THE GIFT SHOP COCKTAIL BAR || An Intimate Social Space Tucked Behind a Barber Shop
When life returns to normal this is the hideaway where we would love to settle in and cozy up to a drink with our closest friends.
Hopping out from my Uber and onto the curb along Ossington Avenue in Toronto, I scanned the block lined with eclectic eateries and shops in search of The Gift Shop cocktail bar. I had read that it can be accessed via a hidden entrance at the back of a barbershop.
I spotted the barber shop on the corner and opened the door to men getting their haircuts in swivel barber chairs.
The Gift Shop cocktail bar lies beyond the barber shop, through a small doorway with a simple and discreet light above the doorway marketing the entrance. The cozy speakeasy-style bar retains the look and feel of what the space used to be - an artist studio with exposed walls still bearing past paint strokes.
Retro illustrations peek out at me from the seasonal winter menu, which is set to transition to spring and designed to look like a vintage Popular Mechanics magazine. Whimsical trinkets and vintage collectibles dot the walls and shelves.
“When the “Gift Shop” name and concept was being developed, we wanted to include some quirky collectibles alongside the great cocktail gifts in the vintage magazine-style menu. In keeping with the design theme, the gifts tend toward the quirky and retro like a 1966 Rock Em’ Sock Em’ Robots Patent Art Poster or an Original 1950s Bar Aid Cocktail Recipe Dial.”
Small, circular tables extend from the wall to create a social space just generous enough to house two glasses for an intimate conversation. The retro vibe extends to the geometric, black, baby-blue and white tiled flooring.
Bespoke wire wall frames create geometric shelves housing a curated collection of liquor, which Bar Manager Jess uses to create delicious concoctions. The cocktails utilize unexpected ingredients and combinations to surprised and delight, and includes legendary drinks from bars around the world, as well as what the team refers to as “High Roller Babies” — classic cocktails made with super premium spirits.
I was able to receive a sneak peek of their spring menu creations, which offers bold, sweet and creative designs.
Served in a rocks glass adorned with a single, deliberate stroke of celery edible black paint and housing a solid square cube of ice, the Silverfox is a drink to be savoured through small sips. This cocktail is designed for those who enjoy a bold taste, as the cocktail is infused with Tequila, Aquavit, Gentian, and lingering aromatic notes of Vermouth.
The drink Banana on Banana Crime is presented in an elegant, tall cocktail glass featuring floral pattern imprints — a delicious sipper for whiskey connoisseurs. Made with Whiskey, Cognac, Chartreuse, banana, lime, and cocoa nibs, this is the drink to warm and calm your senses.
Banana on Banana Crime cocktail.
The making of the Silverfox.
The Silverfox presents a bold taste.
Next, a cocktail served in a miniature milk jug decorated with a candy cane straw and a green ribbon offers an experience on the other end of the spectrum. Though the presentation is dainty and cute, its creation process made us instantly curious about how it would taste like.
Jess shared that the drink is made with a clarified milk punch - an in-house punch made by clarifying Fruit Loop Milk with alcohol. First, fruit loops are soaked in milk, and then alcohol is added to the mixture, which causes the milk to curdle. The milk is then strained from the mixture, leaving the flavours of the fruit loops in a clear, alcoholic concoction. Other ingredients found in this cocktail are pisco, mezcal, sherry, pandan leaf, green tea, and pineapple, making it a refreshing, fruity and playful option.
The name of this drink? Keep Me In The Loop! Who wouldn’t want to try this innovative cocktail?
Keep Me In The Loop! served in a miniature milk jug.
The Gift Shop stands to be your hideaway after a long day (and in our current scenario, a reclusive period within our own homes), when all you want to do is catch up with a friend your cherish, elbow to elbow, knee to knee, in the cozy space as your exchange secrets between sips; treat it as your private haven and leave work, reality and stressors at the door.
We recommend that you add The Gift Shop to your bucket list of cocktail bars to visit for when our lives return to normal. In the meantime, you can contemplate which cocktails on their new menu pique your interest.
Cozy nooks for intimate conversations.
The bespoke white wire frame shelving stretches the full length of the bar.
A captivating textured wall and retro lighting fixtures.
