Get a Crash Course in Baijiu at This Vancouver Speakeasy

In a narrow, warmly lit bar, under dozens of pale, papery phoenix suspended from the ceiling, customers chatter while a musician taps out a ragtime tune on the upright piano. A server glides past, pausing at a corner table to deposit a pair of foam-topped cocktails and a tray bearing five shot glasses filled with baijiu.

From the secret location behind a faux dumpling house door to the crystal chandeliers, and prime...