Toronto Cocktail Festival set to shake up the Six

TCF promises to be a destination event for cocktail lovers. Living Room Creative photo

The Alchemist magazine team has had so much fun hosting Vancouver Cocktail Week, we’re bringing the good times to Toronto. This fall, we’re launching the first annual Toronto Cocktail Festival, to be held October 22 to 26, 2025.

This inaugural year we will start with a five-day preview weekend festival and then expand to a full eight-day festival week for 2026.

Toronto is already a hub of cocktail creativity, with its multi-award-winning bartenders and brand ambassadors; now the Toronto Cocktail Festival offers those bartenders the showcase they deserve with a destination event that brings the cocktail-loving world to town. For more information, sign up for notifications at thealchemistmagazine.ca/tcf.

Meanwhile, VCW25 was held in March at venues across Vancouver, with the glamourous closing gala at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Planning is already underway for next year; mark your calendars for VCW26, to be held March 1 to 8, 2026. For more info on that event, visit thealchemistmagazine.ca/vcw.

Aw, shucks for this umami moment

Copperpenny Distilling photo

Umami, the savoury so-called fifth taste after sweet, sour, salty and bitter, is having a moment in the world of drink. Think Dirty Martinis, whisky made with mushrooms, gin with savoury herbs and olives, or cocktails shaken with miso, saline or soy sauce.

Now distillers are turning to the sea for what might be our favourite umami-rich ingredient yet: the oyster.

A couple of years back, Copperpenny Distilling in North Vancouver released a gin made with Fanny Bay oyster shells, which added hints of umami and brine that led the gin to be named the 2023 BC Food & Beverage “Product of the Year” and win two silvers at the 2023 UK Gin Masters blind tasting competition.

Manly Spirits photo

In Australia, meanwhile, the distillers at Manly Spirits in New South Wales had a similar idea, crafting their Oyster Pearl Vodka with “oceanic elements sourced from the Sydney Rock oyster shell, harmoniously interwoven with a medley of foraged marine botanicals.”

On Rhode Island, ISCO Spirits (a.k.a The Industrious Spirit Company) has gone a step further, with their Ostreida Oyster Vodka, which is made with actual fresh-farmed oysters for a vodka that is savoury and briny with a “bivalve bouquet.”

Driftwood Spirits photo

But our favourite might just be the recent collab between Driftwood Spirits and Shuck Taylor’s terrific little oyster bar, both located in Victoria. The Shuck Taylors x Driftwood Oyster Spirit is distilled with the freshest Vancouver Island oysters for the full essence of minerality and brine of the sea. To try it, you’ll need to pop over to the Island and enjoy a shot at Shuck Taylor’s or an Oyster Spirit Caesar at Driftwood Bar & Patio. wanderingmollusk.com, driftwoodspirits.ca

Ontario summer distillery guide

Taste these Canadian-distilled spirits and explore distilleries around the province this summer

John Sleeman & Sons

Rye Whisky

40% ABV, $44.95 (750 ml)

Our Rye Whisky is a masterfully crafted blended spirit that highlights the characteristics of classic Canadian rye. Comprised of corn whisky aged in mature American oak as well as rye whisky aged in first fill American oak, this blend also features Rye Whisky matured in new Canadian oak, which lends to a layered sipping experience rich in character from start to finish.

Available in the LCBO, Manitoba, select stores in B.C., and for delivery online any time at johnsleemanandsons.com

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Spritz up your summer

Photo courtesy of Lillet

Summertime and the living is lazy, or at least it should be. So when it comes to our favourite cocktails of the season, we not only crave something light and thirst-quenching, we also want it to take as little effort as possible, but maybe just a bit more effort than cracking open an RTD.

Enter the spritz. The Aperol spritz has been ubiquitous for more years than we like to count; last year, summer was all about the Hugo spritz, which is made with elderflower liqueur rather than Aperol.

This year, the spritz of the moment is the Lillet spritz, perhaps the easiest of them all.

Lillet Blanc is an aperitif, an aromatized wine similar to vermouth, but lighter and more refreshing. It’s a blend of wines and fruit infusions that’s been made according to a top-secret recipe for nearly 150 years in Bordeaux. It is delicious enjoyed simply over ice, in cocktails like the classic 20th Century or, of course, in a spritz.

To make the spritz: Simply combine equal amounts of Lillet and club soda in a wine glass filled with ice; garnish with an orange wheel, or to make it a “spa spritz,” slices of cucumber and/or lemon, lime and sprigs of mint. Repeat as needed.

For more Lillet recipes, visit lillet.com.

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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B.C. craft distillers seize the moment

 

In April, B.C.’s craft distillers launched a petition on change.org to get the province’s craft sprits into government liquor stores, with a plea to: “Join the movement to demand fairness, fuel B.C.’s economy, and give authentic local spirits the respect they deserve. Raise your voice, raise your elbows, and let’s make some noise!”

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Elbows Up!

How Canadian barkeeps and distillers are handling the trade war troubles

“Joe Canadian” responds to Trump’s threats: 25 years after recording the original “I Am Canadian” ad for Molson beer, actor Jeff Douglas recorded a new patriotic rant that has garnered over 1.2 million views on YouTube. YouTube.com/@AverageJoes1867 screenshot.

Last month at the “knowhere public house,” a locavore bar and community hub in Sudbury, Daniel Cronin hosted a five-course storytelling dinner billed as “The Night the White House Burned.”

The event had been inspired by the (possibly apocryphal) story of a lavish supper planned by then First Lady Dolley Madison, which was meant to be a victory feast for United States forces during the War of 1812. Instead, it was enjoyed by invading Brits—right before they burned down the White House.

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The Alchemist Spring/Summer 2025

Living Room Creative photo

In late April, Vancouver firmly shook off its “no fun city” rep and welcomed the best barkeeps on the continent for North America’s 50 Best Bars. Restaurants and bars across the city hosted epic parties and exciting pop-ups, and it’s fair to say that the day after the awards Vancouver was the single most hungover place on the planet. But nobody seemed to mind because everyone was having so much fun.

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The ready-made fresh juice mixers revitalizing the art of bartending

Born in Mexico and raised in Canada, Drink Arte’s cold-pressed juice solution is designed to elevate mixology with time-saving convenience for bar operations

Drink Arte is a juice that works as hard as you do. Photo via Drink Arte.
Citrus is at the core of many classic cocktails. Whether you’re shaking up a Daiquiri, blending the perfect Margarita or layering a Tequila Sunrise, that bright burst of acidity is what brings these favoured concoctions to life. But let’s be honest—prepping freshly squeezed juice day in and day out isn’t exactly the highlight of a bartender’s shift.

The ritual of on-site juicing can drain more than just precious time and energy. This is precisely where Drink Arte steps in with a smarter solution. Designed specifically for bar professionals, the Canadian-based brand offers 100% pure, cold-pressed citrus juice mixers—with no additives and no preservatives—in a convenient, ready-to-pour format. Their current flavour lineup includes lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit, and each bottle is crafted to deliver the zesty punch citrus cocktails demand without the hassle of juicing in-house.

Drink Arte isn’t just about saving time – they’re also all about raising the bar. Founded in 2019, Drink Arte was one of the first citrus juice brands to bring HPP-certified citrus juice to North America’s bar scene. High Pressure Processing (HPP) maintains the juice’s vibrant flavour, colour and nutritional profile without applying any heat or adding preservatives. The result? A longer shelf life and a fresh squeeze that lasts, even months after bottling.

Drink Arte has direct relationships with citrus producers in Mexico, allowing for their juices to be as fresh as possible prior to bottling in Canada. From the farm to the bar, the cold supply chain is maintained throughout the entire process. Drink Arte ensures that each step of the process is carefully controlled to preserve peak flavour and reduce waste. That means no surprise price swings, no labour-intensive prep and definitely no compromise on taste.

With Drink Arte’s ready-made, cold-pressed juice mixers behind the bar, bartenders are given the edge in their mixology practice to serve cocktails with the same level of freshness, balance and consistency, each and every time.

Ready to cut the squeeze? See the difference for yourself by requesting a sample at drinkarte.com.


Arte is a ready-to-pour fresh juice mixer made for the hospitality professional. The 100% pure cold-pressed juice is sourced from (and directly made in) Mexico for distribution across North America. With Arte, there’s no more labour costs, no more spoilage and no more messy squeezing.

Hugo Togni’s next move

After four years spent building Toronto’s Bar Pompette into the nation’s No.1 bar (and currently No. 7 on North America’s 50 Best Bars), cofounder Hugo Togni is now moving on.

The Pompette team has become known worldwide for their ability to train staff, and Togni feels the time has come to spread some of that magic beyond the bar’s walls. He plans to help other businesses—namely fine-dining restaurants—through his next venture, Mirabelle Beverage Consulting.

The move is also a response to the drinking community’s growing fascination with farm-to-glass hospitality. “I want to help fine-dining restaurants understand the philosophy of chefs and bring it into the glass,” says Togni.

There is currently a considerable gap in the market with respect to the knowledge around how a restaurant’s bar team can collaborate with farms and incorporate seasonality in their drinks program. Togni aims to fill this gap by offering up his lifelong learning and culinary passion to seamlessly bring the ethos of the back of house into the front of house.

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