Inside Club Pelicano, Montreal’s French Swimming Pool-Themed Bar | Eater Montreal

"Tucked under Peruvian-Japanese restaurant Tiradito, I found a basement bar that’s easy to miss from the street but unforgettable once inside: a swimming pool–themed layout with foot-tall stepped levels, blue tiles with a “No Diving” sign spelled into the floor, high wood ceilings and medieval stone walls that together give off a 1930s Paris art-déco vibe. Owner David Schmidt discovered the space while opening Tiradito and, inspired by the Piscine Molitor, intentionally fashioned the venue to feel like an old public bathhouse; it opened in April 2018 and quickly earned Eater Montreal’s 2018 Bar of the Year for its effortlessly cool ambiance. The bar is DJ-heavy and music-centric but equally serious about cocktails, centering on aperitivos inspired by southern France, northern Spain and Italy; Schmidt also pushed the menu toward zero-waste practices—reusing citrus (zesting, juicing, boiling for cordial, rehydrating for garnish or salt and then composting the remainder), making almond coffee syrup from used grounds, and sourcing many liquors locally—which he says cut waste in half. Because it’s underground it attracts a late-night crowd, the zero-waste drinks are often priced lower, and staff still wrestle with convincing patrons of their value, but the rotating drink list and DJs keep the chic, transportive experience consistently different and needed in Montreal." - Audrey Carleton