Get Shaking and Stirring: Cocktails & Snack Pairings for the Long Weekend
Photo: Duc Quang Tran/Pixabay
Everyone loves a long weekend. In the spirit of summer in the city, or the cottage or the country, we thought we’d ask a few hospitality experts, from the Toronto outposts of the Delta Hotel, the Ritz-Carlton hotel and the St. Regis hotel to put together a cocktails and snacks menu that we can all enjoy. Send out the invites. It’s time to start showing off your bartending — and hosting — skills, so get shaking and stirring.
Of course, if you’d rather let the experts handle it, we suggest you book a table at these city hotspots. And tell them Zoomer sent you.
On the Delta
A stone’s throw from the CN Tower, a sleek whisky bar in the lobby and a rooftop patio? Count us in. Start at Char, and while you’re sipping, have the concierge reserve you a table at SOCO, on the rooftop. Of course, you’re welcome to go the other way. A whisky as a nightcap sounds almost medicinal to us.
Do try this at home:
Sour Betty
1oz Spicebox Pumpkin Rye
1oz Jim Beam black
.75oz lemon juice
.75oz orgeat (almond-flavoured syrup)
.5oz egg white
Maple-infused foam (or light whip cream)for garnish
Mix all ingredients together. Top with foam. Serve in a coupe glass.
Nibbles: Serve with mini corn dogs and tuna poke.
Puttin’ on the Ritz
From cocktails on Deq, the hotel’s patio — a favourite for its views of the CN Tower, Simcoe Park and Anish Kapoor’s Untitled ‘Mountain’ sculpture — to afternoon tea or a nightcap in the Ritz bar in the lobby, this The Ritz-Carlton Toronto is always buzzing.
Do try this at home:
Vesper
1.5 oz Botanist Gin
1 oz Tito’s Vodka
.5 oz Lillet Blanc
Mix together all ingredients. Served at The Ritz-Carlton in a Liquid Nitrogen chilled martini glass with a lemon twist. At home, simply chill the martini glasses in the fridge before pouring. And don’t forget the lemon twist.
Nibbles: Serve with foie gras and pickles, burrata cheese or caramelized cauliflower bites.
Lives of the Saint
The St. Regis in Toronto marks the brand’s Canadian debut. A walk away from Toronto landmarks the CN Tower, Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre and venues for the Toronto International Film Festival. Take in the daily champagne sabering ritual at the Astor Lounge, a sunset tradition since John Jacob Astor started it in 1904 at the launch of the St. Regis New York. Or, if whisky is more your thing, take in the more than 500 bottles of dark spirits upstairs at the bar at Louix Louis, the hotel’s restaurant on the 31st floor.
Do try this at home:
The Rouge 140
(The St. Regis Toronto’s take on the classic Bloody Mary, with homemade tomato juice, pays tribute to Toronto, the “most multicultural” city in the world, and the more than 140 languages spoken around in the city.)
1 Barspoon Soy Sauce
2 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
1 3/4 Barspoons of Savory Bloody Mary Spice Mix* (recipe below)
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
4 oz Oven Roasted Red Pepper tomato juice* (recipe below)
1 oz Vodka
Grated fresh Horseradish
Garnishes: Blistered Vine-on Cherry Tomatoes, a Pepperette, olive oil-coated watercress.
*Spice Mix:
1 Bay leaf
1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
1 Tbsp Ground Turmeric
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Chili (Cayenne)
1 Tbsp Black Peppercorns
1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Dry Sage
1 Tbsp Dry Thyme
1 Tbsp Dry Rosemary
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
*Oven Roasted Tomato Red Pepper Juice
2 red peppers
10 Roma tomatoes
salt
pepper
a drizzle of olive oil
Roast in the oven until soft. Blend until smooth using a 3 to 1 juice to distilled water.
Mix all the ingredients together. Serve in a Collins glass with garnish.
Nibbles: pair with crab cakes, Croque Monsieurs, or crispy pickles