SpiritHouse, which opened last week in the King West area, is the work of the people behind the Toronto Institute of Bartending — and they insist it’s not just another cocktail bar.
Instead, owner Len Fragomeni says this drinking spot is dedicated to getting guests to sample new and unusual drinks. “If you see something at the LCBO that you think looks interesting, but don't want to commit to buying a full bottle, chances are we have it behind the bar and you can try it,” he says.
The bar, which is housed in the same building as the bartending institute, has an industrial-chic interior that took almost two years of renovation.
The drinks menu offers a mix of seasonal cocktails and modern favourites. The bar staff will also be serving up “vintage classics,” which come from recipes that are at least 100 years old. For those with more refined palettes, or more expensive tastes, the menu also contains an “aficionado” section.
Fragomeni says that the menu is “full of things that you'd never guess would go together.” One drink, the Trinidad Sour, has two full ounces of Angostura bitters in it.
SpiritHouse offers a shareables food menu with items like bourbon-brushed mini burgers ($11) and duck poutine with duck béchamel and whiskey jus ($10).
Barrel-aged cocktails — where a cocktail is matured in a barrel and then served directly from it — are a big deal in the bartending world, and Spirithouse has its own spin on the trend.
“We’re barrel-aging our cocktails,” says Fragomeni, “but rather than serving them from the barrel we wanted to make it more personal, so we’re serving them in 250-ml wax-sealed bottles.”
On opening night, the bottled special was the Boulevardier ($48), aged in a whiskey cask for four weeks. A twist on the classic Negroni, the Boulevardier contains Bulleit bourbon, Cinzano sweet vermouth and Campari.
Buying by the bottle has an added bonus: once you’re done, you’ve got a handy bit of glassware to take home with you.
SpiritHouse, 487 Adelaide St. W., 647-277-1187. Open Tues. to Sat.