The Refinery

Cocktail Kitchen

CKS July 20 2011: Bartender Brad Stanton

Bartender: Brad Stanton
From: Hawksworth

About Brad Stanton:

Born and raised in Ottawa, Brad already had some 8 years experience working behind bars in nightclubs
and upscale bistros before deciding to head to the west coast. The bartending trade truly evolved into
a life passion and career shortly after his arrival in Vancouver in 2003. Upon arriving in Vancouver,
Brad soon found himself immersed in the quickly-evolving cocktail scene from his position of bar
manger at the renowned Blue Water Café. Here Brad offered his own cocktail creations using fresh,
healthy ingredients that complimented Blue Water’s diverse seafood menu. At Blue Water, Brad built
the ‘wall of whiskey’ that included a single-malt whiskey selection of 150+ bottles. In 2007, Opus
Hotels were next to pick up Brad and tasked him with transforming the cocktail program at Opus in
Vancouver before sending him to Montreal to implement a contemporary cocktail program for the
opening of KOKO Restaurant + Bar. Returning to Vancouver, Brad joined local legend Sebastien Le Goff
at Uva Wine bar and the resulting collaborative effort helped earn a gold award for best Bar/Lounge in
Vancouver at the prestigious Vancouver Magazine Awards for 2009. Brad has now begun work on the
much anticipated Hawksworth restaurant opening at the Georgia Hotel where he intends to introduce
Canada to a truly world-class bar and lounge experience. Brad is also a founding member and sitting
vice-president of the newly-formed Canadian Professional Bartenders Association (CPBA) which is a
collaborative of bartenders that strives to improve the standards of professional bartending across the
country.