VanCity Drink Specials

The Diamond In Gastown

2013-05-22T22:05:11Z

I recently ventured into Gastown with my girlfriend to visit The Diamond. Now Gastown to me is the haven for Vancouver locals who hide out in secret bars like club houses to avoid the adolescent mela of Granville St. An upscale vibe with remnants of hipster grunge make Gastown the coolest area in Vancouver. The Diamond is an upstairs craft cocktail bar that really blew me away.

They have an eccentric cocktail list with a lot of liqueurs I had never even heard of. This coming as a blow to my bartender’s ego. In the two hours we spent tasting various cocktails and watching the sun fade which gave the room an ominous glow I was captured by the beauty of my surroundings claiming that this was my new favourite bar in Vancouver.

As my love for these amazingly well balanced cocktails got the best of me, my camera seemed to reflect my own eyes as I snapped my last picture.

The Diamond is a great spot to get intimate with friends and although there are no drink specials, the drinks are special and totally worth it.

Reminiscently,
Ben the Bartender

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Ben The Bartender’s Guide To Gentleman’s Night

2013-05-22T22:06:15Z

1) Gentleman Of Course

2) A Variety Of Scotches And Ales

3) MEAT

4) Manly Props

5) Deep Discussions

6) Studious Timeouts

7) Chugging Contest

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The Portside Pub

2013-05-16T00:49:24Z

We’re back, baby……

After a few months’ hiatus, exams have been aced, spring is here, and it’s time for the VCDS Crew to hit the streets and get back to telling everybody in Vancouver about the best ways to get More Booze For Your Buck. It’s gonna be a hot summer, so be sure to stay tuned for all the latest info and you`ll never find yourself too far from a spot at which to stay cool and refreshed…

And so it was that last night, myself, Wes the Waiter, got back into research mode and hit up The Portside Pub, a dope new watering hole smack in the middle of Gastown’s Maple Tree Square. As one of the latest offerings from our friends at The Donnelly Group, The Portside has fast become a go-to spot for a chill and welcoming vibe, an impressive selection of craft beer, and, from what I can tell, some pretty wild parties on the weekends. The Portside lives in a space that has seen its fair share of “attempted-bars“ over the years, and the last time I was here, it went by the name of The Cherry Bay Beach Club, which, as the evidence indicates, was quite some time ago (that’s me, Ben tha Bartender, and auxiliary researcher Ol` Dirty Stu).

Although I didn`t predict the demise of the previous occupants, I`m pretty confident The Portside has figured it out, and I`m thinking (and hoping) they will be a staple of the neighbourhood for years to come. Not only does the room boast an impressive three levels of drinking space, with two bars, a stage, and plenty of room for dancing, the exposed-wood décor and the fact that its open late all week means this is the perfect spot for a mid-week pint or a weekend throw-down. Yes, I think it’s fair to say that despite being called Portside, this establishment has got the RIGHT stuff (a little nautical pun there, my apologies), and I look forward to returning with the entire VCDS Crew on our next Pub Crawl.

As for tonight, I knocked back a couple of sleeves of Portside Pilsner (pretty tasty and not a bad deal at $4.50), shared a toast of delicious ice-cold Spicebox Whiskey with my man-behind-the-bar Jordy, and hit the road. And with that, what should hopefully be a long, fruitful summer of research had begun. Who knows where we`ll wind up next?

Until next time,

Wes the Waiter

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Welcoming Colony Bar – @ColonyKits

2013-03-16T21:37:02Z

Colony Bar - 3255 WEST BROADWAY ST. | 604.559.6070 - www.colonykits.com -

A few nights ago, I finally got the opportunity to check out Colony Bar, a brand-new and highly-anticipated addition to the West Broadway strip. For years, this location had been home to Kitsilano Billiards which, although a fun place to knock around a few balls (did that come out wrong?), was getting to be in need of a bit of a face lift. I was very eager to see what the new set up would be, and now that the fine folks at Blueprint Group (think Pivo, Charles Bar, Dover Arms, etc) have gotten their hands on it, I am pleased to announce Colony is the new “must-see” watering hole in Kitsilano.

On pretty much every level, Colony has knocked it out of the park. First off, the room is open and inviting, with lots of seating, a dance floor area for the weekends, and tons of TVs with money sightlines. Most importantly however, they’re bringing it with the specials. I dropped in for $3.50 PBR and Pilsner night (a steal), and the rest of the week is pretty killer too, the highlight being Tuesdays, where everything on tap, including, if you can believe it, 9oz glasses of their wine on tap, is just $3. Yes, you will definitely be getting more booze for your buck, and throw in the fine service, well, you’ve found your new go-to drinking spot.

Don’t get me wrong, we here at VanCity Drink Specials have major love for the rest of the joints in the neighbourhood (Elwoods, Gargoyles, The Shack, Yaggers, I could go on). All the addition of Colony really means is the best pub-crawling neighbourhood in town just got even better. To top everything off, Colony will go down in history as location for my first ever victory in a chugging contest (thanks Pavil and Alex!), although I’m sure if Party Guy Roy or Ben tha Bartender had been there, I’d still be looking at an 0-for…

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Pender Bender @ButcherAndBull

2013-03-08T20:56:52Z

The Butcher & Bullock – 911 West Pender Street

Before we arrived at The Butcher & Bullock, we made attempts to visit Goldie’s Pizza (605 West Pender) and Moose’s Down Under (830 West Pender), but alas, both were already closed for the night. The Butcher & Bullock however, a Pender Street institution recently renovated by our friends at the Donnelly Group, is always open late, and we arrived with plenty of time to celebrate the end of our Tuesday Boozeday with $3 sleeves of craft beer – hands down the best special of the night. This spot is HUGE, and the perfect place to kick back for a chugging contest or two. This time around, however, we decided to call it a night. When you put the place with $3 beers at the end of your pub crawl, you run the risk of having a Tuesday Boozeday turn into a Barnacle Tuesday, something the VCDS Crew knows all too well…

When we left The Butcher, we were practically right beside Burrard Skytrain, so I escorted Ben tha Bartender and the others to the station for their long journey home. After a few quick push ups, the boys were on their way, and I caught the bus home to Kits. All things considered, The Pender Bender was a huge success – with eight bars in such close proximity, this pub crawl will certainly become one of our go to’s. So next time you’re downtown, why not give it a try yourself? Let us know how you like it, and if you see us out there, be sure to join us for a chugging contest…

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Pender Bender @MalonesBarGrill

2013-02-22T07:53:02Z

Malone’s Urban Drinkery – 908 West Pender Street

Up next was Malone’s, a long-standing fixture of the Vancouver bar scene that we have somehow managed to miss in our many travels. Like most of the bars on Pender, this spot is hopping on the weekends, but tonight we found the place much more chill, and we managed to snag the pool table for a quick game. Malone’s is very spacious, a definite VCDS Phat Crew Place, and is a great spot to booze it up with a bigger group, and with their great specials and fun events – Trivia Tuesdays, Karaoke Thursdays, and $2.22 10oz beers on Sundays are not to be missed – you gotta come check it out. For now, we sank the last eight-ball, paid the tab and headed out…

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Pender Bender @yaggersdowntown

2013-02-22T07:32:45Z

Yagger’s Downtown – 433 West Pender Street |

Just across the street was Yagger’s, another quality downtown bar with lots of specials every day of the week. Yagger’s is bright and welcoming and you can always count on their friendly service, tonight being no different. As their name suggests, this is the home of the ice-cold Jager shot ($4.50 every day) which went perfectly with our cold sleeves of Vitamin P, the supplement that helped make Party Guy Roy the man he is today. Tempted as we were to extend our stay, the Pender Bender was not over yet, so we finished our drinks, stopped for a quick slice (never drink on an empty stomach), and headed on down the line…

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Pender Bender @AscotLounge

2013-02-04T05:49:57Z

The Ascot – 420 West Pender Street |

Just a block or so down on the left was The Ascot, a newer little spot with a warm vibe and a classy Gastown feel. One of the nicer spots in the neighbourhood, The Ascot can get pretty busy, especially on the weekends, but on this Tuesday Boozeday, we had no trouble grabbing a seat around the coffee table near the front. We here at VanCity Drink Specials always appreciate a couch-seating area, and though this was a nice one, you’d probably by better off snagging one of the comfy chairs (like Stu, see below) unless you don’t mind the odd couch spring jabbing into your back.

On our last visit, The Ascot hadn’t yet officially unveiled their drink specials line-up, so we stuck with their sleeves of Ascot Lager, a decent deal at $4.25, every day. If you’re into the craft cocktails, they’ve got you covered with some UK specialties including The Arrogant Prick, worth a cool $150. All in all, The Ascot is definitely worth checking out, and I can’t wait to hit up their semi-secret back-alley patio when the summer rolls back around. As for now, we paused just long enough to smell the roses, and then carried on our way…

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Pender Bender @expbar

2013-02-04T05:50:38Z

Exp Restaurant + Bar – 309 West Pender Street |

Exp is a gamer’s bar, founded as a destination for video gaming and drinking; a pretty cool idea if I do say so myself. The only problem for Exp is that, so far, the good ol’ BC Government hasn’t given them the licencing they need to allow people to actually play games while they drink, so for now, Exp remains the place to be to take in play-throughs of the latest games while sipping a few cold ones. As fate would have it, we showed up on the night Exp was debuting their specials line up, and we “powered up” with a few tasty $3.50 sleeves of Rickard’s Red. All in all, the room was pretty slick and we’ll definitely be back to check out the rest of their specials, but for now, it was on to the next one…

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The Pender Bender – @pintvancouver

2013-01-01T08:21:03Z

It was a fine evening a few weeks ago when myself, Wes the Waiter, along with Ben the Bartender and a few of our long time colleagues, embarked on a much anticipated pub crawl down Pender Street, one of the few areas we had yet to visit. It was a Tuesday night, or as we here at VanCity Drink Specials like to say, a Tuesday Boozeday, and with around eight stops scheduled, we knew some intense “specials research” lay before us. We decided to start at The Pint and work our way west, and as it turns out, the Pender Bender is quite the ride.

The Pint – 455 Abbot Street

Everyone knows The Pint is one of the best bars downtown. The place is huge, there are TVs everywhere, and they have great specials every day of the week. Tonight, we hit up some $15 pitchers of Whistler Whiskey Jack, just one of their twenty-some-odd good beers on tap, as well as one of their impressive appy platters – complete with deep fried pickles and mini-corn dogs – for just $19. The Pint is always a great spot to hang out and watch the game, but since we had a lot of ground to cover, and since there’s been a serious lack of games to watch lately, we decided to be on our way. Our next stop was a recent VCDS discovery with great specials and a cool concept…

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