Entrenched in a muggy Toronto summer, even the most devoted cocktail aficionado can’t be bothered to waste sweat making fancy drinks. During spiked levels of humidity and inebriation, two-pour tall drinks are the only kind of cocktail that matters.
So gather your favourite bouquet of bottles and a bucket of ice, stake out a spot at the nearest beach, pool or dock and consider the following craft mixers to simplify your summer drinking experience.
Split Tree
This Ottawa company makes everything from grapefruit, rhubarb and elderflower cordials to handcrafted tonic waters. Just add spirit or soda to these clean-tasting mixers or try them Kir Royale-style, topped with sparkling wine. Check out the online shop at splittree.ca or scoop the tonic from BYOB (972 Queen West, 416-858-2932, byobto.com).
Carroll & Co.
The remedy for the morning-after malaise caused by exuberant over-mixing? An easy pour hair-of-the-dog courtesy of this local company, of course. Just add an ounce or two of tequila, gin, vodka or whatever else mauled you to this spicy, small-batch Bloody Mary mix and sip steadily until you regain the will to live. Available at BYOB. Keep an eye peeled for Carroll & Co. Tonic Syrup, coming soon.
White Whale
Drinkers impartial to the “long” category of cocktails will appreciate White Whale’s collection, meant to be mixed 1:1 with specific spirits. Tequila fanciers should spring for the Skinny Dipper, a blend of mango and lemon, while rye lovers and the Manhattan-obsessed might be more interested in the Mob Man, flavoured with orchard fruits, cherries, blackcurrants and citrus. Available at BYOB.
Liber & Co.
Seeking a simplified pisco punch? Try the Pineapple Gum syrup. For a flavour-packed G&T, give Liber’s sweet and spicy tonic syrup a shot. Get a puckering fix from the Texas Grapefruit Shrub, recommended in sherry cobblers. Snag this bold, Texas-made lineup from thecraftybartender.com.
Fever-Tree
Widely used in some of the city’s best bars, not to mention around the world, this British brand is a cocktail essential. The tonic is classic, the ginger beer’s got kick, and the bitter lemon (a far less insipid version of what North Americans call lemon-lime soda) tops a proper Pimm’s Cup. Find Fever-Tree at Loblaws or specialty food stores.
