Hawksworth

Vancouver's most acclaimed fine-dining restaurant also boasts the city's most elegant temple to the art of drinking. It's hard to find fault here, apart from the Ibiza-lite soundtrack which doof-doofs along (albeit at a mercifully low volume). Musical carping aside, this slender space which seats 38 (try to get the left corner bar stools) on soft cream leather couches and high-top chairs has a Damian Hirst on the walls yet manages to deliver a high roller experience in an un-snooty atmosphere- millionaires can sip $1,500 per oz Louis XIII Rare Cask next to guys watching the hockey nursing a beer.

Thanks to a stream of wealthy hotel clientele and local cocktail geeks, Hawksworth, under manager Cooper Tardivel, has earned a rep of being the first to get whatever's rare and cool in the world of booze. Its back bar is arguably one of the most eclectic in town thanks to the team's penchant for lesser known spirits and American whiskeys. The list is broken down by spirit and focusses on pre-prohibition, modern classics and their own (and friend's) creations. To soak up the cocktails, they offer bar bites and the full Hawksworth menu.