Review and photos by Caitlin Stratton

I attended the Where Science Meets Cocktails event on October 20 with a friend at the Telus World of Science Edmonton (TWOSE). I tasted eight of over twenty different cocktails and ten food tasters while exploring the exhibits, entertainment, and activities throughout the building. The evening was well attended, with hundreds of guests exploring over four hours. I recommend arriving early as the line to get inside was quite long when the doors opened at 6:30 p.m.

The TWOSE has undergone immense renovations that finished in 2022. If you visited as a kid, it looks completely different. I remember visiting for field trips in elementary school, and going again as an adult was wonderfully nostalgic. Another part of their renovations is the introduction of adult nights, such as Where Science Meets Cocktails and The Science of Sex, so that science education does not have to end with children. The adult nights are advertised as immersive, hands-on events that cater to more mature interests. They run every few months. Where Science Meets Cocktails was October’s event.

Our night began on the main floor, where we first tried the activities and tastes in the Science Garage. About seven tables of food and drink options were scattered around the exhibit, ranging from vegan ‘prawns’ to Grand Marnier Sangria.

We tried a ‘G&G’ drink made with Anohka Tempest Gin, passion fruit juice, salt, cardamom, and lemon. The science twist was that they smoked the drinks in a treasure chest for you to watch, which brought a smoky taste to the citrus drink that I enjoyed because I like gin and citrus. My friend loved the Grand Marnier Sangria because it was sweeter.

We also completed two activities: Lego key chain making and trying cocktail shaking to see who could shake the fastest. I loved making the keychain as the employees had us wear safety goggles and move from station to station. It felt like re-living experiments I completed as a kid, which captured the spirit of the TWOSE I remember.

Anohka Tempest Gin table in the Science Garage

As the evening progressed, the TWOSE got much more crowded, and it was a bit overwhelming walking from one area to the next as many people crossed paths. Though it was busy, and lines formed at each station, we never had to wait more than five minutes, as the vendors made servings quickly. The dance music playing throughout the building was also a bit loud at times. Guests were mostly over the age of 40. I wore pink jeans and a short-sleeve button-up shirt; I felt I was dressed adequately for the event. I saw one woman in a ball gown and a man in blue jeans, so there was a range with no strict dress code.

In the Health Zone exhibit, I tried a Dead Man’s Punch made with Dead Man’s Fingers Spiced Rum and a mixture of juice and curry paste. This drink intrigued me as I had never heard of a curry taste in a drink, but I enjoyed the mix of citrus and curry with the spiced rum. We then tried Doubles from Café Caribbean, which is a street food made of fried dough topped with cooked chickpeas, cilantro sauce, and cucumber. This was my and my friend’s favourite taster of the night: the chickpeas were packed with flavour, and the cilantro sauce brought a fresh, chilled aspect to the hot chickpeas that worked well together.

Dead Man’s Fingers Spiced Rum and curry paste drink in the Health Zone

One of our favourite parts of the evening was the opening of the CuriousCity for us to explore. Usually, this section of the TWOSE is only open to children, as it is a play space themed to Edmonton landmarks. This section was always my favourite as a kid: I loved to play in the giant airplane structure, so getting to explore it again as an adult was wonderfully nostalgic. The CuriousCity also had taster tables. We tried a Filipino-style ceviche called Kinilaw from Filistix Downtown – raw shrimp were laid on a dollop of cream on a tortilla chip. It was cold and refreshing. Outside this gallery, we tried a drink made with Geikkeikan Sake and prosecco pearls called Lady Harajuku. My friend and I agreed it tasted like plants; it was very cool on our tongues, and the sake rice flavour mixed with prosecco tasted floral. We both loved the drink.

The evening’s feature entertainment took place in the Zeidler Dome, where a live performance by Leo Martinez, a local Edmonton guitarist and singer, alternated with a short set of the Taylor Swift Laser Show that TWOSE puts on regularly. We stayed for a 20-minute set of the laser show and enjoyed it, as we got to watch lasers above us depict visuals to go along with the music. I would definitely return for the whole laser show experience, as I loved how the visuals enhanced the music in a fun atmosphere of singing by the audience.

The second half of our evening was spent in the S.P.A.C.E Gallery, Nature Exchange, and the lobby. The S.P.A.C.E Gallery had many champions from global bartending competitions. We tried one of the featured drinks, None Of Your Beeswax, which was an orange blossom honey infused margarita made with Don Julio Blanco tequila. This drink was great – it was the perfect amount of sweetness and citrus that my friend and I both liked. We played a few rounds of bar games, trying to remove a tablecloth while items stayed on the table and moving an olive from one glass to another without touching the standing glass.

As it neared the end of the night, our stomachs and heads could not handle trying everything left, but we did our best in the lobby. I tried the Wu Garden drink made with Empress Gin and disliked the flavour profile. I love gin, but they mixed it with sesame oil, which reminded me too much of cooking and the texture of the oil really put me off.

Empress Gin Wu Garden drink and table in the lobby

Luckily, the Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka drink saved the evening with its smooth, milky coffee taste that I enjoyed a lot more. We tried the nachos from Calle Mexico and the Drift Food Truck & Eatery pork belly. The pork belly was my favourite. It was juicy, flavourful, and had a great texture paired with potato chips served alongside it.

Drift Food Truck & Eatery pork belly plate in the lobby

The ticket ($125) included full access to the TWOSE after-hours, and food and drinks from over 30 different vendors. The evening was advertised as a night to support science education, so I expected a lot of begging for extra donations as well. However, I never felt like employees were asking for too much or flaunting the various opportunities to spend more money.

Our evening at the TWOSE was jam-packed with exciting cocktails, tasters, experiments, and entertainment. Though the atmosphere was busy, it was so much fun running wild and trying new tastes and flavours. I highly recommend the adult nights at the TWOSE as they are set up to make the most of your ticket price and time.

Telus World of Science Edmonton – Where Science Meets Cocktails

11211 142 St. NW
Event date: October 12, 2023
Event price: $125
website

Next adult event: Dark Matters – November 23, 2023 ($24 tickets at https://telusworldofscienceedmonton.ca/explore/experiences/darkmatters/)