Botanist Bar’s new cocktail series explores the Pacific Northwest | Georgia Straight Vancouver’s source for arts, culture, and events

1 of 1 2 of 1 Get the best of Vancouver in your inbox, every Tuesday and Thursday. Sign up for our free newsletter.Botanist Bar at the Fairmont Pac Rim is back with another round of experimental cocktails that feel more like a field trip through the Pacific Northwest than another night out.The bar has unveiled the third edition of its Botanist Experiential Cocktail Series, titled Exploration of Microclimates, a new spring menu that draws inspiration from the region’s distinct ecosystems. The concept leans into the idea that where ingredients grow can shape everything from flavour to texture and aroma, translating those environmental influences into cocktails designed to engage more than just your taste buds.If the last edition of the series was any indication, you might want to arrive with a fully charged phone. The cocktails here tend to be masterfully presented as they are drinkable, and you’ll likely find yourself snapping photos before taking a sip.The menu was created by the Botanist Bar team led by creative beverage director Grant Sceney and lead bartender Justin Powell. For this iteration, they looked to three familiar symbols of the Pacific Northwest: shells, apples and mushrooms. Each ingredient represents a different microclimate, from the coastal waters to the inland valleys and temperate rainforests that define the region.“Shells, apples, and mushrooms are symbols of place,” Sceney said in a release. “Each carrying the story of their ecosystem into liquid form through a glass vessel.”Three cocktails anchor the collection:Under the Sea channels the coastal environment with local dry gin and akvavit paired with dill, cucumber, fennel, alkaline minerals and an actual seashell element. Forbidden Fruit turns its attention inland. The apple-forward cocktail combines pisco, Poire William, clarified apple and apple peel oleo with hibiscus, ginger, Benedictine and grape soda. Then there’s Kinopio, inspired by the region’s temperate rainforests. Built with Cuban rum and mezcal alongside beets, carrots, matsutake mushrooms, ginger and lemon foam, the drink leans earthy and aromatic, with a coniferous tonic tying everything together.In other words, these aren’t the kind of cocktails you casually order and forget about. Even if you don’t know your microclimates from your mescal, the new menu invites guests to slow down, take a look around and maybe admire their drink from a few angles before diving in. Join the discussion Facebook comments not loading? Please check your browser settings to ensure that it is not blocking Facebook from running on straight.com