Cocktail barSpeakeasy$$$downtownDaily 16:30-01:00
Prohibition at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia is a speakeasy-style basement bar since 2012, classic cocktails and live jazz on Wednesday through Saturday.
Signature drink: Sazerac, classic build
Food: Snacks and small plates
Tip: Walk in from the side entrance on Howe Street; tables turn at 21:00 for the second seating.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$gastownTue-Sun 17:00-01:00, closed Mondays
The Diamond on Powell in Gastown is an upstairs cocktail bar with Maple Leaf Square views since 2009, a Hong Kong-inflected small-plate menu and a classic.
Signature drink: Diamond Sour with house grenadine
Food: Hong Kong-leaning small plates
Tip: Walk-ins only; the upstairs bar window seats fill first. Tuesday evening is the calmer seat.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$gastownDaily 17:00-00:00
Pourhouse on Water Street in Gastown is a heritage-room cocktail bar since 2009 with a long wood counter, classic builds and a modern American kitchen.
Signature drink: Old fashioned, three styles
Food: Modern American small plates
Tip: Bar walks in; the dining room books on OpenTable for the late-evening service.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$chinatownTue-Sat 17:00-23:00, closed Sun-Mon
Juniper Kitchen & Bar on Keefer Place since 2017 is the city's reference gin and botanical-cocktail bar, plus a Pacific Northwest small-plates kitchen.
Signature drink: Botanical gin and tonic flight
Food: Pacific Northwest small plates
Tip: The gin flight pairs four house pours with tonics; the bar walks in earlier in the evening.
Cocktail barHotel bar$$$$downtownDaily 16:00-00:00
Gerard Lounge at the Sutton Place Hotel on Burrard since 1986 is Vancouver's longest-running hotel cocktail lounge, the Hollywood-North celebrity bar.
Signature drink: Classic Sutton martini
Food: Bar bites and afternoon tea
Tip: Live piano from Wednesday to Saturday after 18:30; the fireside seats are the calmer pour.
Cocktail barTiki bar$$$mount-pleasantTue-Sun 17:00-00:00, closed Mondays
The Shameful Tiki Room on Main Street since 2012 is a windowless Polynesian-style tiki bar, the city's reference rum bar with no daylight inside.
Signature drink: Zombie
Food: Tiki snacks
Tip: Walk in early on weeknights; the Zombie cocktail is limited to two per person.