Thieves who broke in to a Vancouver bartending school earlier this month were probably disappointed when they inspected their haul.

They made off with 22 bottles of what they thought was liquor on June 11, but was actually just water with colouring.

Bartending schools often replace alcohol with coloured water for students to use while practicing.

The Fine Art Bartending School, located on West Pender Street, even has a sign out front that says "no alcohol," in a bid to deter thieves.