The most expensive cocktail at Parkdale’s newest bar is just $16

Save for a tiny handwritten board and B-A-R marquee letters in the front window, shrouded in vintage lace curtains, the Virginia looks more like a quaint curio shop than a brand-new cocktail bar from some of Toronto’s top talent: Joel Savoie (Civil Liberties, Pretty Ugly), Simon Taggart (Bar Pompette) and João Machado (Civil Liberties, Bar Raval), who are trying to keep their new haunt under the radar.

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“We’re a neighbourhood bar first,” says Savoie. “One that just happens to be a great cocktail bar.” It’s a deeply personal project for the veteran mixologist, who came up through some of the city’s most renowned establishments, running both Pretty Ugly and Civil Liberties and working stints at two of his favourite spots in the city: Black Dice and Pharmacy Bar.

The Virginia brings cozy, lo-fi vibes to Parkdale in an unpretentious setting. It’s reminiscent of a bygone era when it was possible to find cocktails that were polished but still affordable. “The bar was either going to be named the Virginia or Leadbelly—but my mother’s and grandmother’s names aren’t Leadbelly,” says Savoie. “They’re both Virginias, and they’re very cool women.”

Savoie has deep roots in Parkdale, having lived and worked in the neighbourhood on and off for 15 years. “We wanted the room to feel like a love letter to the city when I found it inspiring. Lived in, built by hand, repurposed and restored,” he says. “My partner, Deirdre, and I built this place with my pops and a few friends. Deirdre even sewed all the coasters, and we hand-cut our ice. It’s the only neighbourhood in Toronto I’d be willing to invest this much in.”

The frequently rotating menu includes dive bar staples, historic classic cocktails (like the Dot, a martini-esque concoction from the seminal Café Royal 1937 recipe collection) and more modern creations—and the most expensive drink is just $16. “We’re casually pricing drinks—so going out doesn’t feel like a financial burden—without having to compromise quality,” says Savoie. “People can have a cheap-as-chips rum and Coke, $14 classics made with great ingredients, or some expensive Jamaican rum. You can have a few $6 beers after work or come by for date night and get adventurous.”

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The moody low-lit space is decked out with vintage furniture and personal heirlooms, like Savoie’s own eclectic vintage glassware collection and an oil painting by renowned Disney animator and landscape painter Jack Hannah that belonged to Savoie’s grandfather (who liked to claim he’d painted it himself). The vibe is gritty meets sublime.

“Right now, we’re the only thing open on Queen West after 10 p.m. from Motel Bar east to the Mezz,” says Savoie. “We’re not just a beer and spirits bar, and we’re not a stuffy cocktail bar. It was important to me to nail down what I don’t want this bar to feel like as much as what I do: a third space for the neighbourhood, where you can be on any kind of budget and have a place.”