“I focus on the ebbs and flows of the coastal offerings we have here on Vancouver Island,” he said. “We work with local foragers, farmers, and distillers to honor the strong roots of hotel bars and their relationship with classic cocktails.”

The Azure Road Take

Tall cream lilies, lacey limelight hydrangeas, and twining curly willows create a dramatic natural partition between the bar and the restaurant. Brass accents and rich wood tones lend Mid-Century sensibility to the space. Buzzy conversations erupt as imbibers sip inventive cocktails served in local artisan glassware from reusable metal straws.

“Supporting local artists, sourcing from local farms and foragers is part of our ethos,” The Courtney Room Bar Manager Anton Wilson said. “We’re giving business to the community and introducing international travelers to all the beautiful flavors and craftsmanship right here in Victoria.”

He designs the cocktail menu as an immersive exploration of the Pacific Northwest. The Pushing Daisies brings foraged oxeye daisies, local kelp-based Akvavit, and his commitment to layered, experimental flavors grounded in classic technique to the glass.

“I focus on the ebbs and flows of the coastal offerings we have here on Vancouver Island,” he said. “We work with local foragers, farmers, and distillers to honor the strong roots of hotel bars and their relationship with classic cocktails.”

Sustainability Chops

Biosphere Certified Magnolia Hotel and Spa on Vancouver Island exudes sustainable practices on all fronts, from the trails that lead guests to local craftsmen and experiences via bicycle to responsible energy and water initiatives and implementation of zero plastic throughout the hotel and their onsite restaurant and bar, the Courtney Room. Partnerships with local farmers and fishermen represent an important community tie that underpins the food and beverage program.

Their signature cocktail menu, a stylish black book of recipes, highlights Wilson’s collaboration with local tattoo artist Cate Webb of Black Cat Tattoo. A fan of her traditional poke and stick ink work, Wilson gave her the drink recipes and lists of foraged ingredients to create pen and ink visuals that embody the cocktail’s character.

“Restaurants and bars consume goods at an alarming rate. We try to do everything we can on the bar to stem the waste,” he said. Always thinking about elongating the life of ingredients, Wilson turns to the heritage practices of pickling and preserving to create tinctures from ingredients nearing the end of their lives. Orange peels rim an Old Fashioned, and a spritz made from expressed oil adds aroma to other cocktails. To ensure they utilize every part of the fruit, they make citric sherbet syrup from all the peeled limes, lemons, grapefruit, and oranges.

The Sip

The Pushing Daisies, a punch-like blend of Greek Yogurt Akvavit, oxeye daisy tincture, fresh dill liqueur, saffron apple tea, and spiced olive oil, pays homage to Mediterranean flavors grounded in Pacific Northwest ingredients. He tapped Sheringham Distillery up the road for the base spirit, Akvavit. Crafted from sustainably harvested winged kelp, it lends notes of dill, caraway, anise, and citrus to the drink. To add texture, he turned to Greek yogurt. Wilson employed the classic technique of fatwashing — he combined the Akvavit with full-fat Greek yogurt and froze the mixture for 24 hours to imbue it with all the flavors and unctuousness of the fat in a crystal clear form.

The star of this beverage, though, is the oxeye daisy tincture. Wilson called their forager Lance and asked him to procure some oxeye daisy roots. He took the green sprouts and applied his reverse sous vide method to extract all the bitter herbal brightness. As the final touch, he drops three dollops of pepper-infused olive oil on the drink’s surface.

Origin Story

Wilson leans on his art school background during the drink development stage. He knew the spirits he wanted to work with so he put them all in a hat and had his bartenders each draw one. Then, he tasked them with creating a cocktail that highlighted that spirit. The Pushing Daisies came to life. Once Wilson finalized the recipe, he turned it over to Webb to breathe a visual identity into the beverage.

“I wanted to create an elevated menu that also gives back to the community. So I thought, why not highlight another small local business an artist runs? And Cate does beautiful, delicate line work,” he said.