The Dirty Martini is just the start. These days we love our savoury cocktails and the unexpected ingredients that add those rich umami flavours. Here are just five we’ve sampled recently in Toronto bars.
Make it umami
Sunny sips for rainy days
At the new Ombré Restaurant in Tofino, the vibe is sunny Mediterranean, but that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t know how to deal with rainy days. After all, this charming village on Vancouver Island’s west coast sees over 300 centimetres of rain each year even without an atmospheric river.
Finding Common Ground on the farm
Much has been written about the challenges facing farmers in North America; less has been done to solve them. Now a new initiative in the United States, with big names and big money behind it, aims to change that. And who knows? It might inspire action on this side of the 49th parallel, too.
Five great gadgets
The season of entertaining is upon us and that means it’s a good time to stock up on cocktail gear and glassware. Here’s what’s on our list right now.
Bucket list
Yeti is known for making coolers that keep ice cold for days. But their Rambler beverage buckets are just as handy. They’re big enough to hold three bottles of wine, with a handle that makes them easy to carry and double-wall vacuum insulation that keeps ice frozen and drinks well chilled. Available in an array of designer-friendly colours. Now that’s, well, cool. Yeti.ca
Michelin honours Kissa Tanto’s Fraser Crawford
Congratulations to Fraser Crawford! The bar manager at Kissa Tanto has just been named the winner of the 2024 Michelin Guide Vancouver Exceptional Cocktails Award, adding even more lustre to the Chinatown restaurant’s glittering star.
Michelin recognizes Toronto’s Shayne Herbert
Congratulations to Shayne Herbert of Azura, who was recently named the 2024 Michelin Guide Toronto Exceptional Cocktails Award winner. He leads the bar program at Azura, an ambitious, Mediterranean-Canadian restaurant on the Danforth.
Whisky heaven (if you can get in)
One of the world’s best whisky festivals is just a short ferry ride away from Vancouver, but you’ll have to act fast if you plan to get tickets. The Victoria Whisky Festival returns for its 19th year January 16 through 19 at the Hotel Grand Pacific. These four days of all things whisky kick off with the Canadian Whisky Awards and continue with masterclasses, whisky dinners and consumer tastings, featuring more than 200 whiskies from 50 distilleries.
Luxe and limited
If it’s fall it must be whisky, and if it’s whisky, it must be time for some exciting new releases. Here are three decadent drams we’re dreaming of this fall.
The Dalmore is releasing its Cask Curation Series II: The Port Edition. It features three single cask single malts celebrating The Dalmore’s long-standing partnership with the Grahams Port: a 27-year-old, 30-year-old and 43-year-old, each finished in a single harvest tawny port cask. The release is limited to 150 sets worldwide; as for the price, well, if you have to ask … thedalmore.com
A tipsy take on tea at The Empress
Afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress is one of Victoria’s bucket-list experiences, served in one of the city’s most iconic spaces, the hotel’s soaring and ornate tea lobby. But now, says Maeve Fogarty, “We’re twisting afternoon tea on its head.”
Spirited reads
These three new books will get you inspired to shake up your cocktail routine.
