Created to recognise the importance of hospitality in the bar experience, the award is voted for by 260 members of North America’s 50 Best Bars Academy. The industry experts, all based in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, are asked to name the bar where they received the best hospitality experience during the voting period.  

Mark Sansom, content director for North America’s 50 Best Bars, said: “The Canadian bar community has forged a culture of exceptional hospitality that Botanist Bar exemplifies. Located at the far Western edge of the continent, the bar welcomes locals and travellers alike, with the bar team giving their all every shift to guarantee a memorable and bespoke experience for each guest.”

Botanist Bar, led under the guidance of creative beverage director Grant Sceney and head bartender Jeff Savage, is based in the Botanist restaurant in the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel. Inspired by the principles of botany, the bar celebrates the Pacific Northwest’s biodiversity in its culinary-forward approach.

Savage said: “Winning the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award is a distinct and humbling honour. We have cheered from afar watching bars we admire receive this accolade and to be a part of the conversation alongside them is a gift. Hospitality is truly the most important aspect of what we do at Botanist. It’s ingrained in every decision we make. We’re blessed to be in a position to act as an ambassador for Canada and the Pacific Northwest.” 

This is the first in a series of pre-announced awards in the month leading up to the second annual announcement of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2023, a live awards ceremony taking place at Hacienda Los Picachos in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico on 4 May 2023.