A good cocktail is a matter of proportions,
ingredients and mixing, but just as important is
how it’s served. Cocktail season has arrived, and with festive dinners, New Year’s Eve, family gatherings and
office parties that come with the holidays, knowing your cocktail etiquette will come in handy not only when
you’re playing host, but as a guest, too. (And with a Manhattan in hand, you’ll come one step closer to
living in a Mad Men world.)
The expert is BYOB Cocktail Emporium owner Kristen Voisey. She was a collector of
vintage cocktail ware long before opening her boutique this past April, but it was during a trip to Los
Angeles that the idea for a cocktail emporium struck. Voisey entered a cocktail and liquor ware store and
realized there was nothing like it in Toronto, so she decided to fill the void, and for that we’re very
grateful. “Cocktail culture in Toronto [and Canada] is starting to get more recognized with so many new
restaurants focusing on cocktails,” she says.
Just as impressive as the products is the decor. It’s clear Voisey put effort into every
inch of the store, and carefully made use of the space to create a retro look with old refrigerators acting
as shelves, Polaroid cameras, a 1966 issue of Playboy
with Ann-Margret on the cover, bar stools,
colourful fruit-covered juice pitchers and black-and-white photos of New York City hung on the walls, a fit
with Voisey’s store companion — her black-and-white cat.
Her advice for hosts: “Use proper glassware, use
bitters and keep a well-stocked bar. Everyone should have a bottle of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, bourbon,
vermouth and soda water.” Pick a classic cocktail, such
as a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, and a mix of two to four before-dinner and after-dinner cocktails, and
always have the ingredients. Keep in mind after-dinner cocktails are typically sweet and enjoyed as an
alternative to dessert.
It’s not a bottle stopper, martini or wine glass that’s often missing in homes, but more
traditional barware such as serving trays, decanters, ice buckets, stirrers, Julep strainers, coupes (for
champagne), gin and tonic tumblers and absinthe fountains. A favourite in the store is the elegant and sly
lipstick-shaped vermouth misters used for martinis. Voisey has vintage shelving full of these rare, yet
essential items for proper cocktailing, so the only difficulty you’ll have at BYOB is deciding whether to go
vintage or new.
If you prefer beer over Black Russians, try the 30-day beer-making kit, which comes in
various flavours including dubbel and India Pale Ale, as well as holiday mixes such as chocolate maple
quarter, peanut butter quarter, chestnut brown ale and grapefruit honey ale. The kits come with the mix and
all the equipment you need. Wine connoisseurs will appreciate the custom-made, dark wooden wine rack designed
by Voisey, and the selection of decanters and stemware. And for teetotallers: A small section of the store is
devoted to both vintage and new coffee, tea and espresso cups, grinders and
brewers.
» byobto.com
Old
Fashioned
40 ml bourbon, Scotch or rye
1 sugar cube
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 splash of water or club soda
Garnish: Orange slice, lemon twist and maraschino
cherry
Serve: Over ice in an old-fashioned glass
Famous for: Don Draper’s favourite cocktail on the hit show
Mad Men
Manhattan
50 ml rye or Canadian whisky
20 ml sweet red vermouth
1 dash of Angostura bitters
Garnish: Maraschino cherry
Served: Straight up in chilled cocktail glass
Famous for: One of the six original drinks in David A. Embury’s
The Fine Art of Mixing
Drinks
Mint
Julep
89 ml bourbon
4-6 sprigs of mint leaves
2 tsp sugar (to taste)
Garnish: Mint leaves
Serve: Over ice in Julep cup
Famous for: The drink of the Kentucky Derby. And BYOB is one of the few stores in
Toronto to carry Two’s Company Mint Julep cups.
Bitters
Bitters are an old-time bar essential, and now with the return of classic cocktails, the
concept is also making a comeback. Bitters come in dozens of flavours and are either dashed or dropped into
cocktails to add aroma and flavour (for example, orange is most classically used in martinis). BYOB carries
various brands such as Fee Brothers (in flavours such as plum, black walnut, lemon and cranberry),
Bittermens, a small-batch maker from Brooklyn (BYOB is the only store in Toronto that sells it) and The
Bitter Truth. No cocktail
cabinet should be without this ingredient.
More great recipes for the holidays:
Classic Martini
55 ml gin
15 ml dry vermouth
Garnish: Olive or lemon peel
Serve: straight up, no ice, in cocktail glass
Famous for: The most popular and known cocktail in the world, invented in the 19th
century.
White Russian
50 ml vodka
20 ml coffee liqueur
30 ml fresh cream
Garnish: None
Serve: On the rocks in an old-fashioned glass
Famous for: The Black Russian-derived cocktail gets its name not because of a
Russian origin, but vodka as the primary ingredient.
Brandy Alexander
20 ml cognac
20 ml brown Crème de cacao
20 ml half-and-half or cream
Garnish: Grated nutmeg
Serve: Straight up, no ice, in cocktail glass
Famous for: Believed to be created by Alexander II of
Russia. •
Photo Courtesy: BYOB
