Happy World Cocktail Day. The one occasion where ordering a second round counts as cultural participation.
We've been quietly making the case that better cocktails start with better whisky. Our Wheated Rye slides in here perfectly: soft where a lot of ryes are sharp, with enough complexity to hold its own neat, and enough versatility to work in whatever you put in front of it. Old Fashioned, Highball, or something you've been tinkering with for the past six months.
Today feels like the right day to put it to work. What are you building with it?
This Sunday is the last one.
Surfs Up Sunday has been a fixture at the SOV Lounge for a few years now, and it wouldn't have been any of it without @sheadhogan behind the bar. He's shown up every week with a Sunday-exclusive tiki menu and a genuine enthusiasm for the job that made the whole thing work.
If you've pulled up a barstool on a Sunday night at any point over the years, thank you. It's been a good run.
This weekend is your last chance to catch Shea on a Sunday night. Tropical shirt still gets you 10% off. Some things should stay consistent right up until the end.
The final Surfs Up Sunday with Shea Hogan
Sunday, May 10
5 – 9 PM
It's Cinco de Mayo. It's also famously Taco Tuesday. That makes margs and tacos essentially mandatory.
The SOV Margarita is built around our Quadruple Sec, and not because it's convenient. Because it's genuinely better. Two kinds of orange: bitter chinotto for depth, navel for brightness, and an extra, extra, extra, extra dry finish that keeps things sharp from first sip to last. None of the cloying sweetness that turns a Margarita into a dessert cocktail before you've made it halfway through the first round.
SOV Margarita
2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz SOV Quadruple Sec
¾ oz fresh lime juice
Shake hard, strain over ice, and salt rim.
Tacos sold separately.
Grab a bottle of Quadruple Sec at the tasting room or online at store.sonsofvancouver.ca.
@sheadhogan is pouring the second-to-last round of Surfs Up Sunday this week, and once the tiki torches go out on May 10th, they're out for good. If you've been meaning to swing by for one of Shea's tropical classics or originals, the window is officially coming to a close. Grab a seat at the bar, let him mix you something that tastes like a beach vacation, and pretend you're somewhere tropical for a few glorious hours.
Surfs up Sunday with Shea Hogan
Every week until May 10
5 - 9 PM
The rain’s paused it's tapping on the windows, and the bar smells like espresso and citrus peel. Enter the Carajillo Piquante, our spicy, bittersweet pick-me-up for those cool spring evenings.
Built with SOV Coffee Liqueur, Chili Vodka, Licor 43, Amaro Averna, and cold brew coffee, then crowned with an Oreo foam that brings a little sweet balance to all that rich, roasty flavour.
It’s the kind of drink that makes you realize two things: that you love a good coffee cocktail… and that you need to order another.
BAR OPEN:
TUES-FRI 5-9pm
SAT 1-9pm
SUN 5-9pm
All good things must come to an end and Surfs Up Sunday is riding its final wave. After one last run of tropical escapes, bar legend @sheadhogan will be packing up the tiki menu on Sunday, May 10th. That gives you just a few more Sundays to trade rainy North Van for a balmy island night, sip your way through Shea's perfectly mixed tiki classics and originals, and dream about summer sun and sandy beaches.
Don't let this one drift away, come in before it's gone.
Surfs up Sunday with Shea Hogan
Every week until May 10
5 - 9 PM
You know that feeling when you're trying to be responsible, healthy groceries, good habits, big week at work; and then the bulk candy aisle happens?
One bin catches your eye. Those red berry gummies. The ones from the movie theatre when you were a kid. "Just a taste wouldn't kill me…"
That's the exact feeling we kept coming back to while putting together our 18th release “Off-brand nordic red berry gummies”. A blend of 100% rye aged 3.5 to 4.5 years, matured in ex-bourbon and new American oak; and somehow, against all odds, it smells exactly like a candy shop.
The nose opens with bright red berry candy and cherry syrup, with a little cola bottle thrown in for good measure. On the palate you get sweet nougat, a sarsaparilla root beer thing that's hard to explain but impossible to miss, and a finish that settles into polished oak.
Release #18 drops this Saturday at 1 PM at the distillery and online at store.sonsofvancouver.ca
Set your alarms.
If you’re like us and moths fly out of your wallet every time you open it, then a trip to the tropics might not be in the budget. But lucky for you, Surfs Up Sunday at the SOV Lounge is your weekly ticket to the tropics; no passport required.
Our resident tiki legend, @shaedhogan is shaking up island-inspired cocktails, and if you show up in a tropical shirt we’ll knock 10% off your drinks, it’s that simple.
Come by for a few, your tropical escape is just a barstool away.
Surfs up Sunday with Shea Hogan
Every week
5 - 9 PM
The calendar says March, but the weather’s still doing its moody west coast thing. One minute it’s bright, the next it’s sideways rain and you’re rethinking your life choices.
That’s where the Amaretto Coffee comes in.
Our No. 82 Amaretto brings rich vanilla and honeyed warmth to your favourite brew (we’re partial to our neighbours at @mojacoffee ), topped with lightly whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. It’s simple, comforting, and exactly what you want in hand when spring is technically here but hasn’t fully committed yet.
It’s less “fall sweater weather” and more “March pretending to be dramatic.” Either way, it works.
Swing by the distillery and grab a bottle of No. 82 Amaretto. Your coffee deserves better than being left to fend for itself.
Some whiskies belong on a dimly lit bar shelf. This one? It belongs wherever you are.
Our Wheated Rye is as beautiful as the landscape behind it, rich vanilla, toasted sugar, rye spice, and charred oak, bottled at a solid 50.5% ABV. It’s the kind of whisky you take on an adventure, not just admire from across the room.
Sip it neat, pour it by the fire, or pass it around with friends who appreciate the good stuff. Just don’t let it sit too long, it wasn’t made to collect dust. And if you’re already thinking about the day your bottle runs dry, don’t worry, there’s plenty more where this came from.
March might not know what season it wants to be, but the Esplanadier is very sure of itself.
Our take on a Boulevardier leans into Wheated Rye instead of gin, bringing a richer backbone and a little extra warmth to the classic bitter-sweet balance. It’s stirred down with Amaro Classico from our friends at Woods Spirit Co. and Italian red vermouth, landing somewhere between refined and dangerously easy to order a second.
It’s the kind of cocktail that feels right on a grey west coast evening, bold, balanced, and just moody enough to match the forecast.
Swing by the SOV Lounge and let us stir one up for you, or mix one at home if you’re feeling capable.
The Amaretto Sour is back and better than ever – no neon sour mix in sight! This beauty has been around since the '70s, but not all recipes are created equal.
Our house recipe is based on that of the legendary Jeffrey Morganthaler, who claims to make the best one in the world. We’re happy to take 2nd place with our variation on his work, the No. 82 Amaretto Sour, made with SOV No. 82 amaretto (duh), rye whisky (ideally SOV Wheated Rye), lime, lemon, egg white, and angostura. The split of amaretto and rye, paired with the split of lime and lemon, provides a roundness and balance to the drink that’s superb. Swapping the bourbon for rye adds more dryness, which is accentuated by the angostura bitters on the finish.
Swing by the distillery to grab yourself a bottle of Amaretto, and while you're here, stay and enjoy an Amaretto Sour, always available at our bar no matter the season.
