Woolloongabba liquid connoisseur Canvas is launching a new menu this Friday, with ‘fun’ and ‘fresh’ key themes behind the inspiration. While co-owner Emily Nunes says the use of liquid nitrogen is still kicking along strong despite now being banned in many countries, this summer’s new technique involves carbonating cocktails on the spot using a Perlini shaker to create a sparkling cocktail. Housemade sodas with a shot of liquor are a trendy take on the classic vodka, lime and soda, while the baby of the new offerings is dubbed Glorious Journey – a summer vermouth served martini style, with grapefruit and New Zealand Pacifica Hops. Emily also mentions shared punches made using fresh seasonal produce have also seen a comeback, which The End’s bar manager Ryan agrees with.

Using fresh-from-the-farm homemade spirits and minimally processed additions in cocktails is what the West End crowd appreciates. The End makes all its own syrups on site, one of which can be tasted in new creation R & R – a muddled mesh of raspberries and rosemary spiked with J & B Rare, Barenjager, lemon and vanilla syrup. Both Canvas and The End have found the local desire for spiced rum has not subsided. At Canvas sample it via the Dub and Monk, combining spiced banana and honey puree with Appleton and St James Agricole rums, Pisco, lime, bitters and a house ginger soda. At The End, Nick Goding’s new concoction takes the rum cake in Lucky No. 13, which sees Sailor Jerry perked up with cold drip coffee, dark cacao liquer and maple syrup.

While The Bowery’s ethos is to draw heavily from history for inspiration, this Fortitude Valley den has too found its Pineapple Rum (eight-year-old rum, lime, pineapple and bitters) and a whisky and freshly squeezed cloudy apple concoction are popular at the moment. There’s been a prominent shift towards darker spirits like bourbon, dark rum and rye whisky, as bars dedicated to the sale of a sole type of spirit pop up in Brisbane and further afield. Something new The Bowery is featuring at the moment is a range of shrubs – a type of slower drink, similar to a punch, which stems from the 1800s. Historically used to preserve fruits for use later on, the ingredients are left to rest for weeks, sometimes months, in a barrel before being bottled. Sample the English Rum Shrub of navy rum, vanilla, orange, lemon and sugar this weekend.

The End also has a new cocktail menu out this week, keeping a few of the loyal favourites and spicing things up with some exciting new additions. Tastings of the new menu will be doing the rounds all weekend.