Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, Alta.
@fairmontbanff
Drinking outdoors is one of life’s greatest pleasures, even more so if you’re doing it amid the majestic Rocky Mountains, with libations from one of Canada’s brightest young bartenders.
The view from the Rundle Bar patio at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, the so-called Castle in the Rockies, is spectacular. With unobstructed views of Sulphur Mountain and the jagged peaks of Mount Rundle, the patio’s picturesque panorama changes with the seasons, from a snow-capped winter wonderland to a lush green valley glistening with brilliant turquoise glacial pools.
The drinks are equally stunning. Try the house sangria, a summer sipper that pours the great outdoors straight into your glass. It blends wine with Spirit Lake Tea made from white pine, sage and sweet grass, all ethically wildcrafted by First Nations peoples in Banff National Park.
Sam Clark, a three-time Diageo World Class Canada finalist and the Fairmont’s regional manager of bars and mixology, oversees the programs at all three western mountain properties (Banff Springs, Château Lake Louise and Jasper Park Lodge). Working closely with local distilleries, the Liverpool-born spirits enthusiast (who previously ran the bar programs at Glenkinchie Distillery) recently launched two new house spirits — Fairmont Untamed signature whisky and Fairview Winter Gin.
His new line of Mountain Series bottled cocktails includes Wild Flower, a citrusy martini made with butterfly pea flower–infused house gin, perfect for basking in the sunshine and for recreating the incredible Rundle Bar ambience at home.
THE HISTORIC VIEW
Awestruck Rundle Bar patio revellers can thank the disastrous fire of 1926 for the vista. When the Banff Springs Hotel opened in 1888, the original five-storey structure was built backwards. The mindboggling construction mistake was corrected when the hotel was razed and rebuilt, with the lobby reoriented toward the mountains as American architect Bruce Price had intended.
In the late 1990s, the breathtaking view of Canada’s oldest national park seemed better suited to leisurely imbibing than to hasty arrivals and checkouts. The Rundle Bar moved into the lobby, acquiring its grand staircase and sweeping entranceway (now the alfresco veranda). In 2020 the two-level bar received a modern makeover. One of its soaring arches was fashioned into a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, hiding a secret passageway into a plush speakeasy. Outside, the patio retains its original baronial charm.
—REBECCA FELGATE
