Softer Drink

04/24/2026

Friday May 1 - Bar Tender Vol 3
Feat. Sara Graorac

6-9pm
Free entry. No RSVP required. Drop in, hang out.

Bar Tender is an ongoing series at Softer Drink where we invite a guest to select music and we make drinks inspired by their plant & drink thoughts/memories.

You can expect to encounter artemisia (wormwood), rosehips, and dandelion at this edition, and perhaps more.

🌹🔮

Sara Graorac is a Vancouver-based visual artist who contributed photography, branding/graphic design, and woven copper sconces to Softer's shop. She was a key part of helping us discover how to express Softer's identity as we built the shop's current form.

In addition to her visual arts practice, Sara is trained in somatic therapy and is also undertaking herbalism education. While all of this might suggest a subdued vibe, Sara is a woman of many surprises and we have good reason to believe she will come with bangers and party tunes. The aux cable is all hers though so whatever mood she wants to create will be up to her.

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You can hear Sara in conversation with Claire Saksun, the designer of the space, on Saturday May 2 as part of Design Victoria. At our shop, 10am. Tea provided.

04/14/2026

Sat May 2, 10-11am [Design Victoria]

Please join Claire Saksun (designer) and Sara Graorac (artist + brand work) for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Softer Drink Space, including the space itself and the branding/visual identity more broadly.

They'll dive into design philosophies, process, and how creative collaboration transforms ideas into an immersive experience —plus stories about the collaborators and makers who brought it to life.

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Also join us the night before for Bar Tender Vol 3, with Sara on the aux cord. 6-9pm. Casual. Drop in.

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Working with Claire and Sara this past year was honestly an honour and a crazy experience. We have many ideas about drinks, "bars", tea, colours, aesthetics, experience, memory, and more. With their help we feel like we've collectively created something very interesting, a visual reflection and physical expression of Softer's interests.

Hopefully we've also made a place that is immersive, inviting, and fun, that hopefully anyone would feel intrigued to spend some time. Pull up a stool to the bar and taste something new. Let your mind drift. See how the copper looks in different light. Watch the sun move past the ginkgo tree. Pass a few minutes or a few hours with us contemplating beverage, leisure and life.

Pu'er tea service will be provided to all talk attendees.

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Free to attend. Seating is limited.

Make sure to check out the other free events happening as part of Design Victoria!

04/02/2026

Bar Tender Vol 2: Thurs April 9, 5-8pm
feat. Saleh aka

[See slide 2 for our Easter weekend hours as well.]

Saleh was born in and spent much of his life in Iran, and lived in Malaysia for a time before moving to Victoria to pursue a degree at UVic. This explains why he has a bag of pistachios in his living room at all times, and why he has such a taste for STRONG pu’er tea. Iran is where he calls home ultimately - where his parents’ apricot trees are, where his Grandma is on the other end of the phone, talking him through favourite recipes. 

Saleh was our first local buyer of teas, and we’ve shared many a tea session since then. 

Musically, Saleh enjoys listening to -and playing- music with a darker sensibility. Whether the genre is metal, ambient, noise, or electronic, he tends to lean towards music that is moody and textured. His mix for Kuura’s ‘music to drink tea to’ series was abstract, tonal and spacious. Music with v***r and haze. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of mood he wants to build next week. 

This edition is a nod to Saleh’s tea and drink story, but it’s also a nod to Victoria lore - Darband Tea House was a teahouse/hookah lounge located in Fernwood Square in approximately 2011 - 2013. They opened in the evening, offered Persian tea and turkish coffee, and sweets like baklava. Apparently they were open until 1am on weeekend nights?! Powerful. 

Shout out to spaces like late night teahouses where you can pass some pleasant hours in an (alc free) space that's open to all ages.

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We also need to acknowledge the ongoing violence still impacting Iran and Iranians. (Not to mention recent escalations in Lebanon, and Palest*ne.) We condemn the historically authoritarian actions of Iran’s IRGC regime but also condemn so-called “intervention” in the form of bombs coming from Is*ael and the USA. No to war. No to bombs. We hope to see peace, safety and justice for all Iranians ASAP.

03/26/2026

Feast Your Eyes! Major new teaware drop live on the site right now from house favourite Dustin Ryan Yu of Vancouver.

We have had the privilege of working together with Dustin on a series of specially glazed gaiwan tea brewers in the past, and have been eager to work together on more vessels suited for gongfu-style tea drinking. As a serious coffee pro whose work has been in demand by cafes across the country, he not only has a deft hand on the wheel, but a real seasoned drinker's feel for the nuances of drinkware.

Weight, colour and curvature can radically alter and improve the drinking experience of just about anything, but tea more than most. Beauty is not auxiliary to appreciation, and a cup like this can absolutely magnify the sensory and subjective pleasures of brewing and drinking.

Dustin recently announced an immanent hiatus from active ceramics practice, as his involvement in several very cool coffee projects grows. We're doubly grateful then for the opportunity to present a collection of pieces so fine as these. Check them out on our website (we did take our time documenting their qualities), or better yet, pop into the shop and see for yourself.

03/20/2026

Friday March 27 - free tasting of non-alcoholic selections from Massey Wines. 4-7pm.

Massey Wines is the project of Rich + Louise, 2 legends in BC’s beverage scene who have been championing small craft drink producers, both local and international, for years. while their main focus is natural wine, their non-alc portfolio is substantial and has grown to include a really exciting mix of established non-alc icons and lesser known innovators.

While you may have already had the pleasure of tasting beloved drinks like Ghia or the Phony Negroni from St Agrestis, you may not have tried more experimental offerings from brands like Arensbak, who make wine style alternatives built on a base of fermented teas, or the botanical ‘liqueurs’ from the UK’s Everleaf.

Stop by next Friday and enjoy this chance to sample some truly premium non-alc products, poured by the importers themselves.

no rsvp required. drop-in 4-7pm.

Softer Drink is a specialty drink retailer based in Victoria, BC, Canada and shipping North America wide. We sell specialty non-alcoholic beverages such as non-alcoholic wine, non-alcoholic cocktails, cool sodas, aperitivo drinks, as well as pu'er tea from KUURA Corp., and other Chinese tea and teaw...

03/14/2026

Well excuse me, empress!!! 🗡️

No surprise that the Empress Indigo 0.0 has been flying off the shelves. It's a pleasing citrus forward 0% gin with tons of grapefruit aromatics. You can play around with the purple hue by mixing with acidic ingredients - but we like it just the way it is.

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🟣 Well Excuse Me, Empress:

1.5oz /42ml Empress Indigo 0.0 gin
5oz / ~140ml Say it Ain't Soda 'Blossoming Orchard'

Pour over ice
Garnish with a lemon wheel or a twist,
Or a sprig of lavender if you like

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Instead of diluting the Empress's gorgeous color, we thought we would double down by using a purple mixer as well.

Say it Ain't Soda makes sodas from fruit, spices and herbs they process in house, with no other added "flavours" or extracts. They're not very sweet, at around 9g per 355ml can, compared to conventional soda which comes in at 40g+.

They are made in Delta, BC, and all of their flavours are super creative. They usually pair a main fruit component with a contrasting complementary aromatic ingredient, in this case it's pear juice and ume (Japanese plum), with butterfly pea flower and lavender. Subtle, floral, beautiful, and deserving of the "not too sweet" mantle. 👾

🤝 Enjoy your drinks 🤝

03/04/2026

Join us on Thursday March 12, 5-8, for a special spring cherry blossom celebration, hosted by Softer Drink & Suribachi Herbal, with treats by Paradise Sweets.

• Gaze upon your very own preserved floating cherry blossom, served hot and lightly sweetened with sakura syrup
• Sip invigorating and refreshing sakura oxymel sodas & other mocktails
• Enjoy sakura sweet treats with your drinks (pre-order required)
• Celebrate the coming of springtime with softness & tenderness
• Experience other floral surprises
• & drink from Softer’s regular menu as well, if you want

Yuki from Suribachi Herbal has picked & processed whole cherry blossom flowers especially for this special tea. The blossoms are delicate and ephemeral - drink them up!

Every year, Yuki also makes a limited edition Sakura flavoured oxymel. (Oxymel = honey + apple cider vinegar + plant infusion) We will be making sakura oxymel sodas as well, for those who want refreshment and liveliness, not just soft tenderness.

Pre-order is required for Sakura Tea + Crepe sets. Visit softerdrink.ca/special-events to reserve your set.

Drinks and a limited number of small treats will be available to order a la carte on the day - no RSVP required, just stop by!

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

02/27/2026

Fresh on the taps - brand new Hazy Pale Ale (0.5%) from Brass Monkey. Delightful, tropical, fruity.

Drank this glass while listening to stoner jazz and staring at the weird sky (compliment) yesterday

>> We do growler fills 🏺

02/26/2026

save the date - march 12 - 5-8pm - join us at softer for a special spring cherry blossom drink experience, led by Yuki Furuichi from - more details to be announced soon

02/14/2026

Flowers, you can drink.

🌺🌻🌸🌼🏵️💮

*Hibiscus, we use the calyx which is a part of the flower but not the petals

*Dandelion could be root leaves OR flowers!

*One of the tea blends also has sunflower petals

*Rosehips are also not the flower technically but are considered a fruit but since it's so key to roses I've put it here anyway

(You can drink many parts of plants, but always consult your local herbalist or someone with cultural knowledge appropriate to your region before randomly trying flowers in the wild or from the garden !)

*Cherry blossoms are edible but not in any of these drinks. Tis the season though! :)