Who | Michael Dove Smith
Where | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Current Bar | Ama
Past Bar(s) | Bartholomew’s Public House (Victoria), Sheringham Distillery (Langford, BC), Strathcona Hotel (Victoria), Rob Roy’s (St John’s)
Favourite Spirit | Rum, always. Gin and Scotch are close seconds, Everything else? Close Third.
Favourite Juice | Lime juice straight up
Favourite Classic Cocktail | Mai tai or a El Pres
First Classic Cocktail you ever had | A “virgin” piña colada at an underwater bar during a family vacation to Cuba.
Favourite Part of the Job | How tight knit the community is and that moment when you land the perfect name for your cocktail.
Favourite After Work Drink | Endless Kanpai
Favourite bar in the world | Panda & Son’s (Edinburgh) or Humboldt Bar (Victoria)
Best known for | Attempting to justify bringing a unicycle into a bar, also cocktail puns
Favourite “at work” memory | St. Patricks Day at Bartholomew’s when the tariffs hit and we only got kegs of Guinness; banging on the empty last keg with a spoon two hours later only to get booed back to the bar
What’s the most popular cocktail in your city? Toronto
Favourite thing about your city | That is never rains
Who is your favourite fictional bartender? Kevin Ball
What was the last photo that you took? A slide in a neuroscience lecture I snuck into I deemed top priority to understand; it’s not going well.
Where is one place that you have never been but would like to travel to? Eastern Africa is the dream, horseback in the Yellowstone’s a close second
Any claims to fame? Flor De Cana Nationals & Hennessy My Way – Western Regionals in 2025 , and WSET level 2 distinction so far!
Aperitivo or Digestivo? Digestivo
Sparkling or Flat? Tough one, most of the time flat
Paper Plane or Penicillin? Penicillin with Octomore
Sherry or Vermouth? If it’s amontillado, sherry. Anything else, Vermouth
Are you available for freelance gigs? Absolutely
Find them: Instagram
