cheryl davies, crystal holland, terri potratz
The first annual Vancouver Craft Beer Week came to a close last weekend, and I was lucky enough to attend the BC Craft Beer Tasting gala at the Edgewater Casino. This beer week was a celebration of small batch breweries that craft preservative-free beer right here in BC, and numerous sold-out events were held throughout Vancouver at popular hop slinging joints.
me and my brother Jeff Potratz (R) getting silly with beer expert Colin Jack (L)
Some familiar favourites were present at this gala event: Tin Whistle, Phillips, Tree Brewing, Red Truck Beer, R&B, Storm Brewing, and so on. Dead Frog launched a Pepper Lime Lager that was an absolute hit – if you see this beer, I highly recommend you snap it up off the shelves while you can.
Next up is the Canada Cup of Beer on July 9/10 at Thunderbird Stadium. I’ve also attended this event a couple years in a row and it is not to be missed. It’s like a massive treasure hunt, but for beer instead of gold or candy.
The folks from the newly launched Worship Museum had a little kick-off studio sale just down the block from me over the weekend, and there were lots of little treasures to be found. While much of the product I spied this weekend isn’t yet up online, I’m sure they’ll be updating regularly with new additions.
David Yochim’s drawings (above) remind me a bit of Chad VanGaalen’s animations, what with all the hands growing from unlikely places. Drawing should never go out of style; I aim to start investing in some quality hand-sketched goods to adorn my walls. My neighbour, who happens to be an editor for online arts rag Skewed Magazine, is excellent at leaving me delightfully weird gifts like this.
I picked up this wicked little tank from The Black Cat Audition with all sorts of magical things on it. Asking people which one of the pictures they would get tattooed on themselves has proved to be a fun little game (me: the quill and ink…though the magnet is a tempting second choice). Am now seriously considering getting one of these little iconic gems actually tattooed on myself.
Great jewelery from Sleep Standing Up (pictured above) and Anita Sikma was available at the sale as well – I would have purchased pieces from both of these talented designers if my wallet had allowed for it!
And finally, what’s a shopping excursion without the perfect bag…Ora Recycled Leather Bags convert used leather garments into fashionable and practical satchels. I’m slightly obsessed with the Bobby Bag, pictured above.
Keep your eyes on The Worship Museum for great gifts and knick-knacks weaned from the calloused hands of some of Vancouver’s most talented creators.
Vanessa Bourget and Terri Potratz. Raj Taneja photo.
Last week, Bombay Sapphire hosted an intimate soiree to showcase their newest cocktails and food pairings for the summer season. Rob Rainford of the TV show License to Grill demonstrated some BBQ techniques with Bombay-marinated lamb and steak while Merlin Griffiths, Bombay’s global brand ambassador and senior mixologist, showed us some delicious new cocktails. Last year’s event at the Shangri-La was absolutely stunning, and so too was this event at a loft in the heart of Gastown.
My favourite drink of the night was the Sapphire Sangaree:
4 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
2 oz Ruby Port
2 oz Cointreau
3.5 oz lemon juice
topped with seasonal fruits and mint for garnish.
(makes 4 cocktails/1 pitcher)
Visit the Bombay Sapphire website Inspired Entertaining section for loads of great recipes, mixology lessons, entertaining tips, and more. There’s some fantastic ideas for summer parties to be found. More photos of the event, courtesy of Raj Taneja and Urban Mixer, can be found here.
cheryl davies, crystal holland, terri potratz 
me and my brother Jeff Potratz (R) getting silly with beer expert Colin Jack (L)
