The most fashionable cocktails prove that more is more

Something has shifted in drinks lately. Indulgence and excess have been the operative trends, shown off in drinks that are over-the-top, party-starting and a little bit naughty.

Martinis, icy, high-ABV and garnished with an olive, are on every cocktail menu in the country. They’re unavoidable on Instagram—perched in influencers’ hands like a new Fendi bag.

Espresso Martinis have also made a comeback, as have hard-partying ’80s drinks like Cosmopolitans, Lychee Martinis and Long Island Iced Teas. Drinks are purple, blue, pink, lit aflame or served in an ostentatious vessel. Oh, and caviar is on everything.

In 2024? The hottest drinks have offered the biggest vibes.

Caviar dreams

This new lean into maximalism is playing out in a manner of ways. At the just-opened General Public in Toronto—Jen Agg’s newest restaurant—guests can start off their meal with a shot and a bump (that’s a shooter of Champagne and a spoonful of caviar). At Martiny’s in New York, caviar “bumps” are served on wooden mannequin hands. Don Alfonso 1890 in Toronto has a Martini with four different caviars served alongside it—lush.

Civil Works, a just-opened bar by the guys behind Civil Liberties, has a Martini menu (The Executive Lunch) and a gin fountain behind the bar. Hosting a party at stalwart Chinese restaurant Hong Shing? Your guests can sip baijiu Piña Coladas from fountains or a three-litre cocktail tower. Alternatively, you can order bottle service, but be warned it’ll be ushered out via a Chinese dragon parade.

“The guests come in not really expecting anything—it’s a 27-year-old Chinese restaurant,” says owner Colin Li. “But the cocktails are balanced and well thought out, and customers are ecstatic that they are able to indulge in a pretty unique experience.”

1 Hotel Toronto likes to show off by lighting drinks like the Solstice (Tromba tequila blanco, Grand Marnier, tri-pepper juice, passionfruit) ablaze tableside. Beverage director Clement Bondois finds they’re a popular party starter. “It’s the perfect way to kick an evening off,” he says.

Other venues lean into indulgence via ingredients. At Aburi Restaurants Canada (including Miku and Minami in Toronto and Vancouver), regional beverage director Nick Meyer amps up the appeal by slipping truffles and other elegant ingredients into his beverage program. To pair with a recent Wagyu black truffle feature on the food menu? A cocktail made with scotch, Don Julio 1942, lemon oil and black truffle.

The brand-new Prophecy in Vancouver offers a $150 Cavalier Martini, a luxury sip highlighting high-end vodka and chive and white pepper distillate that’s served tableside alongside a tin of caviar.

Beverage director Jeff Savage also serves drinks like the Northern Lights, a concoction of gin and Labrador tea served in a glowing glass cloche with aromatic fog, and the Washoku, high-end Japanese whisky washed with A5 Wagyu tallow, mixed with a distillate of seared steak, shiitake and black garlic, and amped up with peated scotch. On the side? Skewers of A5 Wagyu. “Sometimes too much is just enough,” says Savage.

Return of the Roaring ’20s

What’s with our sudden need to go big or go home?

“I mean, look at the last couple years we’ve gone through—we’ve kind of been dealt a rough hand,” says Savage. “Lockdowns, restrictions, unrest and a global pandemic have reminded people that life is to be enjoyed and joy is to be shared. Look at what happened after the Spanish flu of the 20th century. The Roaring ’20s came immediately after.”

People are craving drinks that put a smile on your face; drinks that pep up a party and cater to a crowd.

“Many restaurants are booked full and most nightclubs are pretty occupied throughout the weekends,” says Li. “The drinking vibe in Toronto is at an all-time high.”

“Our clubs, like Paris Texas, are so full every night it’s unbelievable,” says James Peden, director of operations and sommelier at Liberty Entertainment Group (including Danico, Don Alfonso 1890 and Blue Blood Steakhouse).

Meyer blames Canada’s generally glum weather for our need for revelry. “We have some pretty grey, cold winters, so when the sun comes out and it’s time to get outside, we really let our party energy shine,” he says. “On the flip side, when it is winter, we look for those experiences to take our minds off of it.”

Raimey Bristowe, resident bartender at Lucie, an elegant French restaurant in Toronto’s financial district, thinks social media is helping spark a wave of maximalist drinks. People see a cocktail tower or a flaming drink and get on board (even if it’s just for the ’gram).

“Social media plays a major role in how we view each other,” Bristowe says. “Creating a party image or energy translates so much more when people are posting about their experience. Everyone wants to show what they’re doing is simply the best and nothing says that more than showing yourself immersed in a lively, party-like atmosphere. Social media sells. The hospitality industry has understood this and is creating the vibe to make it happen.”

Peden agrees. “Today’s guests always drink with their eyes and phones first,” he says. “It’s helpful to us from a marketing perspective—visually stunning cocktails are frequently photographed and shared on social media. And from a financial standpoint, it means guests are also willing to pay more for a premium product.”

More than the ABV

But what about the no-alcohol movement? The sober-curious boom? New non-alcoholic bottle shops and bars have been popping up across the country as Canadians are increasingly considering their relationship with alcohol. Sober October and Dry January are more popular than ever, and these sensibilities now seem to extend to the rest of the year—non-alcoholic drinks like Barbet, Proxies and Nonny are selling well year-round, and celebrities are making non-alcoholic drinks cool.

If we’re in the midst of a zero-proof renaissance, what’s with all the Martinis?

The thing is, over-the-top drinking doesn’t need to equate to excessive alcohol consumption. Hong Shing offers their fountains in zero-proof options for abstainer or designated drivers. 1 Hotel has a series of thoughtful non-alcoholic cocktails, as will any Canadian bar worth its weight.

“I think people are leaning into drinking less volume, but focusing on higher quality,” Savage says. “If Prophecy is a place that people only come to for alcohol, then we are missing the mark. Vibe, community, music, artwork and craft are all things that we can offer regardless of whether your drink has alcohol in it or not.”

Mauricio Gonzalez, resident bartender at Ficoa (a tasting menu-focused restaurant on College Street in Toronto, which offers a creative cocktail pairing) agrees. He finds that guests are more interested in spending their money on one or two great cocktails than “getting more value for your buck through cheap booze in higher quantities.”

Canada is also in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis—a showy, over-the-top drink makes your money go further than a few G&Ts. If you can only afford a drink or two, why not get a drink?

—by Kate Dingwall