In an age where Canadians are drinking less alcohol and restaurants and bars are closing their doors, the team behind one Vancouver watering hole is reflecting on their success and sharing how they earned a spot as one of the top bars in North America.

The Keefer Bar, located at 135 Keefer Street, has been voted the best bar in Canada and came in seventh overall on the continent. This is according to North America’s 50 Best Bars, an annual ranking based on votes submitted by hundreds of bar industry experts around the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

The bar — a Vancouver institution — sits behind an unassuming door in Chinatown and has been serving up apothecary-inspired drinks to patrons for 16 years.

“Friday, Saturday night we open at 4’oclock and by 4:30, we’re completely full,” said operating partner Keenan Hood.

“The quality of our drinks is here, the ambience is here.”

At Keefer Bar, you’re not ordering cocktails, you’re ordering “prescriptions.” Their ever-changing menu features local and international spirits, with Chinese herbal influence. For example, one drink called “Lunchbox Protocol” contains rum, absinthe, salted plum, coconut rice milk, and a Chinese spirit called baijiu.

“We’ve got a great relationship with a few herbalists around town,” said beverage director Amber Bruce.

“So any time we’re doing a new menu, we’ll do a lap around the store. They’ll showcase items to us, we’ll play around with them.”

But the operators say the real secret behind their success is making sure their staff is happy and healthy.

“That’s where it begins,” Hood said. “It comes from customer experience, how they feel when they come in, and how they leave. Making sure our staff are happy…it’s going to reflect on our customer.”

The team’s second concept — the newly opened June on Cambie — also landed a spot in the ranking, coming in at 17th overall.

Keefer designs a new feature cocktail list every three months. The 65th volume will be out in time for the summer.

— With a file from Emma Crawford