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Photo courtesty Lavish Liquid

Photo courtesy BearManor Media

Photo courtesy Dreamworks Pictures & Twentieth Century Fox

Our City Tonight

By Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins

Published 11:39 PDT, Fri May 9, 2025

Spotlight on late spring cocktail, something to read, something to view

THE SIP – Limoncello Sour

With patio season here again, more and more people will be adding that outdoor space to their home parties. This will require patio cocktails. With that in mind, we turned to one of our cocktail experts, Chris Chuy, long-time cocktail enthusiast, industry veteran and the owner/operator of Lavish Liquid, one of Vancouver’s first event bartender services, which began in 2009. Recently, Lavish Liquid expanded their offerings and cocktail list to honour Chris’ Italian background with an Italian inspired cocktail menu, wine & beer list, so we knew we’d be enjoying a cocktail creation Italian style. Chuy did not disappoint with his creation, Limoncello Sour. “This cocktail is great for spring and summer, you just close your eyes and let this cocktail take you to the Amalfi Coast.” One sip and we were already there. Ingredients for this delicious cocktail include 1oz Arbutus Limoncello, 1oz Strega, 1oz Lemon Juice and 1oz Egg White. Chuy explains that the blend of Limoncello and herbaceous Strega is a well balanced yet simple cocktail that anyone can make and enjoy. More information at lavishliquid.com

THE READ – Can’t Stop Dancing by James E. Hibbard

James E. Hibbard is the perfect example of that old adage, find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life. In his case it was dancing, something he has been doing professionally for 65 years. In his long career this dancer, choreographer, singer, actor, producer and teacher has worked with a long list of legendary names, including Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Ann-Margret. He taught Sinatra a hip 60’s dance for Marriage on the Rocks, and helped actress Jean Simmons in Elmer Gantry. He was also there performing in iconic musicals like Bye Bye Birdie, Gypsy, Hello Dolly, and assisted many well-known names with their stage acts in Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe. Now comes his story in his words: Can’t Stop Dancing, which starts with his Idaho upbringing (and truly supportive parents) through his years in Hollywood (including 29 movies and over 200 tv episodes), to his decision with his wife to move the family to Vancouver in the early 1970s, where a whole new, albeit smaller, world was waiting for his creative talents to flourish. If you love film, musicals, and TV history; if names like Donald O’Connor, Julie Andrews, Bob Fosse, Tom Jones, as well as those long-gone, local nightclubs like The Cave, resonate with you, James E. Hibbard’s book is one you will want to read. bearmanormedia.com

THE CLASSIC – Road To Perdition

This 2002 film was part of our “Top Ten Films of the Decade, 2000-2010”, but to this day it remains criminally under-appreciated. Road to Perdition is set in the mid-West during the Depression of the 1930’s. Tom Hanks is Mike Sullivan, a gunman enforcer for mobster John Rooney (played by Paul Newman in one of his last great roles). Sullivan is also a family man, and when his eldest son witnesses a “hit”, Rooney’s son (played by Daniel Craig), uses the incident as an excuse to murder Sullivan’s family. But the eldest son survives, forcing Sullivan and his boy to flee and plan their revenge. It is during this time that the film beautifully shows the growing bond between a father and a son, and though revenge is the goal, redemption becomes part of the journey. This is one of Tom Hank’s best performances, and Jude Law, delivers one of his best early performances. Paul Newman adds a deeper layer to the film, as does Daniel Craig as the mobster’s weak son (after viewing this film and later Munich, we knew Craig as a gifted actor would make a great James Bond). Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, 1917, and one of the best Bond films, Skyfall), delivers a powerful, touching film, aided by cinematographer Conrad Hall (who won an Oscar for this film) and the haunting music of legendary composer Thomas Newman.