BackBar - Booze Culture Distilled

New extension of licensing hours to be In place in time for Olympics.

At The Diamond in Gastown, there is an innovative group of true cocktail bartending professionals introducing a broad range of cocktail classes for all.

On Saturday night I popped down to the newly opened Bao Bei. I can honestly say it is one of the most beautiful rooms I have been in for ages.

We popped down to the former metal venue for a preview and a few El Jimador's.

Now that the Olympics are in full swing, here's Backbars tried and tested pick of the best Olympic houses to booze in...

Due to the concentration of the masses of olympic revellers in the downtown core, particularly, Granville, Robson and Yaletown, some of the other Vancouver neighbourhoods seem to be somewhat forgotten.

So the Keefer Bar in Chinatown has finally opened it's doors. It sits beneath a boutique hotel on the ground floor of an old heritage building on Pender St.  A good looking, small, tight space with a dark, moody, sinister feel.  

Forget these plastic 'Irish' venues riddled with leprechauns serving green dyed pissy lager. I am a man who enjoys a proper pint of Guinness in real surroundings. So here's my top five favourite spots in Vancouver to sup on a pint of the black stuff… 

Sailor Jerry has been relaunched (in the UK only) with a new recipe that makes the rum more rounded and slightly less sweet.

I've just been sent news of a interesting new bar restaurant opening in Vancouver, scheduled for early 2011. The bar, to be called 'Top Guns', is brought to us by a consortium of Paramount executives and a few of the stars including Kelly Mcgillis and Anthony Edwards. Tom Cruise is said not to be involved, an unnamed spokesperson said "isn't he a bit too f#@king crazy to be running a bar, besides we wouldn't want him jumping all over the couches destroying the upholstery!"