Bottoms Up: booze professionals that will bring the party to you

By Denise Balkissoon, Chantal Braganza, Matthew Hague, Bronwen Jervis, Emily Landau, Peter Saltsman and Courtney Shea | Photograph by Daniel Ehrenworth

If you fancy yourself a mixmaster but lack the basic equipment, Kristen Voisey of the Queen West cocktail culture shop BYOB will design a personalized liquor selection. A basic set of crucial mixers, essential tools, necessary glassware and, of course, a well-curated selection of bottles goes for $580, including home delivery. For bigger budgets, she can show up with hard-to-find spirits, cocktail lessons or a matching set of vintage crystal coupes. 416-858-2932, byobto.com.

Bypass the province’s provincial attitudes toward liquor sales by ordering vino through WineWire. It’s a one-stop online shop featuring stock from ­private agents all over Ontario, offering 500 non-LCBO international wines by the six- or 12-­bottle case. It’s free to join, and if that gorgeous syrah from last night’s restaurant isn’t listed, co-founder Adam Bekhor is confident he’ll find it within 48 hours. 647-748-7555, winewire.ca.

Booze delivery is typically an ordeal—a shifty dude in a beat-up car shows up with a mismatched six-pack five hours after your call, maybe. The Beer Guy, on the other hand, has a fleet of reliable drivers. Its website shows available stock at LCBOs and Beer Stores near your location, and $10 earns delivery of 36 brews in two hours or less. 647-694-2244, thebeerguy.ca.