-ceilinged, dark blue room with jewel-toned sofas, colorful chandeliers and massive windows in Denver's Ramble Hotel.
