Get cozy with a cocktail at these 7 Victoria bars this fall
Autumn's not all pumpkin spice and cinnamon
Fall is one of Tasting Victoria’s favourite times of year—and not just because of the pumpkin spice. The season transitions from white to red wines, hazy IPAs to dark stouts, and the cocktails go from fun and fruity, to deep and brooding.
To celebrate the fruits of all the fall elixirs, we curated a list of some of the finest bars and restaurants in the city featuring some fabulous fall cocktails this season.
Check it out.
Clive’s Classic Lounge
Clive’s Classic Lounge is the perfect cozy spot for fall, and its Espresso Martini Frappe is probably the perfect cocktail to pair with the weather. Made with Belvedere Vodka, Kamora Coffee Liqueur, and Discovery Coffee, this frozen and whipped drink is the perfect blend of fall flavours and summer texture.
Address: 740 Burdett Ave.
Hours: Tues-Thurs, 5pm to 12am; Fri-Sat, 5pm to 1am.
Instagram: @clivesclassiclounge
Citrus & Cane
Citrus & Cane is a cozy spot to grab drinks with friends. Try Don Draper’s Puerto Rican Weekend, an old fashioned with the flavours of a pina colada, or One Night in Oaxaca– with mezcal, manitou orange, and sumac.
Address: 1900 Douglas St, Victoria
Hours: Friday and Saturday, 5-11pm; Sunday and Thursday, 6-11pm
Instagram: @citrusandcane
Cenote
Check out Cenote this fall season. Notable cocktail standouts include Granny Smith Goes to Washington—with Jameson, apple pie syrup, and green chartreuse– and The Gunslinger, made with rye, espresso liqueur, and chili and chocolate mole bitters.
Address: 768 Yates St, Victoria
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 5pm-midnight; Friday and Saturday, 5pm-1am
Instagram: @cenotevictoria
Humboldt Bar
The colder months are the perfect time to find a cozy spot and enjoy a killer cocktail. Humboldt Bar is the ideal spot to do so. Try its Cotopaxi—with Nicaraguan rum, fig, and cacao—or its Life in the Woods, made with bourbon, candy cap mushroom, and grand fir.
Address: 722 Humboldt St, Victoria
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, 6pm-midnight; Friday and Saturday, 6am-1am.
Instagram: @humboldtbarvictoria
Wind Cries Mary
Wind Cries Mary does up gorgeously delicious cocktails. Its Vaporwave—made with cedar gin, eucalyptus, and black cardamom—is a refreshing take on a fall cocktail. Alternatively, try Laundry & Taxes—a combination of maple leaf brandy, strawberry, and everything bagel seeds.
Address: 45 Bastion Square, Victoria
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 4pm-1am
Instagram: @windcriesmary.vic
Artemis Whiskey Bar
Artemis Whiskey Bar has a surprise. It’s called the Sweet Surprise cocktail: a mix of cognac, chocolate liqueur, merlot, cream, and syrup with added bitters. The Sweet Surprise is a perfect mix of ingredients that will put you at ease into those darker winter days.
Address: 560 Johnson St.
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 7-11pm; Fri-Sat, 5pm-12am; and Sunday, 4-9pm.
Instagram: @whiskeyatartemis
Q at the Empress
Put on your Sunday best at Q at the Empress, and fly away with Q’s Up and Away cocktail made with don julio añejo, habanero cinnamon syrup, orange bitters, citrus foam, edible paint and 24k gold to top it off. It’s spiced, subtle and can be upgraded with don julio 1942 for an extra special version.
Address: 721 Government St.
Hours: Every day, 11:30am-9:30pm
Instagram: @qattheempress