Welcome to the Vancouver Foodster Martini Challenge. Restaurants and bars from all over the city were invited to enter their martini creations into this challenge, most have created a special cocktail creation just for this challenge. Each restaurant/bar will be featuring their martini creations on their menu from April 12 – May 6, 2018.

How Does this all Work? For the public challenge, you are invited to go out and order any or all of the martini creations in this challenge, then you decide who you think has the best martini creation for the People’s Choice award winners. 

Share your experiences: Tweet (and don’t forget to tweet or instagram your photos) throughout the challenge, our twitter and instagram address is @vanfoodster and the hashtag is #MartiniChallengeYVR please include this hashtag in all your tweets and instagram posts during the challenge.

Voting criteria –  some things to help you judge your favourite martini creations – keep these things in mind: originality, creativity, uniqueness, traditional, non-traditional, price, value and most importantly taste.

Get some friends together and make a day or night of it, visit 2 places or more and taste the different cocktail creations or go solo or with a friend– just remember to VOTE for your favourites

Here are the martini creations in this challenge, listed in no particular order other than when they were received by us.

Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge

Pear Cosmo

Price: $15

Created By:  Bartender Juheon Lee

Description: The Pear Cosmo is a modern take on the Classic Cosmopolitan Martini. The fresh pear and hint of cinnamon combine to create a sweet and refreshing libation that lingers on the palate.

Ingredients: Muddled fresh pear, Grey Goose Citron, Cointreau, Fresh pressed Lime, Garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon, a pear spear, cinnamon stick and a sprig of fresh mint.

Offered: Mon – Fri: Lunch, Afternoon, Dinner & Late Night; Sat-Sun: Brunch, Afternoon, Dinner & Late Night

Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge

845 Hornby Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-689-7777

Web: http://www.wedgewoodhotel.com/

Twitter: @Wedgewoodhotel

Instagram: @wedgewoodhotel

 

Long Table Distillery

Long Table’s 1887 Martini

Price: $11 – $9 during happy hour (3-5 pm Friday and Saturday)

Created by: Tarquin Melnyk

Description: A classic masterfully presented Creation: The first mention of gin mixed with vermouth comes in March 24, 1883 in the story titled “What’ll You Have?” (Cleveland Leader) – though it’s alternately called a “Turf Cocktail” or is mistaken for a Manhattan. February 18, 1886. “A Martini cocktail,” Rock Island, Illinois Argus – mentioned by its true name for the first time. The recipes in those first mentions often call for absinthe, Old Tom Gin and assorted Vermouths (see Martinez) The Martini is finally codified as the recipe we know today by Jerry Thomas – in his 1887 “Bar-Tenders Guide”, 3rd Edition.

Ingredients: Dry Vermouth that has been carefully treated with Wormwood Bitters, ice, Long Table London Dry Gin, Ms. Better’s Orange Tree Bitters Lemon oil, lemon twist

Offered: Friday and Saturdays 3pm-9pm

Long Table Distillery

1451 Hornby Street, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 266-0177

Web: http://longtabledistillery.com/

Twitter @LT_Distillery

Instagram @longtabledistillery

 

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market

The Q

Price: $14

Created by: Bartender Scotty Bordignon

Description: a riff of the Vesper Martini, is simply divine to sip and savour with a plate of our perfectly shucked oysters at the Fanny Bay Oyster Bar.

Ingredients: Gin, Vodka, Americano Cocchi, Salinated Lillet rinse, Salt and sugar sous vide cured citrus pee

Offered: all the time

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market

762 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Tel: (778) 379-9510

Web: http://fannybayoysters.com/location/oyster-bar–shellfish-market

Twitter: @fannybayoysters

Instagram: @fannybayoysters

 

Water Street Café

Not At Liberty To Say

Price: $10

Created by: Jenn Fisk

Description: This drink was created by our newest team member Jenn Fisk, who has an incredible background in such spots as Fable, Araxi and Joe Fortes. This drink was inspired by the need for something delicious which would start the flow of sharing tales. That’s what we are all about at Water Street. Locally inspired ingredients which nourish and create warmth within.

Ingredients are: Bourbon, Cassis, St. Germain, Fresh Lemon and BC Blackberries!

Offered:all the time

Water Street Cafe

300 Water St, Vancouver

Tel:  (604) 689-2832

Web: http://www.waterstreetcafe.ca/

Twitter: @waterstcafe

Instagram: @waterstcafe

 

Ban Chok Dee

Simply Thai Martini

Price: $10

Created by: Chika Ikeda (Head Mixologist)

Description: The inspiration behind the martini is based off traditional Thai ingredients. Simplicity at its best! Martini’s tend to be too complicated. Our ingredients enhance the gin flavor and incorporate subtle hints of Lemongrass and Coconut without adding unnecessary sugar. Chika uses a widely used technique of “Fat Washing”. Simply put he infuses the gin by allowing it to absorb coconut oil then freezes the mixture to lock in the flavor. The result is a truly unique spin on the classic. Garnished with a torched sugar wedge.

Offered: All the time

Ban Chok Dee

20395 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge

Tel: (604) 459-8000

Web: http://www.banchokdee.com

Twitter: @BanChokDeeThai

Instagram: @banchokdeemr

 

Make sure you pick up one of the Martini Challenge postcards available at each of the participating restaurants. Remember to Vote for your favourites daily, all the voting details are here.

Our Media judges for this challenge are:

 

Mary Sheridan

Food Blogger for her own Vancouver Bits and Bites Blog

Twitter: @MaryinVancity

Instagram @MaryinVancity

 

Zahra Alani

Co-host of CKNW.com Food Glorious Food

Twitter: @ZahraAlani

Instagram @zahra.alani

 

Christine McAvoy  

Photographer and Blogger

Twitter: @ChristineMcAvoy

Instagram @christine__mcavoy