If it's possible to have a spirit animal, I say it's possible to have a spirit bar. Guys, I've found mine.

Allow me to introduce you to the Revel Room, in Vancouver, B.C. It's a jazz and honky-tonk hall that serves up a mean menu of creative craft cocktails. Also, it's just a 15-hour road trip or a two-hour flight from the Bay Area. Labor Day Weekend, anyone?

If you find yourself in Vancouver's vibrant Gastown neighborhood, make the Revel Room one of your stops. Ask for a  banister-side table upstairs for a great view of the band and settle in for a great evening of live music and fun drinks. One of my favorite cocktails was the Secret Garden ($12.50 CAD), a refreshing elixir of gin, apple juice, vanilla, elder flower, lemon egg white and mint. I also loved the Stay Puft S'More ($14), which included rye, creme de cacao, Irish cream, peaty scotch and two toasted marshmallows and graham crackers. Fair warning: the marshmallows are soaked in scotch. 

As good as the cocktails are, music is the star of the show here. Check the calendar for an up-to-date schedule of acts that range from rockabilly Texas swing to jazz, blues and soul. Cheers!

Details
Where: 238 Abbott Street at Cordova, Gastown, Vancouver, B.C.
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday, 4 p.m. to midnight. Closed Monday. 
Website: www.revelroom.ca

Bonus Tip
Stop by early to get a table. This place fills up quickly, and for good reason!