Raising the Local Bar

SPIRITS
Spirits are the core of any cocktail, so why go with the most basic and boring? These local tipples are bold and experimental, yet refined enough to play well with others in your favourite drinks.

A rye that’s nothing to joke about
Leave it to what may be Canada’s smallest legal distillery to make one of the biggest and boldest whiskys on the market. Vaughan’s Last Straw Distillery opened in 2016 and this past July released its first whisky — a 100-per-cent rye aged in new American oak.

“I think rye is a superior grain,” says Mike Hook, one of the distillery’s co-founders. “There’s a lot of stuff that people call rye that’s not really rye. We really don’t want it to be adulterated.”

The result is a brash and spicy whisky with notes of dried fruit, earthy mushrooms and dark caramel. It’s not for everyone, but for those who love real rye, it’s a superior sipper. For something easier-drinking, try the delightful Darker Side — a brief rest in the same oak casks transforms much-maligned moonshine into something Hook calls “bourbon for beginners” with all the complex characteristics of a long-aged whisky and none of the up-front bite.

Last Straw Distillery
Unit 9, 40 Pippin Rd., Concord, Ont.
madebyhand.laststrawdistillery.com | @laststrawdistill

Rumming through the six
Rum’s base ingredients aren’t local to our region, but Yongehurst Distillery finds a way to make rum that’s unique to Ontario. This Toronto distillery sells a range of products, differentiating itself from other local distillers by attempting to produce liqueurs, such as shōchū, amaro and triple sec. It uses ingredients grown or foraged in the GTA and cultivates a lot of the herbs and botanicals used in its spirits. Much of its popularity has come from the success of its unfiltered and unsugared "Harbour White" rum made from organic molasses fermented with wild yeast harvested from Ontario apples. The result is a smooth rum with earthy notes, bright citrus and fruity flavours, and, oddly enough, pleasant hints of apple, proofed to 44-per-cent ABV. Try it in a classic daiquiri or mojito to start.

Yongehurst Distillery Co.
346 Westmoreland Ave. N., Toronto, Ont.
yongehurst.com

Wine with a secret
Cabernet Sauvignon, brandy and secret spices — that’s the recipe for "Vinea," a new spirit from Reif Estate Winery that defies categorization. This truly intriguing Niagara-on-the- Lake grape liqueur leads with flavours of raspberries, mint and a touch of spice. It’s definitely sweet, but not overbearing thanks to the herbal background. The word Vinea is Latin for vine and it comes in at 20-per-cent ABV, making it a perfect substitute for sweet vermouth in a Manhattan. Or, try it instead of crème de cassis in a “Vinea Royale” with sparkling wine, or sip it straight on the rocks alongside dessert.

Reif Estate Winery
15608 Niagara Pkwy., Niagara-on-the-Lake,
vineaspirit.ca | 905.468.7738 | @vineaspirit

Gin is in the Ayr
Distilling and agriculture are intrinsically connected. Or at least they used to be. “It used to be you built your distillery next to a mill where the farmers brought their grain,” says Cam Formica, one of the cofounders of Willibald Farm Distillery. “Then it became the only land you could open a distillery on was industrial land, so we’ve gotten away from that.”

Willibald is bringing that connection back. Rather than finding an urban space with natural foot traffic, Willibald’s founders chose to open their distillery on a 100-acre farm in the tiny town of Ayr, south of Kitchener. Formica and brothers Jordan and Nolan van der Heyden grew up in Ayr, so they knew it would be hard to draw crowds to the off-the-grid location. Still, they couldn’t think of a better place for their distillery than the previously underutilized van der Heyden family farm.

The farm’s 60 farmable acres are currently under transition to organic agriculture — the first step on a path to planting wheat for an estate-grown organic whisky. Beyond that, it’s all bucolic farm life here. The remaining land houses pasturing cattle, patches of forest, lavender fields and more than a million honey bees.

The Willibald team members are whisky fanatics, but while their bourbon-style whisky ages, they turned to gin for their first release last year.

“Gin is actually a really cool category because you have juniper, and outside of that the possibilities are endless,” Formica says. “We’re big whisky people, we got into this business to make whisky, so we thought how do we make our first product reflect our love for whisky?”

The answer was gin produced with whisky-making techniques — namely aging in charred new American oak casks for six to eight months. It’s definitely gin with a juniper-forward nose with coriander and caraway, but the straw colour and woody finish are something special. Plus the oak-aging brings smooth texture, a dash of smoky character, a hint of vanilla and a spicy yet fresh finish that recalls cedar sap.

“One thing that differentiates us is not being afraid to be different,” Formica says. “We haven’t been afraid to step outside the norm and be unapologetically flavourful.”

This year’s release, dubbed ‘Pink Gin,’ is a product of that same approach. This time, the same gin base went in freshly dumped red wine barrels before being lightly sweetened with the farm’s wildflower honey. “Being on a farm, it’s important to incorporate elements of the farm into products,” Formica explains. “Pink Gin is the first step for us and it’s something we’re going to elevate.”

Where the charred oak contributes spice and smoke, the red wine barrels bring floral and fruity elements that mesh seamlessly with the honey. There’s just a whisper of sweetness and the suggestion of strawberry and citrus alongside the juniper and licorice flavours that characterize Willibald’s base gin recipe. A bit more subtle than the original, the "Pink Gin" is supremely sippable and makes a great mixer in all your favourite gin cocktails. “I want to see people enjoying it, not sitting on it,” Formica says.

Last winter, Willibald also released a seasonal special — an un- aged whisky that macerated in bourbon casks with apples and spices — that sold out immediately. For now, the distillery offers only the two gins, with hopes for another before the end of the year and its first whisky release later next year.

“We don’t like vodka, so we’re not going to sell vodka... [it's] kind of useless, in my opinion. I think it’s cool if you’re a spirit nerd to do a vertical tasting and see the progression. Outside of that, from a cocktail perspective, I see almost no use for it. We don’t drink it, so we don’t sell it.”

But even with only two products, a lot is happening on the farm. Because spirits aren’t enough, there’s a new brewery in the works, helmed by another friend from Ayr who returned after learning to brew in top European breweries. And for visitors who make their way to Ayr, there’s a tasting bar and an on-site farm-to- table restaurant that sources most of its produce from a one-acre kitchen garden.

“So much of what we consume comes from a place people never see or visit,” Formica says. “The opportunity to have people come here and eat food grown on the farm and try spirits from our own grain eventually, that’s very attractive.”

While Willibald is growing quickly, it’s always with an eye on sustainability. This is where the team comes from and it's land its members care about deeply. “You get far more productivity out of a land that you maintain properly, naturally, than you ever will pumping chemicals into mono-crop,” Formica says. “It’s just that simple. Sustainability and the long-term — we want to have this farm 20 years from now to grow grain on.”

Willibald Farm Distillery and Restaurant
1271 Reidsville Rd., Ayr, Ont.
drinkwillibald.com | 226.556.9941 | @drinkwillibald

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS
It almost feels like cheating to use these, but one taste of your drink and all guilt fades away. Lean into the variety available today — choose the right bitters, syrup, shrub, or garnish for the job and sip the rewards.

Not-so-simple syrups
What if simple syrup wasn’t so simple? That’s the idea behind Kvas Fine Beverage Co., based in St. Catharines.

“A lot of the bartending I was doing in Niagara centered on simple syrups,” says Zac Kvas, who founded the company with his wife, Amy. “Instead of bringing in outside liqueurs we thought, how can we make these flavours locally and get really creative with cocktails?”

When customers started coming into Zac’s bar with empty Tim Horton’s cups to bring syrup home, he knew it was time to turn syrups into a business. The Northern Maple Old-Fashioned syrup’s blend of maple syrup, hickory and spices is so delicious you might just want to pour it on pancakes, but it’s best paired with whisky in a classic Old Fashioned or as a subtitute for amaro in drinks such as a Paper Plane.

The cherry hibiscus syrup has surprising earthy notes that make it a great stand-in for sweet vermouth in a Manhattan. The ginger wildflower’s mix of Niagara honey, ginger, green tea and cardamom makes a mean Moscow Mule. New this fall, Kvas is making black -pepper whisky cherries to garnish all your favourite cocktails.

Kvas Fine Beverage Co.
kvasfbco.com | @kvasfb.co

The bitter truth
Angostura bitters are a classic for good reason, but sometimes a drink calls for a drop of something new. Prince Edward County’s Kinsip distillery offers intensely flavoured concoctions such as bright sour cherry bitters perfect for a Manhattan, chili espresso for a hint of spice that works as well in a Caesar as it does with whisky and lavender lemon, which elevates gin botanicals to a new level. “Their hibiscus rosehip bitters are just incredible, too,” says Zac Kvas, founder of Kvas Fine Beverage Co. The farm- based grain-to-glass distillery ferments and ages everything on site and offers not only a stellar selection of bitters, but also gins, vodka, shōchū — and what could become your new favourite pancake accompaniment, whisky barrel-aged maple syrup.

Kinsip House of Fine Spirits
66 Gilead Rd., Bloomfield, Prince Edward County
kinsip.ca | 613.393.1890 | @kinsipspirits

Nothing to shrub at
For those who prefer a tart drink, shrubs are a game-changer. Toronto’s False Ox makes theirs by infusing organic apple-cider vinegar from Ontario with a variety of fresh ingredients. The celery jalapeño shrub adds depth to Caesars and Bloody Marys, while the grapefruit rosemary spices up gin and tonics. “Even if you’re not into making cocktails, it’s very easy with the shrubs,” says False Ox co-founder Mykel Riley. “With just a spirit and maybe one more ingredient, you can drink something that tastes much more complicated.”

False Ox
264 Glebeholme Blvd., Toronto, Ont.
falseox.com | 647.290.5606 | @false_ox

Spice up the rim
While working in digital marketing, Amanda Chen became an avid home margarita mixologist. She pretty much mastered the drink, but realized there was still room for improvement on the edges — specifically the edge of the glass. Chen started making flavoured salts and eventually left her job to pursue Salty Paloma as a full-time business. Her flagship fiesta rimmer is for margaritas, made with dried grapefruit and lime blended into Himalayan salt, while the havana substitutes raw cane sugar for salt and adds a touch of mint, making it a natural with mojitos. Best of all, Chen cuts down on food waste by using spent citrus peels from local bars and juiceries.

Salty Paloma
838 College St. Toronto, Ont.
saltypaloma.com | 647.294.2500 | @saltypaloma

BARWARE
To really match the speakeasy experience, you need the right glassware. There are some great local options, including glasses from Cocktail Emporium, Toronto’s premier cocktail shop and straws that make you forget plastic was ever an option.

Toronto’s very own glass
A local bar demands local glasses. Enter, Cocktail Emporium’s "Retro Toronto Collins glass." Designed by the Toronto cocktail stores' owner, Kristen Voisey, and manufactured locally, these tall cylindrical glasses feature a vintage-inspired image of the CN Tower rising high over a waterfront sunset. There’s no more stylish option for your new made-in-Ontario mixed drinks.

Cocktail Emporium
20 Kensington Ave and 972 Queen St., W., Toronto, Ont.
cocktailemporium.com | @cocktailemporium

Sip with style
Plastic straws are a no-go and paper straws quickly turn soggy and useless. If your drink needs a straw, glass is the answer. Strawhopper straws are reusable, dishwasher-safe and free of chemicals. And these made-in-Cambridge straws are not only good for the environment, they’re also sleek and fun to use. Any drink immediately feels fancier when sipped through glass.

Straw Hopper
strawhopper.com | @strawhopperca

Protect your stuff
No bar is complete without a reliable place to put your drink. Toronto photographer Justin Roth gets ultra-local with your coaster selection, crafting coasters showing off the city’s most iconic subway stations and disreputable cityscapes. It all started when Roth was collecting drink mats from bars. He wanted to make his own coasters and used his photography of Toronto to print on ceramic tiles, before sealing them with epoxy resin and finishing the bottom with cork. “We turn those timeless photos into highly functional art that not only speaks to you, but also makes the perfect backdrop for your favourite beverage,” Roth says.

Daily City Train
dailycitytrain.com | @dailycitytrain