Montreal’s Candi Bar on fell on me by surprise. I had just finished shooting a couple of beat-up alleyways and parked my Bixi bike near Mont Royal in Montreal and was looking at my map. Suddenly, I noticed a ton of pink and purple out of the corner of my eye through an open sliding door. No sign. Just lips. Big lips. Welcome to the Candi Bar!
I was able to spend time with Olivier Berkani, one of the owners who first took me into their crazy, funky designed bathrooms. The gents was probably a little more overwhelming than the ladies for a change but both made you want to hang out for awhile and explore.
The venue came from brainchild Paulo Branco, owner of the already legendary Montreal bars: Gogo Lounge and Chez Serge Bar. No joke, the bar is made out of 80,000 pink and purple Mega Bloks (Canada’s legos), and even if you’re not into pink, purple, sugar, glitz and tack, you can’t help but be drawn to a place like this that is all about fun and play.
I tasted a few of their drinks which were definitely too sweet for my taste, but that’s not really why you come. If I were still in my early twenties, I could have tried all of them (with the vodka and whiskey) and not be punished the following day, sugar and all. You come to Candi Bar for the experience and the experience is all about PLAY and all about FUN. The colors take you there alone whether you want to or not. 
Imagine a Tiffany & Company rasberry vodka & rasberry slushy all in blue, a Bugs Bunny, which is served with cotton candy, amaretto, Southern Comfort and an orange slushee OR the Sushi, which is infused with vodka, Lychee liqueur and lemon slush and served with chopsticks. Are we having fun yet?
If you’re still not convinced, how about Le French Frog, which is a vodka slushee a la Lime triple sec (served with a gummy bear), the VOODOO, which is a vodka slushee served with grapes, Blue Caracao and grenadine, or the Bazooka Joe (for those old enough to remember the Bubble Gum man).
Bazooka Joe is served with Smirnoff, strawberry with banana liqueur, bubblegum slush and rasberry. It is served with a baseball bat loaded with sugar powder. Each drink is notriously served with some kind of traditional sweet candy to bring you into a little nostalgia for the old candy store.
They target the 20 and 30 something year old crowd although that’s not to say if you’re older, you can’t appreciate the experience. You can also order any of their drinks sans alcohol of course.
Later in the evening, the place becomes a bit more of a night club than a traditional bar and whether you sit at the bar itself OR on one of their funky purple suede stools, you’ll be sure to take in all that Candi Bar has to offer. @lecandibar on Twitter btw. (I asked).
Take a look at what your bathroom experience is like at Montreal’s Candi Bar. (this is for those who are still not convinced they’ll be having fun yet with the drinks and design alone)….
As for the drinks, choose your poison and do so carefully. You have to admit, they’re gorgeous to look at even if you can’t take the sugar.
Location:
1148 avenue Mont-Royal East
Montreal, QC H2J 1X8
(514) 524-4075
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
