Going for a drink after work is a hallowed tradition dating back to Prohibition days, when even the hooch police needed a stiff one after rounding up a cadre of rowdy bootleggers.
While there’s nothing wrong with knocking back a pint or three with the gang, swapping that for a good glass of wine or an inventive cocktail paired with cheese, charcuterie or truffle risotto, can, by God, be equally calming and comforting after a long slog in front of your laptop.
Here are a few places for a refined yet still relaxing night of debauchery.
The Wine Bar
Yaletown’s The Wine Bar (or TWB, as it’s commonly known) boasts one of the best by-the-glass selections in the city. Thanks to modern technology, there are usually more than 100 bottles you can taste without breaking the bank, ranging from the super-affordable to the super-premium. Pair it with Mediterranean specialities like the frog legs tossed in sea salt, saffron risotto balls, pissaladiere (an onion-anchovy tart) or spicy lamb merguez. thewinebar.ca
Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar
Home to internationally acclaimed bar maven Sabrine Dhaliwal, the cocktails at this downtown hot spot are characterized by their eclectic nature. A fan of sours? An adherent to the Old Fashioned? Looking for something more fanciful? Maybe you’d like a flight of bubbles or mineral-rich whites? There are dozens of by-the-glass options here. Best of all, the Italian-focused food menu pairs well with whatever you choose to drink. Roasted bone marrow, octopus in preserved lemon, parmesan potatoes and pizzetta are just a few of the items you can nosh on. uvavancouver.com
Grapes and Soda
Satoshi Yonemori might be one of Vancouver’s most undersung bartenders. He doesn’t enter competitions, but his gin-based and violet-tinted Ri-Kyu, with caraway, grapefruit juice, cocchi americano (an aperitif) and sencha kombucha, is medal worthy. As for wines, the biodynamic-focused list at this South Granville room offers 3-oz. pours and half-bottle service of grapes from Canada, France, Italy, the U.S. and occasionally South Africa. The food menu mirrors the vegetable-forward ethos of sister restaurant Farmer’s Apprentice, so expect items like sprouted lentils on toast with pickled ramps and roasted cauliflower with yogurt and z’atar. Fear not, carnivores, you’ll be happy with the charcuterie boards, “lambchetta,” and fried octopus. grapesandsoda.ca
España
It’s really more about the sherry than the table wine here (sherry is just fortified wine, after all), and while the extensive food menu of this popular West End tapas bar might classify it more as a restaurant, the feeling here is definitely drinks forward. A lovely little list of sherries are available individually or in dry or sweet flights. The entirely Spanish wine and beer list is one of the best collections in the city, and the smoked Margarita cocktail with Herradura tequila is masterful. Pair it with the roasted pork belly and crispy squid with housemade morcilla or the marinated white anchovies on toast. espanarestaurant.ca
L’Ufficio
Another spot that hovers between restaurant and wine bar, this cozy West Side room has a fantastic and accessible Italian wine list that is a perfect match for the many small bites available from the daily chalkboard menu. A rotating selection of cheeses and salumi from the old country share space with everything from fish balls and pâté on toast to duck breast, squash risotto and vitello tonnato. If you’re especially hungry, you can order from the menu next door at sister restaurant La Quercia. laquercia.ca
VIVACE VOLI is happening...
— L'UFFICIO Wine Bar (@ufficiowinebar) April 7, 2016
lively tasting flights animated by @tythewineguy #lagrein #lacrima #soave #falanghina + pic.twitter.com/jFHz8Z5WDn
Salt Tasting Room
The granddaddy of wine bars in Vancouver, this Gastown favourite is still going strong after more than a decade of serving up stellar wines, sherries, spirits and beers, all paired with a rotating selection of small-batch cheeses and charcuterie. Sure, there are some salads and desserts, but the focus here is the proteins and boy, are they delicious. salttastingroom.com
• Anya Levykh is a food, drink and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @foodgirlfriday.
