The coolest cocktail event of the year is coming to Science World on Feb. 4, and if you miss it, you’ll never forgive yourself.
More than 25 of Vancouver’s best bartenders are teaming up for Science of Cocktails, a charitable event to help give under-privileged kids a chance to experience Science World through their class field trip program.
The lineup is, quite frankly, ridiculous: Lauren Mote (UVA, Bittered Sling), Grant Sceney (Fairmont Pacific Rim), Tarquin Melnyk (Bambudda), Cooper Tardivel (Hawksworth), Giancarlo Quiroz Jesus (The Diamond), Arthur Wynne (The Mackenzie Room), Amber Bruce (Keefer Bar), Thor Paulson (L’Abattoir), Kevin Brownlee (AnnaLena), and many, many more. It’s a who’s-who of the Vancouver cocktail scene, and will likely be the only place you’ll ever be able to hit up all that talent in just one night.
Tickets start at $145, but the cocktails and the food (provided by Railtown Catering) are all free once you’re in the door.
“There’s actually a lot of value,” says Tarquin Melnyk, bar manager at Gastown’s Bambudda. “You’re not sipping on PBRs, these are cocktails that normally range from $12 to $20, and it’s an open bar, unlimited access to food and beverages.”
The theme of the night is science, so expect the bartenders to be pulling out all the stops to impress the guests: nitrogen charging, rapid syphon extraction, vacuum sealing, all manner of foams and emulsions.
“These are really high-concept cocktails,” says Melnyk. “We’re taking a lot of the same techniques used in molecular gastronomy and applying them to our drinks. People are realizing they should take their drinks as seriously as their food and bartenders are stepping up their game.”
Melnyk and his Bambudda team have created botanical foam made from a mixture of macerated plants that mimics the omnipresent egg white foam used in so many cocktails. It's just one element of the Powell Street Sour he and his team will be serving on Feb. 4.
The science isn’t just limited to the cocktails, however. In the main event area, there will be dry ice and liquid nitrogen demonstrations, science stations that challenge your palette and your sense of smell, and plenty of illusions to mess with your cocktail-filled brain.
The bartenders will also be competing to win the evening’s cocktail competition, which will see them each go head-to-head on the main stage all night long. And since this is a charity event, there will be the requisite 50/50 draw and a ton of door prizes.
The 2017 event has completely SOLD OUT! Stay tuned via ScienceWorld.ca/cocktails or our social for photos from the night.
