The Keefer Bar
Transcription
The Keefer Bar
The Keefer Bar The Keefer Suites is Vancouver’s newest boutique hotel accommodation, and the gem in newly-revitalised Chinatown. Inside, glows a rarer jewel—the discreet and uber-trendy Keefer Bar. The cocktail menu is apothecary shop-meets Chinese medicine, with drinks created to soothe ailments and balance one’s good mood. The inspiration behind the cocktails are classic pre-prohibition imbibes, influenced by Antoine Amedee Peychaud. He specialised in making his own brand of bitters in 1880’s New Orleans, which he mixed with cognac or brandy to cure the ailments of his customers. 26 This eventually led to the invention of the Sazerac cocktail. The Keefer Bar pays homage to its Chinatown location by adding the element of traditional Chinese medicine, with ingredients sourced from local markets and herbalists. Surprises include astralagus, a root used for immune deficiencies; Luo Han Goa, a fruit extract nearly 30 times sweeter than sugar and used as a natural sweetener; magnolia bark, a bitter and warm root that helps the digestion; and yunzhi, which stimulates the immune system. The Keefer Bar’s signature cocktails include the Dragonfly, concocted of dragonfruit infused gin, pearl sake, ginger syrup, lemon and magnolia bark tincture. The Keefer Club, which sports gin, redcurrant, yunzhi syrup, lemon and egg white, and the China Doll, which seduces with vodka, yuzu marmalade, grapefruit, sparkling wine and red ginseng tincture. ~ Jobina Bardai CANADA The Keefer Bar 135 Keefer Street Vancouver Chinatown Tel No: (604) 688-1961 www.thekeeferbar.com may-june 2011 bar Lillet Lillet is a French aperitif enjoyed over ice with a slice of lemon. Its namesake, the Lillet bar, is a similar shot during your trip to Germany. Situated at the lobby level of Le Méridien Stuttgart, Lillet is inviting with it’s tastefully decorated bar area that calls out to you, even if you are only passing by to dine at the hotel’s restaurant. It did not take me long to accept the invitation and I perched myself on the barstool one evening. The exhaustive menu that took me nearly 25 minutes to go through, left me totally confused as to what I should order. At which point, the smiling bartender came to my rescue and recommended a Passion Fruit Daiquiri. And wasn’t my drink divine! A jumbo-sized may-june 2011 glass of passion fruit muddled with ice, topped with a sprig of elderberry and sugar-sprinkled basil leaves started my evening. The sheer number of items on the menu spoils you. Aperitifs, hard liquor, a variety of cocktails made with champagne, brandy, gin, vodka, rum, tequila or whisky, wonderful Mai Tai’s, a whole wide range of ancient wines, alcohol-free cocktails for those in the mood and of course, beer. The predinner cocktails were especially delectable and trying out one of the many flavoured shots should be an adventurous move too. Oh, and the Ultimate James Bond Martini is an absolute must-have. A platter of olives and cheese is served as a complimentary dish, while you also have a whole bunch of snacks to choose from. Panini, burger, pizza, salad, tart, crème brûlée with fruits, cheese platter—what complements your drink best? Saturday nights, post 9, are the best at the bar with live musical performances and sees a fair number of patrons. The general atmosphere in the evenings is enjoyable as guests unwind after a long day with a drink in their hand and laughter in the room. ~ Sonali Shah EUROPE Le Méridien Stuttgart Willy-Brandt-Strasse 30, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany Tel: +49 711 22210 27 XtraCold Icebar Amsterdam, often known as the City of Sin (sins that anyone would gladly commit!), is any tourist’s delight. From Madame Tussauds to the Anne Frank Museum to the myriad of sex clubs, the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands has something for everyone. When you just feel that you are drained off every single ounce of energy, the thought of a 4D ice bar instantly revitalises you to walk a little more until you drop yourself into the realms of…a lot of ice! The XtraCold Amsterdam houses two fun areas—the XtraCold Lounge also called 28 ‘Some like it hot’ and the XtraCold IceBar AKA ‘Some like it cold’. The Lounge area is where you can get yourself some cold and hot drinks as well as delectable and contemporary cocktails and finger food. After sipping a drink at the Lounge, with a group of approximately fifteen people, I headed to what I was truly looking forward to—the IceBar. Of course, before stepping in, I was given a special thermal jacket, gloves and a headgear, which would allow me to survive the extreme cold. Never before had I seen or experienced something like the XtraCold IceBar. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that my world was frozen as soon as I stepped into this area! The walls, the bar, the seats and even the cocktail glasses are frozen here. As we got busy admiring every inch of the interiors, Roxanne, the charming lady bartender, made us comfortable with some drinks. We were given a choice between a Smirnoff cocktail and a Heineken XtraCold beer…I chose the latter to keep myself warm. The exciting environment of the IceBar was matched by the lively music that was being played in the background. While all of us may-june 2011 were ready to groove a little, we couldn’t afford to do so as the special floor got a little slippery, and felt doubly so thanks to the frozen glasses that were often slipping out of our hands. After a bit, we put on the 3D glasses and made ourselves comfortable on the ice seats, as it was now time for a short tenminute 3D movie. Made especially for the XtraCold IceBar, literally within a minute of the movie, I felt as if I was one of the characters in it. What an amazing sync of the movie and the concept of the place! After the movie, Roxanne served us another round of drinks. And then, we all got busy posing at the bar and the various ice structures, including a huge, king-size throne that’s made of (no points for guessing!) – ICE, while Roxanne captured us on her camera. The ambience of excitement, interiors, LED-lighting, icesculptures, music and the 3D movie, all come together to give you the ultimate ice experience. How I wished that I could spend some more time at the IceBar, but, alas, all good things come to an end! I bought one of the pictures clicked by Roxanne, and took home a memory of this lovely experience…Here’s hoping you take home yours soon! ~ Benaifer Mirza AmsterdAm Amstel 194-196 Amsterdam Netherlands 1017 AG Tel no: +31 (0)20-320-5700 www.xtracold.com may-june 2011 29