Don’t play with your food! Isn’t that what we’ve always been told? Throw that mantra out the door at Habit Lounge where Nick Devine’s ‘reinvented retro’ cocktails require one to “shake and pour your own cocktail”.
A 1970s inspired cocktail list is only fitting in the retro-inspired room resonating decade appropriate disco tunes. Each drink is “redesigned using premium, fresh and natural ingredients. We’ve deconstructed each recipe and laid out the components ‘bento box’ style, along with shaker and glass”. I was skeptical when I first heard about the concept but found it was quite entertaining and the drinks were tasty!
Blue Hawaiian is typically concocted with rum, vodka, Blue Caracao, cream of coconut and pineapple juice. Nick’s rendition eliminates the excess sugar and artificial flavorings found in liqueurs, such as Malibu and Blue Curacao, by infusing Cuban white rum with natural coconut extract and house made “natural blue cointreau” made of spirulina extract infused Cointreau. The resulting drink delivers coconut with a kick and goes down quite easily.
‘Sloe Gin’ Fizz: To emulate sloe gin, liqueur flavored with sloe berries and not available in Canada, Nick infuses gin with Saskatoon berries, grown in the wild and available only by specialty order. 
Nick’s personal favorite off the list, he was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this particular creation, and so was I. A hint of sweetness, just the right amount of fruitiness, and only a splash of soda yield a particularly well-balanced drink. (Follow the instructions carefully; be sure not to add the soda before shaking or you risk a table side explosion.)
The dynamic Vancouver bar scene continues to evolve with some of the best talent in Canada, and definitely rivals most of the big US cities when it comes to cocktails. In a creative and competitive space, Nick has managed to create a unique experience and pulls it off with real style.
Check out Habit’s selection of ‘bento box’ cocktails: click here
Keep an eye out for exciting new changes next month at Habit. The dining room will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. Don’t worry, all of the retro cocktails will still be available as well as their impressive Canadian Whisky list.
Habit Restaurant + Bar
2610 Main Street | Vancouver
Tel: 604.709.8650
www.habitlounge.ca
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Perfect excuse to bring your alzheimer riddled granny.