A bartender’s place is”¦ behind the bar? Not in the case of four new restaurants—just opened or soon to be—with bartenders’ names on the leases. Three are partnerships—the Diamond, the Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe, and Pourhouse—while Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie has a single owner.

The Diamond, which opened at 6 Powell Street in Gastown in mid June, has three owners who are also bartenders: Mark Brand, Sophie Taverner, and Josh Pape. Bartender Steve Da Cruz and two partners will kick off the Corner Suite at 850 Thurlow Street in early August. Back in Gastown, barkeep (a term he loves) Jay Jones and partners are looking to September for Pourhouse (162 Water Street). Tannis Ling will launch Bao Bei at 163 Keefer Street in Chinatown in the late fall.

Is this a trend? Coincidence? Of the bartenders listed above, only Brand has already gotten his feet wet, with ownership in the two-year-old Boneta. But collectively, they have close to 60 years’ experience behind the wood. They’re also friends. “We’ve worked together and parallel to each other at different spots around town,” Da Cruz says, citing Chambar, West, Boneta, George, and the Cascade Room.

But why would they all open places now? And aren’t they in competition with one another?

Pourhouse’s Jones recently invited his entrepreneurial pals and other Gastown bartenders to lay the wood—a nearly 12-metre-long bar made from reclaimed 90-year-old Douglas fir—and christen it with Maker’s Mark bourbon. The event illustrates the cohesiveness of Vancouver’s bartending community.

I recently visited the Diamond and the others, all in varying stages of construction. I found answers, and four exciting, very different cocktail-focused restaurants.

But first, here’s a quick look at how Vancouver’s craft bartending and classic cocktail scene got to where it is—and that’s far from fruity, sweet “martinis”. The revival of craft bartending (which honours cocktail history and culture, along with spirit knowledge) and classic cocktails in this city was sparked early in the decade, thanks to Chris Stearns and Jamie Boudreau of Lumií¨re Tasting Bar. Other talent quickly emerged, such as Nick Devine, Jones, Da Cruz, and Taverner, as well as Brand, Pape, and Ling, who did lengthy stints at Chambar.

“Those days were golden at Chambar,” Brand says. “It’s where the city’s bartenders congregated. They’d be lined up, drinking it in and sharing notes.”

There are several reasons why they’re all taking the ownership leap now, including great leases to be had, availability of good tradespeople, and deals on equipment. Age is a factor too. “We’re all of the same generation—ranging from late 20s to mid 30s—and are at the stage when it’s time to stop working for someone else and start doing our own thing,” Jones says.

The Corner Suite’s Da Cruz agrees with the age angle, adding, “It’s easy to open in this economy, and there’s enough business for everyone.” Da Cruz is excited to give his compendium of classic cocktails a workout at his expansive pewter bar, which is complemented by white walls and modern baroque Belgian chairs. Drinks will be paired with a Mediterranean-inspired menu put together by partner and Food Network chef Anthony Sedlak.

“Seeing what Boneta has done inspired us,” says the Diamond’s Taverner. Her partner Pape adds, “It also helps how mainstream the local bar and cocktail scene is.” He explains that the general public has gained an appreciation for classic and high-quality cocktails, and that the city’s bartenders are happy to cultivate that. “We’re very serious as a group.”

The bartenders were ready to do something new, wanting to create “places where people come to relax, visit with friends, and sip a drink”, Pape says. It’s working. “The Diamond is very social. People stop in two or three times a week.”

“The timing is right,” Pourhouse’s Jones explains. “Last year there was a glut of new restaurants, and failures too. We’re eager to get things established. It’s time to put our money in if we’re staying in the industry.” His plan is to honour “the 1910 Leckie Building’s authenticity and integrity” with period furniture, chandeliers, and a saloon-style bar. The menu riffs on “food that our grandparents made, what we grew up on when times were simpler”. North American spirit-based cocktails, like those made from bourbon and tequila, will star at the bar.

Ling gives her reasons for starting her business. “I was at the pinnacle of bartending and trying to decide if I should carry on or go off in a different direction,” she says. “I’d always bartended in restaurants and always been into food.” She went to cooking school, but decided that owning her own place was the direction she was looking to go in: “I was just waiting for the right time.”

Ling wants Bao Bei (which means “honey” or “darling” in Mandarin) to be an “authentic, generous, comfortable experience with casual, rustic, simple food”. It will incorporate some of her Chinese mother’s recipes and Asian flavours from Ling’s travels.

All the bartenders interviewed agree that competition among them isn’t an issue. “When we go out, we’ll still be rotating through each other’s establishments, supporting each other with our business, sharing ideas and resources,” Brand says. “We’re family.”