If you know anything about Montreal, you know that it's THE place to celebrate life. Why? Because we have all the tools needed for any kind of celebration: bars, clubs, restaurants, beautiful people and, you guessed it, booze.
Cocktails in Montreal are anything but basic. And today, I took it upon myself to prove my previous statement to you. Our city's mixologists make drinks that look like works of art. You almost catch yourself thinking, "This is way too pretty to drink." They also taste like heaven. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself! Consider this your midweek fuel. The weekend is right around the corner, hang in there.
Bar Brutus - Bacon Sour
1290 Rue Beaubien E
Bar Brutus is known for bacon everything... including their cocktails. This particular drink is made of Jim Beam, citrus juice, bacon maple syrup, straight up bacon syrup, egg whites and a nice crispy bacon strip to garnish. Yuuuuuuum!
L'Gros Luxe - Bloody Cesar
Multiple locations
This bad boy is a not your regular bloody cesar, obviously. You can go crazy and stack it with onion rings, mini burgers, quesadillas, chicken wings, grilled cheese and/or fried pickles. L'Gros Luxe is so hot right now.
Photo cred - Mile Public House
Mile Public House - The Fun Dip
9190 Boulevard Leduc, Brossard
Mile Public House wants to bring out the kid in us by creating The Fun Dip drink. It's made of Greygoose cherry, Aperol, fresh raspberry purée, fresh lime juice and topped with soda. Don't forget to sprinkle Fun Dip candy on it. Delish!
Harlow Restaurant - The Classic Pornstar
438 Place Jacques Cartier
For a more refined drinker, Harlow Restaurant offers The Classic Pornstar. Vodka, Galliano, Passion fruit purée, Moët & Chandon, dash of bitters. Shaken, not stirred. Chaser of champagne on the side. Half of passion fruit on the chaser. Now this is a real James Bond cocktail.
Bar Cloakroom - Riviera Cocktail
2175 Rue de la Montagne
Have you heard of Cloakroom Bar? It's Montreal's new "secret" bar. Their signature drink is called Riviera Cocktail and it's created by mixologist, Andrew Whibley. Aperol, Bacardi, Vermouth, Amaro Montenegro, Peychaud's bitters, garnished with an orange peel. So classy and elegant.
Mayfair - Green Velvet
451 Rue Rachel E
Mayfair is a fancy lounge that offers - among many other things - unique drinks and teas. Meet Green Velvet: a fresh blend of Hendrix, Absinth, Gyuokuro tea, cucumber, lime topped with a coriander and spuma celery foam. A MUST try!
La Belle et La Boeuf - Cotton Candy
Multiple locations
When it comes to drink variety and uniqueness, La Belle et La Boeuf is a strong player. My personal favourite is their Cotton Candy martini. It's made out of Vanilla Absolute vodka, lime juice, soda, cotton candy (duh!), marshmallow and sprinkles. Such a cute drink!
Photo cred - Le Fitzroy
Le Fitzroy - Rise & Shine
551 Avenue du Mont-Royal E
It's a bar, loft, pool room... It's basically everything. Fitzroy's drinks are as creative as their concept. This drink is like a boozy tea: Hennessy VS, Fitzsour and green tea "Rise Green Tea Kombucha." Genius!
Flyjin - Hotei
417 Rue St. Pierre
Flyjin is notorious for its cocktails. They're the real OGs of mixology, if you ask me. This particular drink is called Hotei. Like many other drinks they serve, it combines "Asian flavours [and] Quebec swag." It doesn't get more badass than this, folks. Bacardi, Belle de Brillet, fresh lime juice, simple syrup.
Garnish with tai chili. Boom!
Biiru - Onsen
1433 Rue City Councillors
Biiru is a funky Japanese izakaya that serves great food and creative drinks. This one is called Onsen. It's made of shiso (asian herb), grapefruit, green tea syrup, passion fruit and sparkling wine. In other words, it's like a fancy Japanese mojito. YES PLEASE!
