Ask Your Bartender

With spring here a month early, it’s officially time to come out of hibernation. That means fighting off your inner couch potato and hitting the clubs, where you’d be wise to ask for one of the following drinks, suggested by the bartenders who lovingly pour them.

Disco Dale, Red Room
The drink: Red Room Passion
Word from the bartender: “Vodka, Red Bull, soda, and cranberry juice. It really gets you hammered—and wired.”

Brendan Wright, Buffalo Club
The drink: Rocky Mountain Bear Fucker
Word from the bartender: “Have you ever heard of this? It’s pretty much the most potent shot there is: a third tequila, a third Jack Daniel’s, and a third 151 [rum]. If you’re out with a buddy and you want to give him something to put him right over the edge, ask for a double. People sometimes get green and walk right for the washroom.”

Clay Holmes, Cobalt
The drink: Bloody China White
Word from the bartender: “It’s kind of like a black-forest-cake drink: crí¨me de cacao, Baileys, and cherry liqueur. It tastes like black-forest cake, all chocolatey, with a cherry centre.”

Trevor Poirier, Yagger’s
The drink: Vanilla Ice
Word from the bartender: “What’s in it is Vanilla Stoli, Jí¤germeister, root-beer schnapps, and ginger ale. We’re about Jí¤germeister, but sometimes people like to have Jí¤germeister liqueur without the burn. The root-beer schnapps gives this a bit of sweetness, and then we top it off with a blue curaí§ao–soaked cherry for a cool presentation.”

Allana Farnell, Media Club
The drink: Lanny G
Word from the bartender: “They actually named this drink after me. It’s a shot—crí¨me de cacao, Frangelico, and a hint of Kahlúa—shaken. It tastes like a smooth, creamy, chocolate kiss.”