Vancouver’s top bartender Sabrine Dhaliwal knows she’s hit gold with a new creation, that’s usually easy to tell from the reaction of the person on the barstool. Even more gratifying is the feedback she received from her peers. “There’s not one telltale sign when you’ve made something great, but there are times when I’m like ‘Well, that was spectacular,’ ” she says. “It does happen, where you’re like ‘Holy shit!’ I work with Lily Duong as well, as she’s been bartending for 20 years now. She has incredible experience and an incredible palate as well. When she tastes something and her eyes light, that’s when I go ‘I nailed it.’ She’s one of the most underrated bartenders in the city. And she’s someone that I really look up to.” 

VANCOUVER - While Vancouver has no shortage of cocktail-scene kings and queens, the Georgia Straight newspaper readers have chosen Sabrine Dhaliwal as top-gun bartender in the city.

Being consistently recognized as one of the greats is something Dhaliwal is used to by now, but that doesn’t make the gold-star mixologist her own biggest fan. Informed that she’s been voted Best Bartender in the Georgia Straight’s annual Golden Plates awards, the veteran Vancouver mixologist’s first reaction is a telling one, the newspaper wrote recently.

 “I’m very honoured and very thankful for that recognition,” Dhaliwal says in an interview with the Straight. “We live in a city where we’re spoiled with bartenders. So to be recognized as one of the—I don’t want to say ‘elite’, because that’s not the right word—but one of the leaders, I guess you could say, is humbling. I don’t think that I’m doing anything different than anyone else. I’m just kind of doing my thing—trying to make cocktails approachable, and trying to make bar experiences approachable and welcome for everybody.”

Raised in Ontario and first arriving in Vancouver around the 2010 Olympics, Dhaliwal quickly began making a name for herself. A chance move behind the bar at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s Reflections was followed by stints at West and Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar. For the past year she’s been busy establishing the Chickadee Room in Chinatown as one of the best new drink destinations in the city.

The cocktail program getting all the attention at Chickadee appeals to forward-thinking adventurists without forgetting that some folks are unrepentant traditionalists. Dhaliwal and her team explore new terrain with drinks like Return of the Sumac (sumac-infused blanco tequila, cynar, Amontilado sherry, and lem-merrakech bitters) and Super Amaro Bros (Hennessy, blended vermouth, Averna, apricot liqueur, tamarind, and coffee bitters). But they also offer the familiar with classics such as the Brown Derby, Bourbon Sour, and Caipirinha.

As for how Dhaliwal knows she’s hit gold with a new creation, that’s usually easy to tell from the reaction of the person on the barstool. Even more gratifying is the feedback she received from her peers. Dhaliwal said she is not interested in impressing herself, that’s because she sees herself lucky to be working in a city with no shortage of bartending rock stars.

“There’s not one telltale sign when you’ve made something great, but there are times when I’m like ‘Well, that was spectacular,’ ” she says. “It does happen, where you’re like ‘Holy shit!’ I work with Lily Duong as well, as she’s been bartending for 20 years now. She has incredible experience and an incredible palate as well. When she tastes something and her eyes light, that’s when I go ‘I nailed it.’ She’s one of the most underrated bartenders in the city. And she’s someone that I really look up to.” 

Courtesy Georgia Straight