BYOB (972 Queen West, 647-727-3600, cocktailemporium.ca)
Leblon Cachaça
Why “Because caipirinhas! Leblon is delicate and smooth, made with cane syrup and aged in cognac casks,” Voisey notes. She likes to add a few dashes of Mister Bitters Fig & Cinnamon ($28) or Coster’s Prescription Coffee & Cigarette Bitters ($16.95) to add some intrigue to Brazil’s national cocktail. Keep a bottle of this sugar cane spirit redolent of vanilla and coconut in your liquor cabinet and it can be Carnival all year round.
Price 700 ml/$37.80
Availability LCBO 307488
Hibiki Harmony
Why “I fell in love with Japanese whiskies on a recent trip to Japan,” explains Voisey. “There’s nothing like slowly sipping this over a crystal-clear ice sphere.” Agreed. Released in Ontario late last month, Hibiki Harmony is light and layered. Absolutely nothing about this Suntory whisky is lost in translation – it’s liquid poetry on any tongue.
Price 750 ml/$99.95
Availability LCBO 434118
El Dorado 12 Years Old
Why El Dorado 12 is Voisey’s staple rum. (She’s a woman of impeccable taste.) She loves it straight up or in a rummy old-fashioned with Eli Mason Demerara Syrup ($12.95) or in a Manhattan with Apothecary Aromatic Bitters ($25). “It’s great for tiki time, too,” she says. “Try it with BG Reynolds Don’s Mix ($18.95), fresh lime juice and Bitter End Curry Bitters ($21).”
Price 750 ml/$38.60
Availability LCBO 60608
Carpano Antica Formula
Why “What is life without Carpano? It’s the star of my bar and a must for Manhattans and Negronis,” says Voisey. This burly, spiced vanilla bomb of an Italian vermouth is also a treat on the rocks. Availability is spotty at best, but its little brother, Carpano Classico (1000 ml/$20.95, LCBO 360230) is now in select Vintages sections.
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
Disconcertingly discontinued at the LCBO, this gorgeous curaçao is Voisey’s go-to for bourbon crustas (with Eli Mason Gomme Syrup, $14.95) or mai tais (with Le Lab Orgeat, $19.95). “I love the candied orange aromas and complex cognac base,” she says. So snatch a bottle if you spot one.
Read our interview with BYOB owner Kristen Voisey here.
