Shelter sits within Hotel Arts in Calgary, its exterior giving little indication of what lies inside. The room is low-lit and deliberately intimate – raw concrete and industrial finishes offset by velvet seating, a chandelier of over 5,000 individually hung bulbs overhead, and a wall of gas masks behind the bar, some in their original form, others dressed by local artists. The space was built into a pre-existing restaurant, retaining as much of the original material as possible while shifting the atmosphere entirely.

The menu takes The Art and Science of Food Pairing as its starting point – a reference that sits behind the bar and informs how the team identifies ingredient combinations that work on a chemical level. Developed collaboratively, with each bartender free to bring their own ideas before the team refines them together, the result is a list that moves between familiar structures and less expected territory without signalling its complexity too loudly. A cellar mix option allows guests to bypass the menu entirely, building a bespoke drink from a choice of spirit and flavour profile.

The preparation behind each drink is extensive. The current list draws on dozens of house-made components – among them a fermented apricot and aji amarillo syrup, cilantro and tarragon oil, brown butter fat-washed whisky, lacto-fermented orange, and a tuile cracker used as a garnish. Spent citrus is dehydrated for garnishes, leftover tea from infusions is stored for future syrups or baking, and prep waste is repurposed into cookies that accompany one of the drinks. A brix refractometer and pH testing keep syrups and acid solutions consistent from batch to batch. During happy hour, a set of playing cards replaces the menu entirely – each card representing a base spirit, style, or flavour preference, with guests combining them to build their own drink.