A new cocktail bar is opening in the space beneath a west-end sushi spot
Uh Bar is a collaboration between team members from Slice of Life, 915 Dupont and Mother
A new collaboration between cocktail nerd Nick Hao (Slice of Life), coffee-and-vinyl guy Nigel Wang (Rooms, 915 Dupont) and Mother alumnus Stephen Luo is set to serve west-end bar-goers this September.
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Tucked beneath MSSM Ossington in a moody basement clad in oak and concrete (dank, but make it fashion), Uh Bar channels Hao’s vision of scaled-up simplicity. “I’ve been in the bar industry for quite a while now. People constantly use fresh ideas and bold concepts to inspire guests,” says Hao. “I used to love this approach and immersed myself in cocktails, trying to deepen my knowledge of the craft. But recently I remembered my first simple glass of Jack Daniel’s and how that pure feeling has never been matched. That’s what I want Uh Bar to offer our guests—a place that just feels like a bar, somewhere to relax, not overthink and simply enjoy the moment.” So, uh bar where you can have uh drink and maybe uh snack with uh friend.
That said, while Uh Bar will carry a thoughtful selection of scotch, Japanese whisky and bourbon (if and when the latter is available to Canadians again), the cocktail program is far from basic bar rail. Instead, Hao brings his mad-scientist approach to the classics. Uh Good Negroni, for example, is a contrapuntal blend of dark rum, mezcal, Campari and Cocchi Torino. The unorthodox use of mango heightens the drink’s fruity notes, and dark chocolate mole bitters add an extra bite.
And then there’s Hao’s take on the classic gin martini. Far from the simple shaken-or-stirred binary, his version is a bold balancing act of salinity and sweetness, combining Beefeater gin, green apple, white cacao and blue cheese.
Related: Toronto’s new dirty martinis are easy, breezy and literally cheesy
As for the food, a lineup of charcuterie and cold plates will be curated and executed by Ronnie Xu of Favorites Thai BBQ. Also: potential collaborations with upstairs neighbour MSSM are in the works.
Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
