About Me



Hello, my name is Vincent Vanderheide and I’ve been bartending here in lovely Victoria, British Columbia for about three and a half years.  Before that I spent ten or so years in the horticulture industry buying toys and paying my way through the first five years of my university education.  Horticulture was the occupation of my ancestors and so that is what I naturally fell into.  However, as soon as I was allowed to buy alcohol, I installed a bar in my bedroom and bought my first bar book – a shiny red copy of Mr. Boston’s bartending guide.  It was only after ‘playing bartender’ for four years that I finally applied for and got a job bussing at Canoe Brewpub & Restaurant.
While bussing, I took home a copy of the drink list, bought all the spirits and liqueurs used in the cocktails at the time (hence some of the kiddie bottles behind my bar) and started inviting people over for parties where Canoe’s drinklist served as the party list so I could practice.  Between holding those parties and shadowing on my own time, as soon as the summer was over, I finally got a job ‘behind the stick’.  Since then I endevoured to read and learn as much as I could about the trade and use what I learned to advance the bar program there.
As a result I was asked to design a list for a new restaurant and have worked at a couple of other bars in the meantime all the while staying at Canoe because of the creative freedom that I am afforded.  I have found myself going through creative highs and lows and so I’ve started this blog as a way to encourage myself to continue experimenting and trying new things with wine, spirits, beer and cocktails.
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