Museum Tavern’s head bartender, Moses McIntee, has a thing for staying ahead of the curve. After pouring drinks at various boozy locales around town — Lucid, The Ritz-Carton — McIntee is now at this nostalgic space, located across the street from the ROM. The well-stocked bar acts as a backdrop as McIntee crafts his roster of drinks, which will soon include some new ones from an upcoming winter menu.
Our interest was piqued by the Mumbai Special ($12). Previously, this cocktail was vodka-based; the new winter version is bourbon-based.
“I love food from around the world,” McIntee says. “This is an unexpected take on the bourbon sour.”
The cocktail is built with Four Roses bourbon, curried jaggery syrup, citrus, egg white and Scrappy’s cardamom bitters. A spritz of rosewater, a swirl of Peychaud’s bitters and a sprinkle of nitro-smashed orange add the final touches.
“The bourbon is really warm and it comes through so well — not in an obtuse way.”
Museum Tavern, 208 Bloor St. W., 416-920-0110
For more must-try Toronto cocktails, check out our Pinterest page