The city’s trendiest cocktails are delicious new twists on retro recipes

The defining drinks of the ’80s and ’90s were, well, awful—super sugary, garishly garnished and often unnaturally coloured: think of the electric-green appletini or the sunset-hued sex on the beach. But today’s bartenders are raising these disco drinks from the dead, crafting new versions of nostalgic cocktails with fancier ingredients and artisanal flourishes.

At the Joneses, a groovy downtown steakhouse, both the cosmopolitan and the lychee martini have made a comeback. The latter, unlike its syrupy predecessor, features Empress 1908 gin, fresh lychee juice and fluffy egg white. “It’s like the lychee martini grew up and bought a condo downtown,” says general manager Bryer Lees. “It’s less party girl, more sophisticated woman.”

Related: Toronto bars are offering boozy takes on tea

Civil Works, the new cocktail lounge inside Waterworks Food Hall from the team behind the award-winning bar Civil Liberties, has resurrected several old-school beverages for its “Executive Lunch” menu. These include an elevated espresso martini, poured from a high-tech nitro tap and topped with fluffy banana foam, and the WAP-tini (yes, the “wet-ass pear” martini), which is made with rice-washed pear vodka and jasmine flower vermouth—and is far more delicate than its NSFW-adjacent moniker. “A cocktail bar should spark joy,” says Civil Works co-founder Nick Kennedy. “What we miss about the drinks of the ’80s and ’90s isn’t the taste—they were pretty vile—it’s the fun.”

Three bottled cocktails that will party like it’s 1989

Civil Pours Cosmopolitan To live your best Sex and the City life, chill and serve this pre-batched cosmo in a bottle—just like that. $35 for 750 mL, civilpours.com

Dillon’s Rhubarb Vesper A tiny bottle of James Bond’s favourite martini, but with a fresh and fruity Ontario twist: gin made with spring-harvested local rhubarb. $8 for 125 mL, dillons.ca

Junction 56 Distillery Mint Smoothie This Stratford-made liqueur is a tasty infusion of vodka with mint and unsweetened chocolate. $20 for 375 mL, lcbo.com

More new old-school drinks

Pinkerton’s Snack Bar: The piña colada at this Leslieville small-plates spot is souped up with green chartreuse (a floral, herbal liqueur made by French monks) and dubbed the Greenacolada.

Project Gigglewater: Coconut and mango add a tropical touch to their Toasty Amaretto Sour.