Over the past year of lockdowns, I found myself in search of a new hobby, and as someone who typically enjoyed visiting all the new and trendy downtown Toronto restaurants, I came up with an idea: Becoming an amateur mixologist. In search of crafting the perfect drink, I was determined to get some inspiration from the experts. With many bars closed, many of these businesses shifted gears and started offering cocktail boxes for people to enjoy at home. To me, this sounded like a perfect way to fuse together my new passion for mixology with my current lockdown predicament. In trying the city’s best cocktail boxes, three companies stood out to me.
1. Salty Paloma
Salty Paloma is a female-owned cocktail-centered business, specializing in cocktail recipes, cocktail kits, and cocktail classes. When exploring their products, I was immediately drawn to the kit with bourbon-based beverages. What I found the most interesting was that the kit featured three separate recipes that all focused on a different element. One recipe involved maple and burnt wood while another utilized berries and jam. Because of the diversity in this one box alone, I found myself quite impressed with Salty Paloma. In fact, I ended up gifting kits to two other friends because of how tasty and aesthetic the boxes really were.
2. Bar Mordecai
This cocktail box was actually the first one I purchased. After seeing a friend post one on her Instagram story, I knew I had to order one. Bar Mordecai is located on Dundas Street West and is “inspired by the aesthetics of Wes Anderson’s films and styled after hotel lobby bars of yore.” When I purchased the box around the holidays, I selected one that embodied the festive spirit. Contained within it were three of Bar Mordecai’s house-made mixtures which could be added to the whisky base. With candy canes as garnish and an adorable red mini mug, the box felt complete. I was drawn to this well-curated box because it told a story and really made me as the consumer feel as though I was sipping a cocktail in my very own Hallmark movie.
3. Pastiche
This cocktail box was received as a birthday gift. With my friends learning about my new hobby, they were eager to hear about my rating for this box from Pastiche. Pastiche is “an Outlandish Space for the Eccentric to Welcome the Unorthodox, Experience the Unusual, and Discover the Unexpected.” Located on Ossington, it is a place for late night drinks and snacks. Unlike the other boxes I had purchased, this one was much more simple. Rather than including a mix of syrups, bitters, and alcohol, this cocktail box included just one bottle of pre-mixed goodness. Along with this delicious beverage, it also had a selection of olives, beer nuts, garnishes, and a beautiful glass from which to enjoy the drink.
These three boxes were just some of my favorites, and with bars and restaurants slowly re-opening during 2021, many of these companies closed their cocktail boxes in order to serve their patrons at their in-person establishments. With my top picks decided, I am excited to dine at these spots once things open back up again in pursuit of Toronto’s best cocktail!