Local bars and distilleries are teaming up to celebrate Victoria's spirits culture over a week of unique cocktails, domestic booze, and non-alcoholic options for liquor enthusiasts and teetotallers alike.
From April 13-20, around 40 Victoria bars and pubs and 20 distilleries and producers will participate in the first Victoria Cocktail Week, offering signature cocktails and leading tours and workshops, all while Victorians explore the creativity and culture of the craft.
"We really do have such a great community here, on both the hospitality side and the community that goes into the bars," said Zoe Harvey, founder and executive director of Victoria Cocktail Week Society. "It's really important to support local anytime, but especially now, because we want these places to succeed. We want them to be around for a long, long time."
While there are occasional one-off events celebrating cocktail culture in Victoria, Harvey wanted to organize a week-long event in a quieter time of the year to give participants more options and more time to celebrate local spirits culture.
Over the week, each participating bar will feature a signature cocktail. A portion of the proceeds from each cocktail will go towards Good Night Out, a Vancouver- and Victoria-based organization that provides workshops on sexual violence prevention for restaurants, bars, festivals, and more, and an outreach team that patrols the city's entertainment districts on busy nights.
Beyond spirits, the versatility and artistry of many types of drinks will be displayed, including vermouth, zero-proof cocktails, teas and other craft seltzers.
Among the events and workshops of the week is a Forjado Tequila cocktail crawl, a mocktail masterclass, a vermouth and tapas pairing, a whisky tasting and an Old Town cocktail crawl.
At the start of the week, a link will be shared for participants to vote for Victoria's ultimate shaft, a title formerly held by the recently closed Little Jumbo.
"Victoria Cocktail Week is for both the community and for the hospitality and tourism industries," said Harvey. "It's kind of like a love letter to the city and what we have here, because I love Victoria."
For more information on the event, visit www.victoriacocktailweek.com.
