This is what’s replacing the Dive Shop in Leslieville

A new cocktail lounge from a team of industry veterans is set to open in Leslieville next month. Bar Etc. will transform a space near Gerrard and Jones—once home to the Dive Shop, a surf-themed spot—into a softer and sexier concept, weaving tropical hints through sophisticated cocktails and boldly flavoured small plates.

“We’re not trying to be a tiki bar,” says general manager Lee Stein. “There will be some tropical fruit ingredients, but we’re also mixing in some savoury stuff and playing with barks and roots and spices. We’re taking inspiration not just from a single area that you might deem tropical but from places around the world.”

The drink menu will be organized into sections inspired by the structure and style of the classics (negroni, margarita, etc.) but will also take cues from bar manager and mad cocktail scientist Sasha Siegel (Lonely Diner, Bar Banane, Overpressure Club). With his track record of inventive concoctions, guests can expect Bar Etc.’s tipples to be anything but ordinary.

Related: A quirky east-end cocktail bar just made a big menu change

“What keeps people coming back to an establishment are the people who work there,” says Siegel. “There’s a saying in the industry: bartenders make the bar. We have a lot of experience, but we don’t want our knowledge to be intimidating. We want Bar Etc. to be warm, inviting and approachable.”

Cocktails on the inaugural menu will include an elegant riff on a frozen daiquiri made with white rum, green mango and curry leaf and a delicate take on a boulevardier that uses Dillon’s rye infused with fresh strawberry, two types of vermouth, French aperitif Pineau des Charentes and a gentian liqueur made with pandan.

“If you asked me five years ago if I’d ever put a frozen daiquiri on the menu, I’d have said absolutely not,” says Siegel. “People tend to think of it like a trashy, sugary drink that’s sort of delicious but also gross—kind of like a 7-11 slushie. But I was able to make a fun, elegant play on it. Even though we’re opening in March, we had to put it on the menu right away—we couldn’t hold back. It’s freaking delicious.”

Other drinks, like the gimlet, kick the sensory journey up a notch. Gin, sake, manzanilla sherry, a clarified bergamot cordial, scotch, saline and a few drops of wakame seaweed tincture will be served over a large ice cube. “Close your eyes and picture standing by the ocean,” says Siegel. “This drink feels and tastes like that. The scotch mimics the earthiness of the sand, while the wakame brings that salty sea air.”

Related: Leslieville’s new cocktail and snack bar feels like a ’70s dinner party

Chef Steven Kasprowicz (the Eat Locker, the Vintage Conservatory) is responsible for the bar’s seafood-forward small plates. Punchy flavours will feature throughout the bistro-meets-tapas dishes, including crispy basa; hamachi crudo with aguachile, mango and herb oil; and grilled prawns with coconut choka and pickled bird’s eye chilies. But it’s not all surf: a pineapple smash burger, inspired by Hawaiian pizza, will feature a locally farmed patty topped with grilled peameal, a pineapple coriander chutney, togarashi aïoli and cheddar.

Dive Shop regulars will be glad to know that the bones of the space, like the curved batten-board ceiling, will remain. But the bright colours will be softened and joined by playful wallpaper and artwork. The teams behind both watering holes are good friends, so guests may even spot the old Dive Shop crew enjoying a night on the other side of the bar.

“We’re looking to give the east end a neighbourhood spot that feels familiar and relaxed but also focuses on thoughtful drinks, food and service,” says Stein. “We want to create a space where people can come and linger.”