A NOT-SO-FAMOUS NAMESAKE
The long, storied history of the Toronto Cocktail,
Singapore has its Sling. Moscow has a Mule. And we all know about the Manhattan.
Heck, even Lynchburg, Tenn. — a dry town in a dry county — has its own spiked lemonade. So, why doesn’t Toronto have a namesake cocktail? Turns out, we do — and have for nearly a hundred years. Outside of cocktail enthusiasts and bartending circles, few people have heard of it. In fact, it’s not even on that many cocktail menus — something that might seem like a missed opportunity for this city’s bars.
“It really does surprise me how few bars have the drink on their list,” says Zak Doy, head bartender at Rush Lane on Queen St. W. Aside from Rush Lane, where they consider it such an important drink they have it on tap, the Toronto can be found on lists at Chantecler in Parkdale, as well as the Monarch Tavern. It’s likely just about every cocktail bartender in the city knows how to make one.
“It’s one of those drinks that’s become a ‘call’ drink,” says Shawn Soole, an authority on the Toronto cocktail and bar consultant. “As in, a cocktail that any bar worth its salt should be able to make, even if it’s not on the menu.”
Assuming, that is, the bar stocks Fernet-Branca, an esoteric, bitter and herbal Italian amaro, which is a key ingredient and the source of some confusion over the drink.
“The majority of guests have asked if it’s named a Toronto cocktail because of the Fernet, which is so loved by Toronto bartenders,” Doy explains. “But then they learn it’s got a long, storied history, and they’re fascinated to see how far back the cocktail goes.”
The first-known recipe for a Toronto cocktail dates back to1922, when it was included in Cocktails: How to Mix Them, a recipe book written by a London barman named Robert Vermeire.
The book makes a reference to the drink being “much appreciated” by Canadians from Toronto, something that some contemporary bartenders and enthusiasts have inferred means the drink was invented here. However, since Ontario had a prohibition on alcohol from 1916 until 1927, it’s likely those enthusiastic Canadians were introduced to the cocktail at Vermeire’s bar in England. It would have been hard to find a reliable source for Fernet in Toronto in 1922.
It’s possible that Vermeire’s enthusiastic bar patrons brought the recipe with them from Canada. In all likelihood, we’ll never know the precise origin of the drink. Lucky, we don’t really have to know all the details to enjoy it.
Toronto cocktail
Star Tested This simple cocktail can be garnished with an orange twist or a maraschino cherry. 2 oz (30g) Canadian whisky 1/4 oz (8g) Fernet-Branca 1/4 oz (8g) simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters Combine all ingredients in an icefilled mixing glass.
Stir for 60 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe.
Makes 1 drink.