Classics

Taking flight

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Could the Paper Plane be the perfect cocktail?

Rhubarb and ginger are a natural pairing, and Kissa Tanto’s Avi Kunen loves combining them with Japanese whisky and Italian amaro in a nod to the classic. Photo courtesy of Kissa Tanto

I love a Martini. I’m happy to whisper sweet words to a well-made Old Fashioned. I’ve fallen head over heels for a Negroni on a good patio. But hear me out: While all of the above are well and good, the Paper Plane is the perfect drink.

Made from equal portions of bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and lemon juice, the new-school classic cocktail has a kiss of booze, a bright hit of citrus and an herbal allure from the addition of amaro. The recipe is foolproof: just one ounce of everything, shake and pour.

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Maximalist drinking

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The most fashionable cocktails prove that more is more

At Minami in Toronto, cocktails like the Buena Vista are served with presentation as luxe as the ingredients. Photo courtesy of Minami

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.

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Make it a Martini

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Shaken, stirred or steaming with dry ice—the classic cocktail has never been so cool

The Dirty Martini at Le Tigre in Toronto is just one of countless variations on a cocktail that, more than any other, is an expression of the drinker’s personality. Rick O’Brien photo

Drink trends come and go—remember the Negroni Sbagliato? Frosé?—but through it all, the Martini persists. For over 100 years, fans of the drink (James Bond, Lucille Bluth, Carrie Bradshaw, Winston Churchill) have sipped fervently and ask for theirs by specifics: bone-dry, brine-packed, with olives or a twist.

Recently, the drink’s popularity has been pushed into overdrive. “The Martini has become really trendy,” says Calum Wilson, director of food and beverage at the downtown Toronto hotel Revery. “It’s having a huge resurgence right now.”

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The flowing bowl

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When it comes to cocktails, bigger is better and way more social

Rule of 8 Punch Bowl at Toronto’s Dasha. Photo courtesy of Dasha

My early memories of punch are from college parties—party drinks cobbled together from curious arrays of cheap spirits mixed with saccharine juices and sodas and ladled from whatever vessel was large enough to quench the crowd. A mixing bowl in the best of times, a plastic trash can in the worst.

Nevertheless, we’d gather around, clink glasses and share stories over the ever-flowing bowl.

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