You’re a bit of a cocktail enthusiast. You’re always on the hunt for the smoothest martinis, the strongest margaritas and the most refreshing mojitos. If you’re looking for the best place to grab a drink, you should head to The Drake Hotel in Toronto.
The Drake Hotel
Here’s a boutique hotel you'll love to explore for an exciting weekend getaway — or at least, for an unbelievable night on the town. It’s packed with three separate dining locations: the Sky Yard, the Drake Café and the Lounge. Every single one sports enticing menus made with fresh and seasonal dishes. And of course, they have a long list of incredible cocktails created by the city’s top bartenders.
The best part of booking a room at the Drake Hotel is that you don’t have to call for a cab or wait outside in the cold to catch the next streetcar. Whenever you want to call it a night, you can head upstairs to your room, kick off your shoes and slip into your comfortable bed.
What the Bartenders Are Shaking up
One of the Drake’s resident bartenders is Sandy De Almeida. She’s made a number of recipes that have found a permanent space on the cocktail menu, becoming instant crowd-pleasers. There’s a reason why she was named a hospitality hotshot by The Globe and Mail and one of Toronto’s best bartenders by Thrillist. Order the Rust + Bone made from cedar-infused Ezra Brooks bourbon, Benedictine and Nonino quintessentia amaro. Or get the Maharaja with Havana club 7-year-old rum, falernum, almond, pineapple, ginger, lime and Angostura.
You’ll find favourites from other resident bartenders. Try Jeremy Cheng’s Float Like A Butterfly with Ungava premium gin, Strega, lemon, wildflower honey, teapot bitters, bee pollen and egg white. Or get Chantelle Gabino’s Pretty Penni made with Empress 1908 gin, butterfly pea flower, green Chartreuse, lemon, lapsang souchong, ginger, honey and Moondog bitters. Gabino won 2019's BACARDÍ Legacy for Canada in 2019 and placed in the top 8 for the international competition.
And if you want to slow down on the booze, get a temperance cocktail like Georgia Peach or Wanderlust made by resident bartender Brittany Maguire.
Tea with a Twist
You can order the Boozy High Tea package at several Drake hotel properties and enjoy a fun take on a traditional tea party with your friends. You’ll pair classic treats like English cucumber sandwiches and scones with creative tea-infused cocktails. Here are some of the drinks that you can sip with your pinkies up:
- Drake G + Tea
- Brass Monkey Iced Tea
- Muskoka Iced Tea
- Sugarbush Iced Tea
- Sippin’ In The Apple Orchard
Check out the Mini Bar
This isn’t to say that you need to empty the mini-bar in your hotel room — this is a different mini-bar altogether. The Drake Mini Bar is a beautiful gem in the middle of the Financial District that acts as a stylish watering hole, an innovative art gallery and much more. Head to the pint-sized paradise for strong cocktails and simple snacks like hand-cut fries, crispy mushrooms and eggplant with halloumi.
Obviously, you can’t try every single cocktail on the menu by the end of the weekend. You’re only human. The only solution is to keep coming back, so you can give every single one a try. They’ll all be good to the last drop.
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