Skip advertisement Advertisement

Vancouver

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (126)
Vancouver image
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
1 2⁄3 fl oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
2⁄3 fl oz Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
1⁄2 fl oz Strucchi Dry Vermouth
1⁄2 fl oz Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
1 dash Orange Bitters by Angostura

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above.

How to make

Glass

Photographed in an UB Retro Coupe 1920 7.75oz

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. Orange zest twist (&/or skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry).

Method

  1. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. EXPRESS orange zest twist over cocktail and use as garnish (&/or garnish with skewered cherry).

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Vancouver contains 216 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.9 standard drinks
  • 26.52% alc./vol. (53.04° proof)
  • 26.7 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

History

Recipe adapted from the About Town Cocktail Book which featured popular food and drink recipes in Vancouver and was published in 1925 by Mitchell Publishing, a local publishing company.

VANCOUVER
Dash of Orange Bitters
50% Gin
30% French Vermouth
20% Benedictine
Olive

About Town Cocktail Book, 1925


Interestingly, the book also includes a riff on the Vancouver called a Fitchett which is the same drink but with sweet vermouth in place of dry vermouth. The entry also explains this cocktail's name.

FITCHETT
JOSEPH A. FITCHETT, Vancouver Club head bar steward, who has no doubt thrown many a cocktail together for you, originated this one. Of the thousand and one drinks he can mix we believe it is the best.
50% Gin
30% Italian Vermouth
20% Benedictine
Dash Orange Bitters
Serve with olive or cherry.

About Town Cocktail Book, 1925


The book's writer is unnamed but in the introduction she says, Joe Fitchett "has not only been kind enough to check every single recipe for us but has added many of his own special and excellent cocktails."

Prior to a 2nd March 2020 article in Canada's Scout Magazine which brought the above entries in the About Town Cocktail Book to everybody's attention, the accepted recipe for a Vancouver was actually that for Fitchett using sweet vermouth.

Review

This cocktail, which is popular in the city from which it takes its name, was originally made with French dry vermouth but since the turn of the century has been made with Italian sweet vermouth. I've opted for the 'perfect' solution with 50% dry and 50% sweet vermouths.

Difford’s Shop logo
$3.34 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 15 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

Checkout

* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

Visit Difford’s Shop USA

Gallery

Comments & Discussion

Olga María Gómez Henderson
Really good. Sure, it's sweet, but without overwhelming the flavours, you can still appreciate the vermouth and the gin.
score: 1
Caitlin Eisner Premium Member
I have now tried the three versions of this and I feel, as a Canadian, that this one with the two vermouths is the best.
score: 1
George Boyd
I used the original version,french vermouth only, which I found suited my palate perfectly.
score: 1
Werd Bmocsil
Beefeater gin, Dolin Dry vermouth, & Carpano Antica rosso vermouth in mine. The orange bitters seems to be missing; maybe it's my old palate. I think next time the arid gin could withstand substituting Dolin Blanc vermouth, or perhaps increasing the rosso vermouth as C. Cardwell suggests. Or both!
score: 1
Werd Bmocsil
... "substituting Dolin Blanc vermouth" like in the Difford's Bronx.
score: 1
Chris Brislawn
Fusing the old Vancouver and Fitchett as a "perfect" to manage the sweetness makes sense, but I thought using French and Bianco vermouths made even more. I reduced the Benedictine to 1/2 oz and increased the gin to 2 oz for proportions of 4:1:1:1, slightly drier than Difford's 5:2:1.5:1.5. Left out the bitters since it already has several hundred herbs in it and garnished with a lemon twist, which seems natural. Still plenty sweet, and the Benedictine still shows through.
score: 2
Dave Smith
A very nice cocktail. Tried both versions and I liked Mr Finchetts better but both are good. I substituted Lucor 43 for the sweet touch. Visualizing thirsty Seattle folks who wanted a drink during prohibition traveling north to seek out the Vancouver club…..
score: 1
Amarette Speights
I love this so much. But it has to be said, I search for slightly sweeter cocktails. Benedictine is perhaps my favorite addition.
score: 2
G. M. Genovese Premium Member
I much prefer either of those 1925 recipes, with the Fitchett being my favorite of the two, by a hair. This 'perfect' take had a bit too much going on. To each their own... I'm afraid though that now I have a burgeoning interest in incorporating Benedictine into gin-vermouth drinks. Ugh.
score: 1
Peter Pendergest Premium Member
I used a barrel aged gin that I picked up from the Hood River distillery in Oregon (usa). Very interesting, adds a bit of smoke. Very interesting. Overall, the drink just adds to my love of Canada and Canadians.
score: 3
Brandon Fosdick
I find the 50/50 vermouth ratio too sweet. So I tend to use only dry vermouth, which I like to call a Dry Vancouver.
score: 5
Tuber Magnatum Premium Member
Love the name, but while Dry Vancouver may be applicable to the drink, no one who has been / lived in Vancouver would ever call the city dry! And I don't mean dry as in no alcohol, nothwithstanding the fact there are still some dry communities in Canada.
score: 5

Showing the first 10 of 11 comments.

View 11 comments and discussion

See more...

After dinner/digestif Cocktails

After dinner/digestif Cocktails image

After dinner or digestif cocktails, or digestive cocktails, often contain bittersweet liqueurs.

View more

Classic/vintage Cocktails

Classic/vintage Cocktails image

Classic cocktails are found in vintage recipe books from the mid-1800s to the 1980s.

View more

Martini-style Cocktails

Martini-style Cocktails image

Spirit-forward and usually gin or vodka based with vermouth or another fortified wine, often with dashes of bitters.

View more

Spirit-forward Cocktails

Spirit-forward Cocktails image

Spirit-forward cocktails have larger measures of spirituous ingredients and are sometimes described as being “boozy”.

View more
Difford’s Shop logo
$3.34 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 15 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

Checkout

* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

Visit Difford’s Shop USA

Beach House

Beach House Image

Reminiscent of a Naked & Famous turned tropical.

View more

Borough

Borough Image

A Manhattan variation created to help promote US-made Dubonnet Rouge, but is best made with French Dubonnet Red, or indeed another red quinquina.

View more

Roman Punch

Roman Punch Image

This recipe (by yours truly in August 2026) combines elements from various vintage Roman Punch recipes to produce a cooling fruity sour laced with...

View more

The Aftermath

The Aftermath Image

Most bartenders would stir this cocktail, as per Robin's original recipe. However, when shaken, this cocktail develops an attractive foamy head and a...

View more

Difford's House

Difford's House Image

My old tom gin version of the classic Holland House, mostly leaning on the recipe in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.

View more

Tango (by Mattia Capezzuoli)

Tango (by Mattia Capezzuoli) Image

A Cleansing riff on a Paloma with subtle bittersweetness.

View more