Take a big sip of these cocktails built for two
Featuring recipe ideas, glassware recommendations and the best bars for doubling down on the city’s large-format cocktail trend
Large-format cocktails are usually associated with the drink-till-you-drop crowd. (Remember that swerving walk home after the Shameful Tiki Room’s Volcano Bowl? Of course you don’t.) But Toronto bartenders are rethinking big drinks, swapping out college mystery punch for something lighter, slinkier and made for two.
At Doc’s Green Door Lounge, a fancified neighbourhood bar in the Junction, the rum punch is a table centrepiece with Lady and the Tramp appeal. It’s made with three types of rum—Appleton Estate, Smith and Cross, and Wray and Nephew—plus pineapple, sorrel, passion fruit and nutmeg, and it’s served with two straws. “It’s fun!” says co-owner Jayson Green. “It’s like the sizzling fajita platter of drinks: when you see one pass your table, you think, I need that.” Surprisingly, it’s been popular with all generations. “Friends, couples—we’ve even had a few daddy-daughter duos sip them in the early afternoon.”
Related: Tropical cocktails are taking Toronto by storm
Three stylish ways to serve drinks for a crowd at home
Britta Optic Glass Punch Bowl This three-gallon bowl has gorgeous curves but is shallow enough for easy ladling. Snag matching cups and ladle (sold separately) for a complete party set. $90. crateandbarrel.ca
Agave Tequila Decanter This glass decanter has a wide mouth for smooth pours and a stylish sculpture of a blooming agave plant at its core. $50. cocktailemporium.com
Goji Studio Sculptural Cocktail Set These lo-fi cocktail sets, which include a small teapot and two cups, are handmade by chef Ken Yau in his Woodbine Corridor pottery studio and dinner-club space. $140. gojistudio.ca
More ways to double down on your drink
Marked: This Latin-ish restaurant has a full menu of highly sharable drinks, including pitchers of caipirinhas as well as serious cocktails like the Eye of the Shipwreck, an apricot-rum-sherry-genmaicha concoction served in a glass bowl.
Aera: The old fashioned at this sky-high O&B restaurant—situated on the 38th floor of the Well—is sultry and smoky. It’s portioned for two and served in a cut-crystal decanter.
Bitter Melon: Sharing is recommended at this Chinatown small-plates spot, and that includes drinks. The 8 Treasure Decoction is a clarified blend of rum, shochu, sake, white port and lavender-peach tea, built for two and poured from a tokkuri.
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Kate Dingwall is a writer, author and photographer covering spirits, business, culture, fashion and travel. By night, she’s a working sommelier. She has worked with Flare, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, Maxim, People, Southern Living, Rolling Stone, Eater, Elle, Toronto Life and the Toronto Star, among other publications. She frequently appears on both CTV and NPR, has co-authored a book on gin, judges Food & Wine’s Tastemakers and has strong opinions on the city’s best martini.
