It’s rare that I go to a bar and don’t quite understand what’s going on. (Hold the comments, please). In Whistler’s swanky Bearfoot Bistro, I saw a bar made of ice with what I thought were tealights in the ice, a group of people in white parkas and Russian fur hats in a private room, and read great quotes on the menu until I belly-laughed. The bar: A week’s worth of ice buildup surrounded the circular bar area. You could chat with many friends, and watch the bartendeder work magic. I didn’t figure out that the tealights were actually champagne flutes without their bases until my drink was mixed in front of my eyes. Lights underneath the glasses morph the champagne concoctions into extraordinary colours. The Vodka Room: The fur-clad gang was in the vodka tasting room, which is kept at –25 degrees. Brrrr. Groups can go in and taste some of the world’s most coveted vodkas. The Sabre: Yup. Sabre as in SWORD. In homage to a tradition dating back to Napoleon, you can celebrate a special event by slicing the top off the top of the champagne bottle. In the words of Dean Martin: “I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.”
