Meet my Friend Pablo

Studio 54 and West Hollywood have cross-pollinated on Jasper Avenue

On the wall at Pablo hangs a candid snap of Andy Warhol, Calvin Klein, Brook Shields, and Steve Rubell carousing at Studio 54, circa 1981. Combine that panache with a splash of West Hollywood neon and sub-tropical greenery and you start to catch the vibe this petit cocktail club exudes. Not even a year old and already this Edmonton hotspot has placed #19 in Canada’s Best Bars and joined the ten bars named “Best International High Volume Cocktail Bar” and “Best New International Cocktail Bar” in Tales of the Cocktail’s prestigious Spirited Awards for 2020.

The story goes that Kevin Cam of North53 and Baijiu approached James Grant and Natasha Trowsdale

in 2019 with a mind to opening a swanky late night spot focused strictly on drinks. Grant and Trowsdale turned

around and delivered an energetic and lighthearted cocktail program set in a room that makes every guest feel like a minor celebrity. ▶

WORDS BY JOE GURBA PHOTOGRAPHY BY TATYANA SEMENOVA

The peachy pearl sconces and green bankers’ lamps are lit low, the fluted banquettes are salmon pink, and the walls are adorned from head to toe with black-backed mirrors and icons of the 70s and 80s.

The menu is unashamed of elevating drinks the earlier renaissance cocktail bars had to forbid to first re-elevate the craft of bartending. Having journeyed far enough, Grant and Trowsdale reasoned, it was about time Edmonton brought a little playfulness back to great bartending, without abandoning rediscovered techniques. At Pablo you can find ridiculously skilled renderings of derided drinks like the Pornstar, the Stinger, and the Rusty Nail.

Being among the few quality oriented bar programs open until 2am, Pablo’s become a late night watering hole for well informed foodies (or for industry folk finishing shift!), but if you want to guarantee your seat, grab a drink here before 9:30 when the space quickly begins to fill. ▶

And if you’ve the stamina to go the distance, the last hour of every night is when Pablo really sparkles unlike any cocktail bar in Edmonton. Always beginning with In the Air Tonight and ending with Purple Rain, with a random assortment of karaoke hits in between, the whole bar breaks into a rousing sing along. ▶

James Grant

Pablo is a certified vibe, equal parts buttoned up and buttoned down. Check it out the moment they can re-open or take advantage of this rare moment in history to book a private event. Pablo Cocktail Lounge - Downstairs, 10432 Jasper Avenue.

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