We are who we meet

At No Vacancy, Troy Gilchrist distills a lifetime of experience into flawless hospitality

At No Vacancy, the Smokey Nagata’s Supra cocktail merges mezcal and coffee with Asian flavours. Brenton Mowforth photo

Behind the wood at No Vacancy, veteran bartender Troy Gilchrist and his small crew of fellow bartenders Kat Yu and Nick Hurd embody the ethos that personal connection is the business they are in and everything else is simply implementation. The result is one of those places where entertainment, showmanship and finely crafted cocktails are born together, and live together, within its walls.

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Behind the curtain

Cry Baby Gallery is a locals hangout that really is all about the art of the cocktail

At Cry Baby Gallery, the Zombie returns from near-death with an elevated twist. Rick O’Brien photo

“Locals only” is a phrase invented specifically for places like Toronto’s Cry Baby Gallery. An urban hangout that embodies the metropolitan culture of its city, just far enough from the hustle and bustle that the average tourist is likely not to venture. Here’s a place that has grown from the streets up, like a flower through a crack in the sidewalk. Passersby might think Cry Baby is no more than an art gallery, but tucked behind a curtain in the gallery’s far left is a gritty, dim, yet warmly lit cocktail den with exposed brick and a bar-top long enough to accommodate a sizable chunk of Toronto’s drinking population.

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