Ketel One Ice Room

It’s a fun way to spend 15 minutes as you’re getting your night started, or maybe as a quick stop on a pub crawl through the village. We dropped by after dinner to see what all the fuss was about. You need to check in with the hostess at the Bearfoot Bistro in case there is a wait she will need to put your name on the list. I think they take a max of 14 people in at a time? We had to wait for a few minutes as there was one group ahead of us. When our turn came up they handed us the giant Canada Goose jackets, which they said cost $ 1500 a pop, and ushered our group into the ice box. The sign on the wall says its –20 degrees Fahrenheit in the room, and that you shouldn’t be in there for longer than 20 minutes at a time. I kept track, we were in there for a total of 14 minutes. I could have been in there longer, but it doesn’t really take long to take 4 half shots. I only remember two of the four that we tasted, one was Hanger One, and the other was a salted caramel flavored vodka that completely appealed to my sweet tooth. Our host was very nice and took a bunch of pictures for everyone, so you don’t have to try and take your own selfie. I highly recommend you bring a pair of gloves. You don’t want to hold a shot glass with your bare hands in a room that cold, trust me. As others have noted, the experience is $ 48, plus whatever you choose to tip your host. Keep in mind those are Canadian Dollars, so if you are coming from the U.S. it will likely be a good bit less after conversion.

So much fun in the Ketel One Ice Room!
I was a little skeptical about coming here because I’ve been to the Ice Bar in Orlando, and it was definitely hokey/​overpriced/​ridiculous with their tiny Pinnacle vodka mixed drinks.
This vodka room has better coats (better warmth and a better photo op!) and better vodka served in shot form. We got to try four decent sized pours, three chosen by our host and one of our own choosing. I chose the Van Gogh Espresso vodka and it was absolutely amazing. The host had some interesting tidbits about vodka in general as well and everyone in our group had a great time.
Yes, the admission is expensive ($ 48/​person) but I felt like it was worth it with the decent sized pours we got and it was just a fun, unique experience.

NOTE: This business used to be called the «Belvedere Ice Room» but the name changed to the «Ketel One Ice Room» some time in the last couple of years. I tried to get Unilocal to change the business name — instead they insisted on creating a whole new listing for basically the same business with a new name at the same location…
First of all — the correct name of this place is now the Ketel One Ice Room. According to the staff we chatted with — the name was changed to Ketel One Ice Room approx. two years ago.
We stopped in at the Bar at the Barefoot Bistro to inquire as to when we could get in for a tasting. We were informed that a very large group was preparing to go in — so it might be an hour or more before we could go in.
So we headed back to our hotel to change into regular shoes (I was wearing flop flops) so that my feet did not freeze. We returned about 20 minutes later prepared to sit at the bar and wait our turn. Turns out the large group was not quite ready to go yet — so my friend and I got to go in earlier. We were taken to a small closet in the lobby where we were given Parkas to wear and our bartender/​host also donned one.
We got to taste four vodkas. Keep in mind the room is –32 degrees F. below zero. It’s really frickin’ cold in there! So much so that after the first few pix I snapped with my digital SLR, my camera stopped working and I had to use my iPhone 6 to take the remaining photos.
We tasted four vodkas — the bartender lets you choose the last two. The walls of the Ice Room contain little niches where various bottles of vodka reside.
— Ketel One
— Belvedere
— Blavod
— Schramm
The Blavod is a dark black colored vodka, the black color is achieved through the addition of Catechu, a herb found in southern Asia and central and east Africa.
The Schramm is a locally produced vodka just up the road in Pemberton, BC.
When you taste vodka at this temperature, it really brings out the flavors. It was incredible how much more flavor each vodka had than it does when we drink it either at room temperature or as cold as our home freezers can get vodka. Big difference!
As others have noted, it’s expensive — $ 48.00 per person. But it was an interesting and fun experience! Highly recommended!