Stirred, Not Shaken: Strawberry Youth at Vancouver's Oakridge x Pac Rim Patio evokes a summery mood
Fairmont Pacific Rim creative beverage director Grant Sceney combines fresh garden favourites with Botanist Gin and Champagne for this al fresco cocktail
Stirred, Not Shaken is Stir’s cocktail series featuring locally made drinks that incorporate the best-of-B.C. ingredients. Sometimes, the beverages are shaken.
A TERRACED RICE paddy-inspired dining spot is bringing a bit of green to downtown Vancouver complete with sculpted shrubbery that would make Edward Scissorhands proud: the Oakridge x Pac Rim Patio (in partnership with Westbank) is a mini reflection of the planned 10-acre public park at Oakridge Centre, which will be partially on the mall’s rooftop and partially at ground level.
For the summer at Fairmont Pacific Rim, the hotel plaza has been transformed into an urban oasis with greenery and carved topographic forms. The grass patio comes complete with picnic tables, sun umbrellas, lounge furniture, fire pits, live music, and a food truck emblazoned with hot pink florals helmed by Fairmont Pacific Rim executive chef Damon Campbell. (A former captain of Culinary Team Canada at the Culinary Olympics, earning four gold medals, Campbell has held roles at the French Laundry, Diva at the Met, Shangri-La, among other notable places.) Look for upscale-casual dishes like Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl, Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, Food Truck Nachos, Asian Crunch Noodle Salad, Garlic Parmesan Fries, and more.
Behind the bar list is the hotel’s creative beverage director, Grant Sceney. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, he began bartending at 18 then went to work at an exclusive five-star property on the Great Barrier Reef. After bartending in Whistler for the 2010 Winter Games, he came to Vancouver.
A certified Specialist of Spirits, Sceney is a past World Class Canada Bartender of the Year, a former competitor representing Canada in the Diageo World Class finals in the United Kingdom, and education director for Canadian Professional Bartending Association (BC Chapter). He oversaw the cocktail development of Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Botanist restaurant, which made it onto several global lists of best new bars after it opened in 2017.
Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, Bruichladdich Islay Scotch, Cointreau, and Casamigos Mezcal all show up in the patio cocktails. Botanist Gin forms the base of Strawberry Youth, which Sceney concocted with rhubarb, strawberry, chamomile, citrus, and Champagne to evoke a summery mood.
“I love to garden,” Sceney tells Stir of his inspiration for the drink. “I also love to walk through local markets. You get to see what’s fresh and growing, and then use those ingredients at their peak. In this case it’s the perfect season for strawberries and rhubarb- an ideal pairing with gin.”
Fairmont Pacific Rim executive chef Damon Campbell has created casual-upscale fare for the Oakridge x Pac Rim Pop-Up Patio.
More information is at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.
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