Toronto’s trendiest hot-spots including Bar Isabel, Miller Tavern and Boehmer Restaurant have created the ultimate chocolate fantasies for the holidays. Nothing screams holiday cocktails like chocolate with gingerbread syrup and clove-studded orange peel!
Using the festive season as inspiration, some our city’s best bartenders have balanced sweet chocolate notes with complex richness, creating delicious cocktails that can be made at home. With Torontonians eager to entertain and impress guests over the holidays, here are a few of these unique recipes which are sure to transform the average party host into a full-fledged mixologist.
The X-mas Pick Me Up
2 oz. 360 Double Chocolate
Single shot of espresso
0.75 oz. gingerbread syrup
Shake hard with ice; double strain in to glass. Garnish with three coffee beans in the centre.
To create gingerbread syrup:
2 cups water
2.5 cups sugar
3 tsp. fresh grated or ground ginger
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Created by Mike Birdsey at Boehmer Restaurant.
Chocolate Flip
1 oz. 360 Double Chocolate
0.5 oz. orange liqueur
0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
0.25 oz. simple syrup
1 egg
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Combine all ingredients and shake for 5-10 seconds. Add ice to shaker and shake again. Strain into glass; garnish with nutmeg.
Created by Jason Barajas at Sidecar Restaurant.
Augustus’ Gulp
1.5 oz. 360 Double Chocolate
0.5 oz. Italian amaro
0.33 oz. Fernet-Branca
5 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir with ice; strain into glass. Garnish with lemon zest.
Created by Mike Webster at Bar Isabel.
The Leg Lamp
1.5 oz. 360 Double Chocolate
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Stir with ice; strain in a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange peel studded with cloves.
Created by Rob Montgomery at Miller Tavern.
360 White Chocolate Martini
2 oz. 360 Double Chocolate
0.75 oz. vodka
0.25 oz. Crème de Cacao
Shake on ice; strain into a martini glass. Garnish with milk and dark chocolate sticks.
Available at 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower and Horizons. Created by the CN Tower beverage team.