{"id":9888,"date":"2016-12-25T11:05:59","date_gmt":"2016-12-25T19:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=9888"},"modified":"2020-07-14T21:37:26","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T04:37:26","slug":"chinatown-cocktail-crawl-part-5-keefer-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/chinatown-cocktail-crawl-part-5-keefer-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 5 – The Keefer Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the cocktail destinations of the evening, The Keefer Bar<\/a>\u00a0was the one we were most looking forward to. I was here\u00a0a couple years ago, during the time when I thought cocktails were just\u00a0overpriced high balls. However the experience here changed my view entirely, a monumental moment\u00a0<\/strong>when I started to appreciate the passion and brilliance of a great mixologist, recognizing\u00a0that enjoying cocktails an integral\u00a0part of any\u00a0culinary adventure.<\/p>\n

The theme of the bar seems to be “Medicine in Chinatown”, with images\u00a0of medical practices and instruments illuminated in the dark, such as a diagram of\u00a0pressure points for acupuncture, as they cheekily refer their cocktail creations as “cures and remedies”. The ambiance is somewhat mysterious and appealing to everyone in different perspectives.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Keefer Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Keefer Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We prescribed \u00a0“cures” to ourselves as\u00a0we went with what\u00a0we would enjoy the most. And we all got our own incredible fixes.<\/p>\n

Food Wench, hopped on the whisky train as usual, and this time, a badass\u00a0one with the Smokey and the Bandit<\/strong> ($16), featuring\u00a0Ardberg 10 scotch, mezcal, aperol, and a\u00a0house sweet vermouth blend. \u00a0Inspired by the American South, this cocktail was bold and flavourful.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cSmokey<\/a>
\u201cSmokey and the bandit\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I went for one of their\u00a0signatures, \u00a0the Keefer 75<\/strong> ($12) , mixed\u00a0with 75 gin, dragonfruit, lemon, lavender, and sparkling wine. Clearly inspired by French 75 or Lavender 75, I was pleasantly surprised to\u00a0taste the\u00a0dragon fruit’s presence as its flavour is always quite subtle to me.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cThe<\/a>
\u201cThe Keefer\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lou, a gin lover like myself, ordered the classic, the Rosemary Gimlet<\/strong> ($12). \u00a0He enjoyed the mix of Beefeater gin and rosemary lime cordial, and found it smooth and refreshing. \u00a0Being a fan of the\u00a0cocktail myself, I often take advantage of ordering it\u00a0as over the counter drugs similar to xanax <\/a> their Wednesday cocktail special at only $5.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cRosemary<\/a>
\u201cRosemary gimlet\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last but not least,\u00a0the Jade Dynasty<\/strong> ($14) was exactly what Maggi (vieamaggi.com<\/a>) was looking for – a fun and whimsical creation made from\u00a0Aviation gin, mezcal, matcha tea, bonito, sesame oil, lemon and lime juice, and egg white.\u00a0It might sound bizarre to find bonito and sesame oil in a drink, but they actually worked well with matcha, giving that complexity of adding savoury and tart\u00a0flavours, finishing it with a hint of herbal aroma. And is that kombu (seaweed)\u00a0in the garnish? Strangely, it just worked!<\/p>\n

\"\u201cJade<\/a>
\u201cJade dynasty\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a requirement of the cocktail crawl, we ordered one shared plate, the Green Onion Pancake Pizza<\/strong> ($10), with chicken. I always love Chinese green onion pancakes, and this fusion version actually honour he Chinese\u00a0flavours well with green onion and the\u00a0drizzled hoisin sauce as the highlights. And we could still enjoy\u00a0cheese, chicken and green peppers like how we usually enjoy them on a pizza. It was overall an excellent greasy choice to complement our cocktails.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
\u201cGreen onion pancake pizza\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cocktails<\/a>
Cocktails at The Keefer Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Keefer Bar clearly has a special spot in my heart when it comes to enjoying the fun and creative\u00a0cocktails.\u00a0It’s not often you will find kombu, bonito and sesame oil in a cocktail such as\u00a0“The Jade Dynasty”. To me, they represent what true Vancouver flavours are, with classic world ingredients and a pan pacific\u00a0influence – a must-visit for the Chinatown Cocktail Crawl<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Also see:<\/h3>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 1 – Mamie Taylor’s<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 2 – Juke<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 3 – Juniper<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 4 –\u00a0Bao Bei<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 5 –\u00a0Keefer Bar<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website and menu:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.thekeeferbar.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

More reviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Location:<\/strong><\/p>\n