Issuu

ONTARIO EDITION

SPRING/SUMMER 2026

RETRO REVIVAL

WE’RE ALL EARS

BAR CRAWL

RUM RUNNING

Vintage cocktails, nostalgic bar food

Perfectly pitched vinyl bars

Victoria’s hot bar ’hood

Must-try bottles and drinks

NEW

BLOOD ORANGE GINGER BEER NO ARTIFICIAL NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURS COLOURS

ORANGE SLICE & MINT

BLOOD

¾ ORANGE GINGER BEER

¼ QUALITY VODKA

ITALIAN BLOOD ORANGES

SIGNATURE THREE GINGERS

NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

NON GMO

In this issue

06 – BAR BITES Bars, cocktails and spirits news 10 – AT THE BAR Escape conventional mixology at Toronto’s Suite 115, where “Stay Thirsty, Stay Humble” is the motto by Christine Sismondo 16 – TASTING PANEL Bartenders select their favourite rums, and cocktails to showcase them Compiled by Max Chesnut

Pat Ozols photo

24 – BACK TO THE FUTURE Bar food and cocktails are celebrating a nostalgia-fueled resurgence by Blair Phillips 30 – VICTORIA’S HOT BAR SUMMER Recent Victoria bar moves and openings have created one of the best drinking neighbourhoods in Canada by Joanne Sasvari

Photo courtesy of The Little Jerry

34 – HI-FI WATERING HOLES Inspired by classic Japanese kissas, retro and vinyl-inspired listening bars are shaping Canadian drinking culture by Janet Gyenes

39 – HOME BAR When life gives you lemons...make limoncello by Matthew Benevoli

RECIPES in this issue

42 – L AST CALL Great global bars we love: Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires by Doris Sun

12– Eleanor’s Reverie 17– Upturn 18– Skyline Solera 19– Tropic Like it's Hot 20– Laka A Lono

21– Black Apple 22– A Boy. The Kid. 41– Amalfi Spritz 41– Bel Tempo

Contributors MATTHEW BENEVOLI is an award-winning mixologist, beverage consultant and spirits educator. As a private bartender, he’s passionate about creating unforgettable cocktail experiences through storytelling. Find him on Instagram @mbenevoli. Favourite new spirit? “Kota Pandan Liqueur from France: it has the potential to become the new ‘bartenders’ ketchup.’” MAX CHESNUT is the founder of Cane & Co, a Vancouver creative agency for the spirits and hospitality industry. After bartending in Japan at 18, he fell in love with rum and now educates industry and consumers through his Rum Club. Favourite bar city? “Mexico City. It has a life to the bars and streets like no other: you have to experience the Roma bar crawl.” JANET GYENES is an editor who holds the WSET Level 2 in Spirits, and is the author of Vancouver Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the City on the Sea. Recently visited hotspot? “I recently cultivated an appreciation for Spain’s artisanal vermuterías and hope to head to Tokyo to linger in one of its listening bars.” BLAIR PHILLIPS is a lifestyle and spirits writer specializing in Canada’s growing spirits and distillery landscape. He co-authored the awardwinning The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distillers. Favourite new spirit? “Quebec Acerum: maple syrup is fermented and distilled into a spirit in which the sweetness is stripped away, leaving the mineral essence of maple syrup and beautiful orchard-fruit notes.” CHARLENE ROOKE is Academy Chair, Canada West, for World’s 50 Best Bars, a wine and spirits journalist, and a WSET spirits and wine educator. Favourite bar city? “Tokyo.” Trend you love? “The mid-Martini, chilled-glass swap, or likewise, a bartender briefly re-chilling and replacing my cocktail, should I briefly vacate my barstool. Yes please.” 04

JOANNE SASVARI is WSET-certified in wine, the editor of Vitis and YAM magazines and a writer covering food and drink. She is the author of several cookbooks, including 2023’s Okanagan Eats, and co-founded Vancouver Cocktail Week. Recently visited hotspot? “I am in love with the Jerry Thomas Bar Room, a tiny, 12seat, Orient Express-themed bar in Rome’s Trastevere neighbourhood that serves fabulous Champagne cocktails.”

CHRISTINE SISMONDO is Academy Chair, Canada East, for World’s 50 Best Bars, an award-winning writer and author of America Walks Into a Bar and Cocktails, A Still Life. Favourite bar city? “Hard to beat Osaka!” DORIS SUN is a social media contributor for the World’s 50 Best Bars and World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Follow her on Instagram @cocktailfiles. Predict the Cocktail of the Summer 2026? “The highball, and I will definitely be ordering any creative rendition that’s force carbonated, served tall.”

A summer toast from The Alchemist

his summer, we invite you to raise a glass to the finer things in life. At The Alchemist, we celebrate great spirits, truly exceptional cocktails and the people who make them. Putting together this issue, I felt immense gratitude for our dedicated team and contributors who pour their expertise and passion into every page. Attending the North America’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony in Vancouver this past spring was a powerful reminder of the passion and teamwork driving our industry: this devotion goes into crafting the best experience for you, the imbibers. That inspiration motivates us all to excel and enjoy! We hope you use this summer to explore your neighborhood bars. Embrace the latest trends, like a sustainable cocktail crafted from upcycled ingredients, a thoughtfully made spirit-free creation or a snacktail. Above all, support local. Alternatively, stop by your local liquor store, challenge yourself to try one of the recipes inside this issue and enjoy it with friends.

PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Gail Nugent gnugent@lodestarmedia.ca DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Tara Rafiq SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR: Valeria Remizova TheAlchemistMagazine.ca @TheAlchemistMag @TheAlchemistMag Published by: Lodestar Media 303 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 778-240-4010 © The Alchemist 2026 ON THE COVER

Have a wonderful summer!

The Missing Millionaire cocktail from Toronto’s Library Bar is named for a character in the iconic Canadian novel In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje. Rick O’Brien photo

This issue is complimentary.

—Gail Nugent, publisher and editorial director

BAR BITES NEWS AND NOTES FROM BEHIND THE BAR AND AROUND THE WORLD OF COCKTAILS AND SPIRITS

FOUR TORONTO BARS ON NORTH AMERICA’S 50 BEST LIST

he Library Bar (#19) and Civil Works (#29) are the latest Toronto bar stars to join the prestigious list of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026, which were announced at a celebration in Vancouver (the host city for the second year in a row) on April 22. They join existing entries Mother (#22) and Bar Pompette (#8) in the top 50. Also notable were the number of Toronto bars on the extended 51-100 list for 2026. Those included new entries Suite 115 (#74) and No Vacancy (#82), along with Civil Liberties (#54), Cry Baby Gallery (#69), Slice of Life (#90) and Bar Mordecai (#94), which were also on last year’s list.

To see the full list of North America’s 50 Best Bars, visit theworlds50best.com/bars/ northamerica/list/1-50. Clockwise from top: Library Bar and its Missing Millionaire and First Light cocktails. Rick O’Brien photos

TORONTO SPEAKEASIES HAVE DAY JOBS

LEFT: Strawberry Shortcake from Bar 404. Photo courtesy of Bar 404 RIGHT: M2 Wasabi Bento from M2. Instagram.com/m2bymm photo

inding speakeasies can be tough going, when they lurk in dark alleys and are identified by something as subtle as a lightbulb, unmarked door or password. The new-speakie trend in Toronto is bars that put on the face of neighbourhood businesses during the day, with storefronts (faux or functioning) that give way to cocktail service at night. Sometimes, they’re hiding in plain sight: for instance, upstairs at La Plume Brasserie in The Well, the last door in a row of toilettes is actually vintage speakeasy Bonne Nuit, open weekends.

brand. M2 bar has Japanese-style desserts and culinary-influenced highballs, such as fizzy Tomato Champagne or Pineapple Bun drinks. It’s also on the savoury, spirit-forward trend with cocktails like Wasabi Bento.

Behind a faux candle shop up the stairs at 85 John Street, find Bar 404 Cocktail & Urban Speakeasy, where elaborate concoctions like the creamy, Biscoff-topped Strawberry Shortcake vie with great happy hour deals until 8 pm (like select classic cocktails for $12).

Bar After Seven says it all in the name: a yogurt shop just northeast of Queen West and John Street, complete with self-order screen at the entryway, turns into a chic Japaneseinspired cocktail bar later. Sample flights of Japanese and Taiwanese whisky or sake, or inspired classic riffs from a Curry Colada to an Espressotini with Nutella and coconut.

M2 by Matcha Matcha at 407 Church Street is an offshoot of the popular café and matcha

At 520 Richmond West, what seems to be a standard-issue street-level condo café flips its identity at night: enter from behind, and it becomes a cocktail den after dark, featuring wild concoctions like a cocktail inspired by Filipino Caldereta stew, or a milk punch with flavours of green tea, strawberry and lemon.

GET YOUR PAWS ON BEARFACE BEAR-BON

Bear-bon takes a bite out of the Southern-style corn whiskey market. Photo courtesy of Bearface

fter That American Whiskey’s long absence from many B.C. bar and store shelves, Canadian-made Southernstyle, corn-dominant whisky has come out of hibernation, thanks to B.C.-born brand Bearface. 08

Bearface Bear-bon is a blend of corn, rye and barley whiskies, with the big vanilla and caramel burst that bourbon drinkers expect, plus toasty and charred notes on the finish. The char note comes from barrels that are custom-torched by a small

Quebec cooperage, after being seasoned by previous use for both red wine and Bearface whisky maturation. “While the profile is similar to Southernstyle whisky,” says master blender Andrés Faustinelli, “the process behind it is unique to Canada,” including blending individual whiskies post-maturation as opposed to distilling a mashbill of mixed grains, and charring previouslyused flavourful casks instead of new oak barrels.

TORONTO LOCALS ARE READY-TO-DRINK FOR SUMMER

here’s no shortage of canned and bottled ready-to-drink cocktails from big international brands—but why not drink local this summer? Award-winning bar Civil Liberties offers bartender-quality bottled cocktails under its Civil Pours label that are made with sustainability in mind. New for this summer: a Daiquiri and a Gimlet, which will be available along with the ever-popular Cosmopolitan, at civilpours.com. The crowd-pleasing Jalapeño Margarita, made spicy with an herbaceous chili-pepper distillate, is also available at LCBO stores. The ginsmiths at Reid’s Distillery in Toronto (reidsdistillery.com) also have your nofuss summer sipping covered. Refreshing, carbonated Cucumber Rose Collins and Gin & Tonic slim cans (both at the LCBO) chill

Ontario-made ready-to-drink cocktails for summer sipping. Photos courtesy of Civil Pours and Reid’s Distillery

quickly and travel easily to summer barbecues and patio parties. Chill a bottled, ready-toserve Strawberry Lime Gimlet, Negroni or Spiced Maple Manhattan (featuring barrelaged gin in place of whisky) to wow your friends with bar-quality drinks at home: each bottle will yield up to 12 pours.

AT THE BAR

Escape conventional cocktails

SUITE 115 OFFERS VISUALLY STUNNING, EXPERIENTIAL AND CULINARY-INSPIRED DRINKS. AND IT’S HIDING IN PL AIN SIGHT IN LIT TLE ITALY. by Christine Sismondo

wo years ago, Suite 115, a semihidden bar with precision cocktails in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood, burst onto the city’s lively and dynamic scene—seemingly out of nowhere.

reappeared, reportedly only 10-ish minutes later, he was holding five white shirts of the exact style as the one that he’d “tiedyed” with claret. Since Ha didn’t know the guest’s shirt size, he bought options.

Nothing could be further from the truth. This escape room-themed cocktail den was, in fact, several years in the making. Long before Suite 115 was even a rough plan for owners Jacky Ha and Oliver Leung, fate brought these famously welcoming partners together at Suite 114, a bar above an escape room near the Eaton Centre. Open from 2017 to 2020, Suite 114 was known for its secret menus, riffs on sturdy classics like the Vieux Carré and occasional off-the-wall open-mic nights or magic shows.

“I knew that was the guy I wanted to work with,” says Leung, who also worked at Suite 114 before it was shuttered. “That’s what it means to be above and beyond. And the guests truly loved it.”

It was Jacky Ha’s disappearing act, though, that left the biggest impression on Leung. One night, after he spilled an entire tray of glasses of red wine on a guest wearing a crisp white shirt, Ha went MIA. When he

The drinks at Suite 115 tell engaging and coherent stories, many of which are culinary inspired. The Ash & Aura is designed to transport guests to a rodiziostyle Brazilian churrascaria with a nod

It would take a few years before the duo realized their dream but, in May 2024, the first guests punched the “secret” numbers (they’re in plain sight) into the keypad and entered a long, sparse room that offered an escape from conventional cocktails.

The bar at Suite 115. Photo courtesy of Suite 115

to one of its signature flavours: grilled, caramelized pineapple. Beyond the smoky, tropical sweetness, the cocktail is served with an oat-coconut crumble, meant to be nibbled in between sips to help nudge the drink over into Piña Colada territory. It works. Perfectly. Like the Ash & Aura, most of the drinks are visually stunning, experiential and pay homage to cherished flavours from around the world. The Old Man is a sturdy and spirit-forward callback to Hong Kong’s silky-sweet milk tea; a liquid version of the Indonesian dessert, Dadar Guling, is served up with a small bright-green, palm sugar and coconut-filled pandan pancake. Most drinks, including Eleanor’s Reverie (recipe page 12), come with a playful nibble, which makes the experience unique—and ideal for the social-media era of drinking. A side of chocolate ganache shaped like a banana or a tiny taco is exactly what we

need right now. It’s fun, and so are the bartenders who serve it up. Jacky Ha refers to the bar team as “professional clowns,” one of many indications that, despite the serious effort and intention behind every drink, the folks behind the bar don’t take themselves too seriously. The bar’s motto (“Stay Thirsty, Stay Humble”) clearly alludes to that core principle. “SickKids [hospital] was literally right behind Suite 114,” says Leung. “So, it was easy to keep things in perspective, with people so close to us going to work every day to help kids get well.” Although making drinks can be a serious business, this team steers clear of pretention. “We’re not saving lives here,” says Leung. “We’re putting things in tins. So, you know, relax.” Suite 115 is located at 532 College Street, Toronto. suite115.ca, @suite115.to on Instagram.

ELEANOR’S REVERIE Bright, bubbly, and refreshing with a touch of smokiness. 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

Combine first 6 ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice and shake until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a highball glass full of ice, and top with soda. Garnish and serve. Serves 1.

Photo courtesy of Suite 115

SUMMER DISTILLERY GUIDE EXPLORE ONTARIO AND BEYOND WITH CANADIAN-CRAFTED PRODUCTS THIS SUMMER.

MAVERICK DISTILLERY BARNBURNER WHISKY 41.6% ABV, $49.95 (1140 ml), $35.95 (750 ml), $19.95 (375 ml)

Double-aged handmade Ontario whisky made from a blend of corn and rye, aged in bourbon barrels. Soft and balanced with notes of vanilla, caramel, rye, sweet bourbon, apple, pear, and a hint of wood smoke. Gold Medal – Canadian Whisky Awards. Available at MaverickDirect.ca, Maverick Oakville Outlet Store and LCBO.

COPPER ROSE DISTILLERY PREMIUM VODKA

MAVERICK DISTILLERY GINSLINGER GIN

40% ABV, $39.95 (750 ml)

46% ABV, $48.95 (1140 ml), $32.95 (750 ml), $18.30 (375 ml)

Copper Rose Premium Vodka is crafted with Canadian rye and distilled 12 times for a silky, smooth finish. A clean, bright vodka with floral notes on the palate and a faint citrus pepper finish. Delicious and versatile, this vodka makes an exceptional cocktail, martini or is perfect for sipping neat. Available in the LCBO, at select retailers in Alberta and online at CopperRose.ca

A big, bold Ontario craft gin made using the cold-pressing of wild local juniper and the finest botanicals, many hand-foraged from the Niagara Escarpment. The perfect Gin & Tonic. Available at MaverickDirect.ca, Maverick Oakville Outlet Store and LCBO.

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SUMMER DISTILLERY GUIDE MAVERICK DISTILLERY CARGO PANAMA GOLD RUM

WOLFHEAD DISTILLERY MIDNIGHT RUN BOURBON

40% ABV, $33.95 (750 ml)

48% ABV, $49.95 (750 ml)

A smooth, lightly aged Panama gold rum with warm notes of caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak. Balanced and easy to mix—the go-to rum for elevated classics and easy sipping.

Who says nothing good happens after midnight?

Available at MaverickDirect.ca and Maverick Oakville Outlet Store.

Find it at drinkwolfhead.com

MAVERICK DISTILLERY TAG NO. 5 VODKA

PARADIGM SPIRITS CO. JULIET GIN

40% ABV, $65.95 (1750 ml), $44.95 (1140 ml), $29.95 (750 ml), $15.95 (375 ml), $4.30 (50 ml)

42.9% ABV, $53.95 (700 ml)

Ontario's best priced vodka, crafted from locally grown sweet corn, distilled five times and filtered for five days for a rich, ultra-smooth texture with notes of lemon zest, caramel, and black licorice. 100% glutenfree. 14

Midnight Run is a daring blend of Canadian whisky and American bourbon, crafted for those who appreciate bold character with a refined finish. Bottled at 96 proof, this non chill filtered whisky delivers layers of oak, warming spice, and smooth depth, with a high rye content that imparts a distinctive spicy edge and lingering finish.

Available at MaverickDirect.ca, Maverick Oakville Outlet Store and LCBO.

Juliet Gin is the flagship expression of a modern Canadian gin collection, balancing bold juniper with vivid citrus and layered botanical character. The broader Juliet collection explores distinctive botanical profiles crafted for modern cocktailing. Produced in Ontario by Paradigm Spirits Co. Available at JulietGin.com

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MAVERICK DISTILLERY BARNBURNER PROHIBITION BOURBON (Bottled in Ontario)

MAVERICK DISTILLERY LUNATICO TEQUILA 40% ABV, $39.95 (750 ml)

40% ABV, $52.95 (750 ml)

100% blue agave, no additives, no shortcuts. Clean and smooth with a crisp finish— bright agave leads, followed by light citrus and a touch of pepper. Made to sip, mix, and keep things interesting.

Distilled and aged five years in Bardstown, Kentucky from a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. Rich, smooth notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak. Bottled with care right here in Oakville. Limited availability.

Available at MaverickDirect.ca and Maverick Oakville Outlet Store.

COLLECTIVE ARTS TROPICAL COCKTAIL MIX PACK

SHERINGHAM DISTILLERY SEASIDE GIN

6.0% ABV, $28.95 (8 x 355 ml cans)

43% ABV, $49.95 (750 ml)

Bring a taste of the tropics to your summer adventures with the Tropical Cocktail Mix Pack from Collective Arts, featuring four expertly crafted cocktails. Enjoy the delicate Lychee Lemonade, the lush Mango Lime Margarita, the vibrant Blue Hawaiian and the breezy Rum Punch. Crack a can and let these sun-drenched sips transport you to island time, anytime. No passport required. Available at Collective Arts spaces, convenience stores (Circle K) and online at CollectiveArtsCreativity.com

Juniper, rose, lavender, citrus, coriander, cardamom, and wildharvested kelp. Bright and floral with layered citrus and soft spice, finishing with a subtle coastal salinity inspired by Vancouver Island’s ocean air. Available at LCBOs across Ontario and online at LCBO.com. SheringhamDistillery.com

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TASTING PANEL

Sugar cane rush THE MANY EXPRESSIONS OF RUM AND OTHER SUGAR-CANE SPIRITS ARE RIPE FOR MIXING INTO INVENTIVE, EXPRESSIVE SUMMER COCKTAILS. Compiled by Max Chesnut

Sugar cane spirits come in a wild range of styles. iStock/Getty Images/CatLane photo

S 16

ugar cane spirits are, without question, the most diverse and most misunderstood category on the market. For most people, their first encounter is a spiced rum or a mass-market white rum, sugar-dosed introductions that turn them off before they’ve had the chance to discover what these spirits can truly be. From grassy, unaged rhum agricole to funky Jamaican pot-distilled rums, earthy cachaças

and richly aged blends, sugar-cane spirits span a broader flavour spectrum than almost any other category. Our panel brings together a handful of the country’s most curious bartenders (Zoe Bates, Patrick Fulgencio, Taylor Kare, Andrew Kong, Gail McPhee, Tadia Rosen and Robin James Wynne), each championing different styles, to prove that sugar cane spirits aren’t just one thing—they can be everything.

UPTURN Recipe by Zoe Bates 2 oz Flor de Caña Centenario 12 Year Rum 1 oz banana peel oleo shrub (see note) 1 oz strong/over-steeped chai tea ½ oz coconut water 1 oz aquafaba Add all ingredients to a shaker tin, and dry shake first then re-shake with ice until ice cold. Double-strain into a coupe. Serves 1.

Photo courtesy of Zoe Bates

ZOE BATES FLOR DE CAÑA CENTENARIO 12 YEAR RUM 40% ABV, AROUND $50 Zoe Bates, who is originally from Scotland and formerly of Vancouver’s acclaimed Ellipsis, was a World Class Canada 2026 finalist and is one of the country’s most closely watched bartenders right now. Her cocktail philosophy is rooted in storytelling and restraint, and her affinity for Flor de Caña Nicaraguan aged rum reflects that. It’s a sustainably certified rum that earns its complexity honestly—through time and craft, rather than shortcuts. Suggested Cocktail: Bates’ Upturn is a modern reimagining of the historic Flip, one of bartending’s oldest formats, rebuilt from the ground up with a zerowaste ethos. Flor de Caña 12 anchors the drink with notes of molasses, warm spice

To make the banana peel oleo shrub: Combine peels from 4–6 ripe bananas with ¾ cup (150 g) white sugar in a sealed container. Allow to macerate at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight for fuller extraction. The sugar will draw out the oils and moisture from the peels, creating a fragrant, syrupy oleo saccharum. Strain and discard solids. Combine oleo saccharum with 7 oz (200 ml) pineapple or passion fruit juice and 5 oz (150 ml) apple cider vinegar. Gently heat until sugar dissolves; do not boil. Allow to cool, then cover and rest for 24–48 hours to let the flavours meld. Strain, bottle and refrigerate. The shrub should be bright, tangy and tropical with a clean banana finish. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

and oak, while banana peels destined for the bin are repurposed into an oleo saccharum that becomes a tropical shrub. Over-steeped chai layers in spice and depth, and a dairy-free foam of coconut water and aquafaba gives the drink its signature silky structure. Nothing wasted, nothing missing.

PATRICK FULGENCIO RON ZACAPA 23 RUM 40% ABV, $90 BC AND ON Patrick Fulgencio is a bartender at Dear Friend in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and well known to Canadian cocktail fans as a top-four finalist in World Class Canada 2025. He’s also a photographer, an amaro collector and known for his warmth and his ability to turn a bar shift into a shared moment. His choice of Ron Zacapa Guatemalan rum speaks of a bartender who values craft and

patience: it’s a solera-aged rum that, much like Fulgencio himself, rewards those who take the time to blend and refine. Suggested Cocktail: Fulgencio’s Skyline Solera is a hot drink that treats Ron Zacapa’s rich, solera-aged sweetness as the foundation for something deeply warming and unexpected. A house-made mix of brown butter, pistachio orgeat and hojicha (a Japanese green tea), stabilized for a silky, emulsified texture, wraps the rum in roasted, nutty depth. Served in a leaf-wrapped rocks glass dusted with cacao, it’s as much an experience as it is a cocktail.

SKYLINE SOLERA Recipe by Patrick Fulgencio 2 oz Ron Zacapa 8 oz Skyline Solera Mix (see note) Mix ingredients in a small saucepan and gently warm over low heat; do not boil. Serve in rocks glasses wrapped in palm or banana leaves and dust with cacao powder. Serves 2. To make Skyline Solera Mix: Hydrate ½ tsp (2 g) Ticaloid 210S stabilizer into 14 oz (400 g) pistachio orgeat using a hand blender. Add 3½ oz brown butter and blend on low until smooth. Add 1½ tsp (3 g) hojicha and blend on low until fully incorporated. Bottle and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Fulgencio

To make pistachio orgeat: Toast 1¼ cup (170 g) pistachios at 400° F for 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Blend to a purée, then add 8 cups (1 L) water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, then strain. Combine 1 part sugar to every 4 parts pistachio liquid and stir until dissolved. Bottle and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

TROPIC LIKE IT'S HOT Recipe by Robin James Wynne 1½ oz Worthy Park Select Jamaican Rum ¾ oz Worthy Park Overproof Jamaican Rum ¼ oz Yellow Chartreuse ¾ oz Charred Pineapple Mint Syrup (see note) 1 oz fresh lime juice ¼ oz pineapple juice 8 heavy dashes Angostura bitters 4 dashes Scrappy’s Hellfire bitters Add rums, Yellow Chartreuse, syrup, lime, pineapple juice, and bitters to a shaker tin full of ice and give a heavy shake, until thoroughly chilled. Strain over fresh cubes or pebbles of ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and a pineapple wedge. Serves 1.

Photo courtesy of Robin James Wynne

ROBIN JAMES WYNNE WORTHY PARK SELECT JAMAICAN RUM 40% ABV, $46 ON WORTHY PARK OVERPROOF RUM 63% ABV, $57 BC Robin James Wynne, of Little Sister Portland and XXX bar in Toronto, considers himself one of Canada’s foremost experts on rum. For more than 25 years, he has worked with brands to help build the “rum family” across Canada and globally, and has run bars that focus on sugar-cane spirits. He regularly judges rum competitions and visits rum festivals around the world.

To make the Charred Pineapple Mint Syrup: Coat about 2 cups (500 g) pineapple bits and chunks with cane sugar, then oven-roast at 450°F for 30 minutes, until pineapple is golden brown with some char. Whisk 2 cups (500 g) each water and cane sugar in a small saucepan and heat to boiling to make simple syrup, then cool. In a blender, combine charred pineapple along with any roasted/ charred sugar bits, simple syrup, and 2 cups (500 g) fresh mint leaves. Blitz on low, then high speed, for 4 minutes total. Strain resulting syrup then cool. Store refrigerated for 2–3 weeks.

Suggested Cocktail: This inventive drink uses two Jamaican rums, Yellow Chartreuse, lime juice and two types of bitters, plus turns mint sprigs and pineapple bits into a syrup with rich, roasted and charred flavour. All the elements build a complex flavour profile in a cocktail “with layers, but that is superdrinkable at its core,” says Wynne. —compiled by Gail Nugent

TAYLOR KARE & GAIL MCPHEE TANDUAY SILVER RUM 40% ABV, $27 BC LEBLON CACHAÇA 40% ABV, $53 BC, $44 ON Taylor Kare is the bar manager at H Tasting Lounge in Vancouver, where he has built a reputation for cocktails that are as intellectually grounded as they are delicious. For this panel, he collaborated with colleague Gail McPhee on a modernist tiki creation that blends two spirits rarely seen together (Filipino rum Tanduay Silver, with its gentle coconut and vanilla body, alongside Leblon cachaça’s bright, herbaceous fruitiness) to chase something genuinely new.

Suggested Cocktail: Named for the Hawaiian god and goddess of rain and vegetation, Laka A Lono is a modernist tiki-style cocktail built around the aromatic profile of the frangipani

L AKA A LONO Recipe by Taylor Kare & Gail McPhee 1 oz Tanduay Silver ½ oz Leblon Cachaça ½ oz verjus 2 tsp jasmine liqueur (see note) 1 tsp Cîroc Coconut 1 tsp violet liqueur or syrup 1 tsp peach liqueur ½ tsp banana leaf infusion (see note) ½ tsp rose hydrosol ½ tsp 3% saline solution 2 dashes Ms. Better’s Lime Leaf Bitters pineapple foam (see note) Add all ingredients except foam to a shaker tin full of ice, shake until ice cold and double strain into a coupe. Top with pineapple foam. Serves 1. To make the jasmine liqueur: Combine 2 tsp (5 g) jasmine tea with 8 oz vodka. Infuse for 24 hours, then strain. Add 8 oz simple syrup, bottle and refrigerate for up to 1 week. To make the banana leaf infusion: Cover a few banana leaves in overproof white rum and soak for one week. Strain and bottle.

Photo courtesy of H Tasting Lounge

To make the pineapple foam: Combine equal parts fresh pineapple juice and lime juice. Add methylcellulose (stabilizer) or egg white and charge in an ISI canister or whip with frother or immersion blender into a light, airy foam. Use immediately.

Photo courtesy of Bar Supernova

BL ACK APPLE Recipe by Andre w Kong ¾ oz El Dorado 12 Year Old Rum ¼ oz Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum 1 oz black apple purée (see note) ½ oz Esquimalt Rosso Vermouth (substitute: other sweet red vermouth) ¹⁄³ oz tonka liqueur (see note) Add all ingredients to a shaker tin full of ice and shake until ice cold. Double strain. If desired, batch cocktail and pour into a glass bottle and refrigerate for up to a week. To serve each cocktail, pour 3 oz in a rocks glass over a large cube. To make the black apple purée: Slice black apples, vacuum seal and place in a dehydrator on low temp for a minimum of 24 hours (up to 3 days for deeper concentration). Blend apples and add 1% pectinase by weight. Strain and collect purée; discard solids. To make the tonka liqueur: Blend ¼ cup (25 g) tonka beans to a rough grain and combine with 1 bottle (750 ml) high-proof neutral spirit (such as Everclear). Rest for 3–7 days, then strain. Add 20% sugar by weight and dissolve fully, then adjust sweetness to taste. Bottle and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

flower. Though toxic to humans, the flower’s scent (exotic jasmine, peach, coconut, citrus) is very palatable, and that’s exactly what Kare and McPhee chase here. Tanduay Silver brings body and warmth; Leblon lifts and brightens. The whole thing is crowned with a pineapple foam that’s a knowing nod to the storied and complicated history of the Dole plantation in Hawai’i. ANDREW KONG EL DORADO 12 YEAR OLD RUM 40% ABV, AROUND $50 SMITH & CROSS TRADITIONAL JAMAICAN RUM 57%, $60 BC, $50 ON Andrew Kong is the co-founder of Bar Supernova (currently a pop-up; bricksand-mortar location coming) in Vancouver. A bartender drawn to depth and complexity, Kong approaches rum the way a chef approaches a larder of ingredients: as a source of layered, unexpected flavour. His choice to blend El Dorado’s rich, Demerara sugar-driven aged expression with the funky, overproof punch of Smith & Cross Jamaican pot-still rum says everything about where serious rum mixology is headed. Suggested Cocktail: Kong’s cocktail pairs his El Dorado and Smith & Cross rum

A BOY. THE KID. Recipe by Tadia Rosen 2 oz Leblon Cachaça Handful fresh sorrel leaves 1 oz fresh lime juice drops of sansho oil, garnish Add all ingredients to a shaker full of ice, shake until ice cold and double strain into a coupe. Dot sansho oil on top. Serves 1.

blend with a house-made black apple purée, dehydrated at low temperature and clarified with pectinase over 24 hours, alongside Esquimalt Rosso Vermouth and a scratch-made tonka liqueur. The result is brooding and aromatic: stone fruit, bitter chocolate and warm spice flavours threaded through two of rum’s most distinct personalities.

TADIA ROSEN LEBLON CACHAÇA 40% ABV, $53 BC, $44 ON A bartender at Vancouver’s Niwa, Tadia Rosen has a sharp instinct for produce-driven cocktails and a restless approach to classic formats. Rosen gravitated toward Leblon Cachaça from Brazil for its bright, grassy character: it’s a spirit that rewards curiosity and pushes back against convention. For Rosen, cachaça isn’t a novelty; it’s a lens for rethinking what a sugar cane spirit can do in the glass.

Photo courtesy of Niwa

Suggested Cocktail: Rosen’s cocktail is a vegetal, peppery riff on the Daiquiri— deceptively simple and quietly radical. Leblon Cachaça anchors the drink with its signature grassiness, which plays directly off sorrel’s tart, floral bite. Fresh lime keeps it bright, and a finish of sansho oil adds a tingling, citrusy heat that lingers long after the last sip.

Back to the Future BAR FOOD AND COCKTAILS ARE CELEBRATING A NOSTALGIA-FUELED RESURGENCE OF DECADES PAST: DEVILED EGGS AND POTATO-CHIP-DUSTED HOT DOGS, ANYONE? by Blair Phillips

iquor brands once published cocktail and snack recipes in pocket-sized home entertaining guides. In the 1970s, these kitschy booklets featured grey deviled eggs, powdered soup-mix French onion dip and jellied salads that were gelatinous interpretations of edible disco. The recipes faded into nostalgic memories, waiting to be elevated. “I’ve always thought: If somebody was able to bottle nostalgia, they would be a billionaire,” says Ryan Tanner, co-owner of Vancouver’s Breeze Bar. “If you are able to do something … where one bite brings you back to a dish you had when you were a kid, then it is a pretty special moment.” Such special moments are shaping bar food and cocktails in a nostalgia-fuelled resurgence of decades past. For younger generations, the trend feels fresh, while seasoned guests return to bars to relive happy memories. Bold flavours

Caviar bumps at Breeze Bar. Photo courtesy of Breeze Bar

are trending in playful adaptations of classic food and drink, as modern passions contemporize the passé, bringing them back to the future. Stirring this revival is Toronto’s east-end Bar Mini, where the snack menu is built around a 1970s cocktail-dinner menu—it’s like they discovered a time machine. For owners Maty Gignac and Dave Still, the flavours had to be authentic, something they would serve guests in their own home. “The quintessential hosting snack is the deviled egg,” says Maty. “The quintessential bar snack is the pickled egg. How can we mix them together?” The pickled eggs on Bar Mini’s menu answer the question. They enhance the idea by pickling the eggs in beet brine, turning the whites magenta, then adding contrast and salinity with bright orange salmon roe. Dressed with a swirl of devilled egg filling, Bar Mini’s retro eggs bring an unexpected but delicious nostalgic flavour explosion to the palate.

ABOVE: Nostalgic snacks like corn dogs at Simpl Things. Pat Ozlos photo LEFT: Retro decor at Bar Mini. Jenna Salmers photo

Meanwhile, in Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood, Breeze Bar’s trashy-and-classy concept channels the same playful mood that began a decade ago at Ryan Tanner’s apartment

THE WORLD’S PRET T Y SERIOUS. IT’S GOOD TO GET PEOPLE SMILING TOGETHER. as a young teenager and had cheese fondue. It blew my mind.” Trinity Market is a cafe by day, and by night a snack-and-wine bar serving classic cocktails. The bar supports local businesses, including buying cheese from the Cheese Boutique for fondue. “It’s something that has disappeared from a lot of menus,” says Pettit. “It’s fun. It’s playful.” Cheesy fondue at Trinity Market. Photo courtesy of Trinity Market

parties: think Astroturf and free hot dogs (trashy) alongside sous-vide ribeye, grilled and served with caviar (classy). Breeze Bar’s hot dog menu has plenty of fun with nostalgia. “One of my favourites, which I just call a Kid, reminds me of being six years old.” The hot dog with Cheez Whiz, ketchup and crushed chips evokes gee-Whiz nostalgia for many guests. “I often hear: ‘I haven’t had that since I was a kid,’” says Tanner.

In Vancouver, Meo channels the lively, decadent spirit of the 1970s and ’80s with a playful TV Guide-inspired cocktail menu. Cocktails nod to classics like 21 Jump Street’s Liquid Cocaine and a rum-based Miami Vice 22, each saturated with nostalgia plus humour. Rather than reliving the past, all these bars reimagine it, blending familiar flavours and memories with modern techniques and flavours to stir up a fun-focused trend. “The world’s pretty serious,” says Pettit. “It’s good to get people smiling together.”

At Evelyn Chick’s Simpl Things in Toronto, the all-day cocktail, wine and snack bar is a homey space which feels like a well-kept apartment, says bar manager Morgan McLaughlin, one that elevates comfort and familiarity. Its retro 1990s Cosmo-revival menu has been so popular that they’re taking nostalgia to the next level with cocktails inspired by childhood sodas, such as root beer floats and cream soda. “Whether that’s a cocktail like the Cosmo, or if it’s a flavour concept that they know, a lot of people need a little pick-me-up right now. Nostalgia makes people happy,” says McLaughlin. Adding to Toronto’s nostalgia revival: fondue. Trinity Market’s Matt Dean Pettit shares: “We have family in Lausanne, Switzerland. I went over

Reviving the Lemon Drop at Meo. Photo courtesy of Meo

FRIED SARDINES WITH A TIKI NEGRONI AT BAR MINI Think fish sticks with potato chips, lemon pepper, Old Bay tartar sauce and pickled pepperoncini peppers with a rum-soaked Negroni that has Hawaiian Punch-like notes. barmini.ca CORN DOG WITH A SIMPL COSMO AT SIMPL THINGS Not a Pogo from the freezer, but a hand-dipped, cornmeal-battered pork sausage with hot mustard and wasabi, plus a ’90s energy Cosmo remodelled with vodka, fino sherry, cherry cordial, Cointreau and lime. simplthings.ca TRINITY SWISS FONDUE WITH A CLASSIC NEGRONI AT TRINITY MARKET Cheesy goodness of Swiss Emmental, Swiss Gruyère and 3-Year-Old Canadian Cheddar with white wine and grainy Dijon; the Negroni’s sharpness stands up to the cheese. trinitymarket.ca

Photo courtesy of Kate Chernoff

RETRO PAIRINGS

SIGNATURE HOT DOG WITH LONG ISLAND ICED TEA AT BREEZE BAR A fresh-baked sesame seed bun with a Wagyu beef wiener, Cheez Whiz and caviar pairs with an on-tap Long Island Iced Tea, from an elevated proprietary blend of the 1980s throwback. @breezebaryvr iStock / Getty Images Plus / MurzikNata photo

BASQUE CHEESECAKE WITH A LEMON DROP MARTINI AT MEO The cheesecake is technically not yet retro, but it’s more comforting than polyester. The drink is inspired by I Dream of Jeannie circa 1965: it’s a Technicolor, eyewinking gin Martini enhanced by bergamot, preserved lemon and lemon sable. meochinatown.com 27 LEFT: Signature hot dog at Breeze Bar. Photo courtesy of Breeze Bar ABOVE: Fried sardines at Bar Mini. Jenna Salmers photo

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The Diageo World Class award-winning bartending team celebrate the latest Canadian addition. Photos courtesy of World Class Canada

Vancouver strikes again LUCAS VAN ES NAMED WORLD CL ASS CANADA 2026 BARTENDER OF THE YEAR

hile most Canadians were out enjoying their tacos and Margaritas this Cinco de Mayo, Lucas Van Es spent the day at the Four Seasons Whistler doing the bartender equivalent of running a marathon—and coming in first.

On May 5, Van Es, who works at Vancouver’s Keefer Bar, was named Diageo World Class Canada 2026 Bartender of the Year, edging out nine other highly skilled bartenders from across Canada. After an arduous day of muddling, shaking and stirring, he was given the coveted gilded shaker statue and will now move on to represent Canada at the 2026 Diageo World Class Global Final in Scotland this fall.

So, how good did that feel? “Obviously it feels amazing,” says Van Es. “It hasn’t fully sunk in, but it’s an incredible honour and it feels great after all the hard work and stress and determination that it takes to prepare for this competition. I’m really proud of myself for pulling it off.” This was his third attempt at the comp, which is not at all unusual for a World Class contender that sees bartenders work for years to achieve their goals. “It's like having a second full-time job,” says Kate Chernoff, who won World Class Canada last year.

“I think what the World Class program does is push you to think about drinks from the inside out, so, I think it increases your intentionality,” she adds. “And that stays with you in every move you make, in every job you have, no matter where you're working.” Bartenders who succeed at World Class aren’t only on top of their technical skills, they’re also master storytellers focused on expressing their point of view through cocktails. “My first serious bartending job was at the Acorn, a fine dining restaurant in Vancouver that sourced locally and used a lot of foraged ingredients,” recalls Van Es, who found creative ways to use them in cocktails. “So, it was at an early point in my career that I became inspired to make drinks that had a sense of place.” From submission to finals, Van Es made over a dozen unique cocktails featuring as many local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients as possible. His favourite, though, was the Rock Garden, a cocktail he created for the Tanqueray 10 challenge, which involved making a modern classic inspired by an industry icon. “I chose Hiroyasu Kayama, from Bar Benfiddich in Tokyo,” says Van Es, noting that the legendary Japanese bar owner farms and forages all his ingredients. “I don't have my own family farm, but I used what I have in my front yard, which is a plum tree, so I made a homemade Umeshu (plum liqueur). He combined this with a syrup made from fresh chamomile and freeze-distilled citrus juice. There’s no single winning drink in World Class, but the Rock Garden scored well, so it was a factor.

Lucas celebrates a well-deserved win after the Canadian final competition in Whistler, B.C.

So, what’s next? Van Es is going to try to take a short breather and savour the win after “weeks and weeks” of hard work. But, when you have a second full-time job, there’s never really a break in the action. “I'm also going to be doing some real hard thinking about what the expectations at World Class Global Finals are,” he says. “I’ll be trying to think up some preliminary ideas and dialing in my techniques bartending skills, so I’ll be prepared.” The pressure is real. Canada has an incredibly strong record at World Class, with four global champions in the past decade—Kaitlyn Stewart (2017), James Grant (2021), Jacob Martin (2023) and Keegan McGregor (2024). All those folks are in his corner and rooting for Van Es. “Every single one said to me ‘You’ve got my number, let's make sure you're ready. Let's make sure we get this done’,” says Van Es. “We all want to see Canada continue the streak and hopefully bring back another global win.”

Diageo World Class Canada @WorldClassCanada #WorldClass diageoworldclasscanada.com

Victoria’s hot bar summer RECENT MOVES AND OPENINGS HAVE CREATED ONE OF THE BEST SIX-BLOCK DRINKING NEIGHBOURHOODS IN CANADA. COME TO VICTORIA, AND JOIN US ON THE TOP BAR CRAWL OF SUMMER 2026. by Joanne Sasvari

The Veranda patio. Photo courtesy of Fairmont Empress

crawl are two bars that sit on the extended 51–100 list of North America’s 50 Best Bars (NA50BB), as well as at least four others serving top-notch cocktails, plus a terrific vermouth joint and several exceptional pubs. Thirsty yet? Come join us on a Victoria cocktail crawl.

AROUND DOUGLAS AND HUMBOLDT

Secret Garden cocktail at Clive’s. Photo courtesy of Clive’s Classic Lounge

We’ll start where Victoria’s cocktail revival arguably began: at Clive’s Classic Lounge at the Château Victoria, where Aussie transplant Shawn Soole began shaking things up around 2009. (He recently became co-owner of the local cantina Café Mexico.) Soole has become a mentor, cheerleader and educator for countless bartenders, including local barkeeps like Harry Tham and Kate Chernoff (2025 Diageo World Class Canada Bartender of the Year). Tham recently departed to work at the Michelin-starred Moebius Sperimentale in Milan, but has left Clive’s in good hands

oronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary: They all have their bar stars and destination cocktail lounges. But this summer, the country’s most exciting cocktail neighbourhood might just be found in six boozy, and easily walkable, blocks of downtown Victoria. Yes—the quaint, charming Vancouver Island city better known for its tea rooms, horsedrawn carriages, floral hanging baskets and souvenir shops. But it is also a city that knows how to drink. After all, it hosts North America’s best whisky festival each January and was the birthplace of the country’s craft beer movement. When it comes to cocktails, Victoria punches well above its weight for a city of around 90,000 people in Victoria proper (400,000 if you include Greater Victoria). On this

Cyanometer cocktail at Humboldt. Andréa Conforti photo

LEFT: Seabird cocktail at The Courtney Room. Photo courtesy of The Courtney Room ABOVE: Forest Bathing cocktail at Wind Cries Mary. Photo courtesy of Wind Cries Mary

with barkeep Kade Russell. Sip here for smart spins on classics and an epic whisky collection. More or less across the road is the Humboldt Bar, currently #53 on North America’s 50 Best Bars (up from #69 last year.) Bar manager Brant Porter’s domain is a small, romantic, dimly lit lounge that pays homage the 19th-century naturalist, explorer, polymath and philosopher Alexander von Humboldt. The excellent cocktails are as adventurous as he was: try the Cyanometer, a citrusy blue drink named for a device designed to measure how blue the sky is.

From there, it’s a quick stroll across Douglas Street to the Fairmont Empress hotel, which is currently renovating its Q Lounge, set to re-open sometime this spring. Meanwhile the tea lobby serves cocktails in the evenings, and once the weather warms up, the sweeping Veranda becomes the city’s finest patio, with stunning Inner Harbour views. Try the Empress take on Victoria’s signature drink, the Shaft: vodka, Kahlua, Bailey’s, espresso, gold flakes.

About a block from the Empress, you’ll find the lovely Magnolia Hotel & Spa and its restaurant, The Courtney Room, where Julie Hyde, the former chef of Toronto’s Michelin-starred 20 Victoria, now rules the kitchen. The bar here is beautiful, with a program that highlights local spirits and flavours, including bespoke whiskies from Stillhead Distillery in nearby Duncan. Try the In the Pines cocktail, made with Stillhead Bartenders Cask whisky, The Woods Nocino, bitters and maple water.

AROUND GOVERNMENT AND VIEW

Wander up Government Street where you’ll find a row of great pubs: Bard & Banker, where Cuban trumpet legend Miguelito Valdes plays on Tuesdays; plus the Churchill Draughthouse and 159-year-old Garrick’s Head. All serve decent pints and enjoyable whisky cocktails. Hang a left at Bastion Square and down the steps to Wind Cries Mary, where David Bulters leads one of the city’s great bar programs. Originally from Australia, this

BC Housing bought the property, Citrus & Cane’s time there was limited. Now they’re in an even cooler space. Opening this season, it’s bigger and more accessible, with a patio, a kitchen and the same impeccable tropical drinks. Most of all, Siebert says, “We love this location because it is surrounded by other bars and restaurants. We can kind of complement [them], but without competing … which offers more choices to customers. It’s easy for them to walk into this block and kind of decide from there. Which is cool.” In fact, it might just be Canada’s coolest place for a cocktail crawl this summer. Piña Colada at Citrus & Cane. Photo courtesy of Citrus & Cane

barkeep is well-known to Vancouverites from his time behind the bar at AnnaLena, Oakwood, Juniper and, most recently, L’Abattoir. Now he serves cocktails inspired by Island life, like Forest Bathing: cedar gin, cucumber, nettle acid and forest aromatic. From here it’s just a short stroll to tiny Trounce Alley, where you’ll find a trio of popular tapas joints—Tapa Bar, Poco and the vermut-soaked Bodega—and the most exciting new addition to the neighbourhood. Halfway down the block is the new location of Citrus & Cane, the tropical-themed bar that recently made it onto the NA50BB list at #87. It opened in 2020, in a fabulously retro 1970s space above an old motor hotel, where owners Tim Siebert and Jessa Gildersleeve served Mai Tais, craft Piña Coladas and perfect Daiquiris. But after

MORE GREAT Y YJ-AREA COCKTAILS

Beyond the compact cocktail neighbourhood gestating downtown, you can also find exceptional cocktails at the following Victoria-area hangouts. Fathom at the Hotel Grand Pacific on Belleville Street Cenote on Yates Street Artemis Whiskey Bar on Johnson Street (Market Square) Café Mexico on Store Street (Market Square) End Dive on Government Street Marilena Café & Raw Bar on Douglas Street Kinu by Sizzling Tandoor at Uptown Janecva Kitchen & Bar at Rosemead House in Esquimalt

The pop-up Hibiki Cocktail + Listening Lounge at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Photo courtesy of Hibiki

Hi-fi watering holes INSPIRED BY CL ASSIC JAPANESE KISSAS, RETRO AND VINYL-INSPIRED LISTENING BARS ARE SHAPING A NEW CULTURE IN DRINKING, SNACKING AND GROOVING ACROSS CANADA by Janet Gyenes

“L

isten, closely.” That simple sentence, painted on an exterior wall of Amber, a new hi-fi bar in Vancouver’s Gastown, seems to sum up the ethos of so-called listening bars, where the curation of music is as critical as

the cocktails and cuisine. But every bar plays music: what makes a place a listening bar? It’s about intention and restraint, says Thomas Eleizegui, one of Amber’s partners. Music is at the forefront of his hi-fi bar concept, but “I wanted to do it right,” he says. “We’re not just blaring the music out. We want to contain it.” The idea is to ensure guests can chat and not have to compete with the music. To orchestrate his vision, Eleizegui sought the expertise of Clint Moroz, who owns Space Lab, an antiques shop that also offers a speaker-service clinic. The audio consultant and supplier of vintage components set up the sound system for Bar Gobo’s recent refit as an audiophile escape, and designed the one at Osteria Otto. Naturally, the selection

OSTERIA OTTO

Vinyl gold and a Persimmon Martinez at June. Juno Kim photo

This new eatery and listening bar closed this past spring after devastating water damage from a fire in its Mount Pleasant heritage building. Visit its GoFundMe page to support the team through an uncertain reopening journey. osteria-otto.com, gofundme.com

The Little Jerry became Toronto’s first listening bar in 2019. Photo courtesy of The Little Jerry

SLOW DOWN AND GET LOST IN A LOVELY EXPERIENCE. of hi-fi gear such as speakers and turntables is integral, but so were design and architecture elements at Amber. For instance, the kitchen is completely closed off to avoid leaking noise into seating areas, while sound-absorbing panels and the use of cork temper echoes and reverb to achieve acoustic balance.

Although listening bars seem to be proliferating across Canada, the idea is far from new. Meikyoku Kissa Lion, which opened in Tokyo in 1926, is said to be the first ongaku kissaten, or music café; it’s still going strong after a century. Early Japanese kissas (cafés) were small, sophisticated spaces often hidden down alleys or in basements. These indie establishments, echoing European salons in places like Vienna and Paris, served tea, coffee and sometimes alcohol. But music was the magnet. People would turn up, tune in and relax, listening to vinyl records from the establishment’s expansive collection, while sipping a beverage. Conversation was often prohibited to encourage immersion in the music.

After the Second World War, hi-fidelity jazz kissas in Japan became increasingly popular, especially since reams of records had been destroyed and new vinyl was prohibitively expensive. That fallout ushered in a new era for these sanctuaries of sound, which reached their apogee in the 1950s. They eventually faded in the 1970s as Japanese people could afford vinyl records and began to play more music at home. Half a century later, Moroz sees the listeningbar revival as a return to an era of more “sophisticated interaction and respect for guests,” he says, noting every hospitality team’s innate desire to nurture customers. Hi-fi bars become so-called third spaces for creating community, mixing music into the sensory experience of drinking and dining. In a time when minds are overstimulated and small screens dominate, listening bars invite low-tech contemplation and connection. They’re places where you can stop the device doomscrolling, talk less, listen more and, as Moroz says, “slow down and get lost in a lovely experience.”

CITIES OF SOUND Skip the canned playlists and tune in to curated sounds at these hi-fi bars from Victoria to Toronto.

Photo courtesy of Kate Chernoff

Driftwood Brewery Vinyl Club BYOV (your own vinyl) to Sunday Sessions on the last Sunday of every month at the brewery in Victoria, and the first Wednesday of the month in Vancouver at The Irish Heather. @driftwoodvinylclub Hibiki | Cocktail + Listening Lounge This pop-up in the basement of Fairmont Hotel Vancouver presents Suntory Sessions on weekends, live vinyl-forward DJ sets, accompanied by Japaneseinspired cocktails and cuisine. fairmont-hotelvancouver.com/dine/hibiki-cocktail-listening-lounge/ Driftwood Vinyl Club guests can bring their own LPs. Tonellacam Films photo

VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER Amber Located next door to sister café Celeste in Vancouver’s Gastown, this day-to-night listening bar puts sound at the forefront, while serving up Pacific Northwest cuisine and cocktails by Alper Fonte. amber99.com Bar Gobo The self-proclaimed “hi-fi wine bar at the end of the world” (really, on the edge of Vancouver’s Chinatown) is all about eclectic wines, complemented by Filipinoinspired small plates and snacks, and great vinyl spinning all the time. bargobo.com Bleach Listening??Room Middle Eastern and Asian-inspired cuisine meets natural wines and open decks at this community listening room in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. bleachstudios.xyz Doze HiFi This Vancouver pop-up vinyl bar offers ticketed monthly events at rotating venues, often collaborating to curate customized menus and music. @dozehifi

LaLa Head downstairs beneath June On Cambie restaurant to this cocoonlike room, nestled behind a velvet curtain, where a DJ spins vinyl at the bar. juneoncambie.com TORONTO 915 Dupont Music is always playing at this Japanese-inspired kissa, with live performances on Sunday evenings. @915dupont Boogie Vinyl and digital sounds coexist at this venue, where you can settle in forImages a cocktail enjoy specialphoto events such iStock / Getty Plusand / MurzikNata as 45 Sessions on Thursday nights. boogieonqueen.com Standard Time This bar melds Japandi-style minimalism with music, including vinyl-only DJ sets. standardtime.to The Little Jerry Eat, snack, listen. Rotating DJs and a high-end sound system make Toronto’s first listening bar a must-visit for audiophiles. thelittlejerry.com Vinny Restaurant and Vinyl Bar Thursdays through Saturdays, this restaurant transforms into a vinyl bar with DJ sets until late. vinnytoronto.com

HOME BAR

Lemon aid WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS… MAKE LIMONCELLO Story, photos and recipes by Matthew Benevoli

ow does vacationing on the Amalfi coast, sipping a lemony cocktail, sound to you? While I can’t bring Italy’s seaside back to Canada, let’s recreate a taste of the Mediterranean at home, by crafting homemade limoncello. Limoncello is a sweet, intensely lemonflavored liqueur from southern Italy, and a pillar of Italian drinks culture. It starts with macerating lemon zest in neutral alcohol to extract citrus oils. Once the sugar is added, lemon oils then become suspended in the mixture, creating the signature opaque, bright yellow hue for which limoncello is known. Sounds simple, but the devil is always in the details. To make a successful batch, use high-quality fruit. Well-washed organic, unwaxed and pesticide-free lemons will bring stronger flavor and more vibrant colours without worrisome chemicals. Use a sharp peeler to capture only the colourful citrus zest, not the bitter white pith or sour juice. Maceration time varies from a few weeks to a few months, for softer and lighter or boldersmelling and -tasting drinks, respectively. Though limoncello is traditionally made with lemons, you might ask of other citrus fruits: Does it ’cello? Yes, and you can try the same method with other citrus. Oranges make arancello, limes

Recreate a taste of the Mediterranean at home by making your own limoncello.

make limecello and grapefruits make pompelmocello—try other citrus, and even blends. Once your perfect mix is bottled, you’re ready to make those beautiful cocktails. For any questions or additional tips, please reach out to @m.benevoli on Instagram. Saluti!

HOW TO MAKE LIMONCELLO YOU WILL NEED Ingredients:

Equipment:

1 750-ml bottle vodka (40% ABV works; 50% ABV recommended) (see note 1) 10 lemons (preferably organic/unwaxed), or other citrus fruit 250 g white granulated sugar (see note 2) 250 g filtered warm water (see note 2)

Mason jar(s) or large sealable container (preferably glass) Vegetable peeler or Microplane zester Fine strainer or cheesecloth Funnel Sealable glass bottles (corked or swing-top style) Kitchen scale Large measuring cup Wooden spoon

Note 1: Grain alcohol like Everclear (75%–95% ABV) also works, but additional simple syrup or water may be required to taste, to tone down the high alcohol level. Note 2: Making syrup by weight is the most accurate and consistent method, but if you do not have a kitchen scale, use 1 cup sugar and 1 cup (250 ml) water.

METHOD

1. Wash lemons thoroughly, and peel or zest carefully, leaving the white pith on the fruit. 40

2. Add zest and vodka (or grain alcohol) to an airtight, large sealable container. Shake up and store in a cool dark place for 2–8 weeks to macerate. 3. Once lemon mix is at desired flavor and aroma, use strainer and/or cheesecloth to strain out zest. Discard zest.

4 4. T o make simple syrup, measure/weigh water and sugar in a large measuring cup, stir with a wooden spoon until sugar granules are fully dissolved and set aside. 5. A dd simple syrup to lemon-alcohol mix to taste. Stir well until fully incorporated. Adjust sweetness as needed. 6. Funnel into clean, sealable bottles. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 year.

AMALFI SPRITZ 1 1/2 oz limoncello 4 oz Prosecco 2 oz club soda or sparkling water Lemon wheel, garnish In a large wine glass filled with ice, add limoncello, Prosecco and club soda then gently stir to mix. Garnish with a lemon wheel. Serves 1. Make these recipes your own by substituting your own homemade citrusflavoured ’cello for the limoncello in these recipes.

BEL TEMPO 2 dashes aromatic bitters (such as Angostura) 1 1/2 oz Prosecco 1 cup of Ice 1 oz gin (preferably Italian) 1 1/2 oz limoncello 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice 2 dashes orange bitters Mint sprig, garnish Stir together aromatic bitters and Prosecco in a short serving glass; set aside. Add ice and all other ingredients except garnish to a blender, and blitz until smooth. Pour blended mix over Prosecco and bitters and stir to combine. Garnish with a mint sprig. Serves 1.

LAST CALL GREAT WORLD BARS WE LOVE: FLORERÍA ATLÁNTICO

echnically, Florería Atlántico is a speakeasy, but patrons never experience the performative gestures that often come with the label. Guests enter through a functioning flower shop, where staff greet you with an ease that makes it clear they know why most people are there, even if a few are genuinely browsing bouquets. There’s no theatrics, just a quick confirmation before you’re guided downstairs. The space opens into a long, dimly lit room that feels both intimate and energetic. The crowd reflects that balance on any given night, and can comprise large groups of in-the-know locals, couples tucked into corners on date night plus a steady mix of international drink enthusiasts. The cocktail program, led by Tato Giovannoni (recipient of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award from World’s 50 Best Bars in 2020), provides a cultural lesson in Argentina’s immigrant roots. With drinks that draw

Doris Sun photos ABOVE: The YVY Maraey with forest earth distillate, cashew liqueur and sage soda. BELOW: Enter this speakeasy through a flower shop.

inspiration from the groups that shaped the country (Italian, Spanish, British), expect unexpected ingredients, including plenty of the Fernet-Branca that’s beloved by Argentinians, Patagonian berry sorbet, native botanicals and even Giovannoni’s own brand of vermouths and gins. The food menu is as carefully crafted to highlight the best of Argentina as the cocktails are. The king crab empanada, in particular, is a standout: delicate and an indulgent tribute to the country’s humble national snack. This makes a trip to Florería Atlántico a complete experience, one that easily turns a quick stop for drinks into an evening to remember. floreriaatlantico.com.ar —Doris Sun

OCTOBER 18-25, 2026

Cocktail Brunch Cinq à Sept Series Neighbourhood Crawls Master Classes Spirited Events Gala of Cocktails

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PROUD PARTNER OF TORONTO COCKTAIL FESTIVAL 2026

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