Canada's only magazine dedicated to distillers, spirits and cocktail culture.
Two years ago, Suite 115, a semi-hidden bar with precision cocktails in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood, burst onto the city’s lively and dynamic scene—seemingly out of nowhere.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz mezcal
3/4 oz grapefruit liqueur
1 oz citric acid solution (20:1 water to acid, by weight; optional)
1/2 oz agave syrup, or less to taste
1/2 oz fresh cantaloupe juice
2 oz soda water
meringue shard, garnish
When you wander inside the Lions Pub, a traditional English-style establishment in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour, it’s everything you expect: pints of draught, sports on the telly, nail-studded leather stools and dark woods. But it’s the iconic red phone booth toward the back bar that catches your eye. A closer look reveals it’s not just a prop, but a portal to a speakeasy: Call Me Back lounge.
On an unassuming corner of East Hastings Street near Victoria Drive sits one of Vancouver’s most exciting and underrated cocktail lists.
It’s here, at the Indian-French restaurant Peya, that award-winning bartender Chris Enns works his singular magic. Peya, which debuted in the base of a brand-new East Vancouver housing development, has been quietly and humbly serving the neighbourhood since it first opened its doors in March. But Vancouverites from other neighbourhoods should take note: This cocktail menu is worth a pilgrimage.
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.
For Paul McCloskey, running what might be Vancouver’s first dedicated vinyl-only hi-fi wine bar is something of a full-circle moment.
“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.
Opening a bar in Toronto, where every corner of the city seems to be filled with vibrant and eclectic spots, can be as challenging, intimidating and thrilling. It poses even more challenges when you are a self-funded solo entrepreneur, especially when you are known not for your business acumen, your operational skills or your taste in food and wine, but for something as specific as cocktails. In a city celebrated for its diverse culinary and drinkscape, making a mark requires more than just good food and drinks. It demands a vision.
The rain on the pavement reflects the red, green and orange of the Main Street traffic lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows and into the dim of Good Thief. In the summertime, the windows open completely to blend the divide between inside and out, but on a wet autumn evening, Good Thief beckons the curious and adventurous into its modern yet cozy space, promising not just drinks but a journey through the flavours of Southeast Asia and cutting-edge mixology techniques.
Recently named the country’s No.1 bar by Canada’s 100 Best and listed among North America’s 50 Best Bars, Bar Pompette is one of Toronto’s favourite gems. Pompette is inviting and unpretentious, a bar that feels both cozy and elegant. Step inside and it feels like a French café, its minimalist setting featuring a gorgeous marble bar and a romantic patio in the back. And the name “Pompette” in itself, meaning “slightly tipsy,” reflects the bar’s fun, playful personality.
I spoke with co-founders Maxime Hoerth and Hugo Togni, both from France and with high-end hotel and restaurant backgrounds, about their passion for the industry, their move from France and what it took to establish such a presence in Toronto.