We're going to hero Canadian whisky, it tends to be a little bit overlooked
especially in cocktails, but this drink is called the Toronto and was really
made to highlight that quite nice mellow flavor that you get from Canadian
whisky. So we're going for Canadian club 20 year old. So this one does have a
little bit of rye a little bit of spice but it's still quite smooth and
easy going, obviously 20 years old so has been in
barrels for that long which means it has a nice oak influence to it as well and what
that is mixed with is fernet branca which is a really strong flavor it's
part of a family called Amaros, good for your digestion for your tummy after
you've after you've eaten too much. It's basically yeah a really kind of
bittersweet almost quite minty flavor going on in there and then you've got
your Angostura bitters as I said usually it was cocktail bitters it does just
kind of lengthen your cocktail a little bit and then some sugar syrup to just
to round all out and provide a little bit of sweetness. This is probably the kind
of drink that people tend to think of with American whiskey, you've got those
kind of Old Fashioned's, Manhattan's more stirred down (yeah) is that style that you like?
It is the style that I like I think that as I've gotten a little bit older
my palates maybe gotten a little bit more bitter so I've started to gravitate
towards drinks like the Toronto that have got that really nice kind of bitter
herbal flavor profile. Maybe not the first place that you want to start when
it comes to American cocktails but if you do have a palate that's a little bit
drier a little bit more herbal, not quite on the sweet side other things and
this is a really good option.
So you do have two full shots of your Canadian Club
in there, so 60 mils.
So then we've got 15 mils of the fernet branca
this is quite a fun cocktail ingredient, I think it can get overdone a little
bit because it's a bit it's a bit trendy and it is a really full on flavor but
using it in this kind of scenario where you're just using it's like a little
accent, I think works really well especially to kind of highlight some of
yeah kind of like the bitter orange notes and things coming through from the
whisky as well.
Absolutely and because with this one using basically equal
parts of that intensely bitter and herbal Amaro, with also sugar syrup it
kind of balances out really well but for me this is one of my favorite
after-dinner drinks because it does have that bit of the fernet in there so it's
really good for settling your stomach if you've had a big meal.
A little digestif, and then you're like
it's medicinal as well.
Yeah that's it, it's good for you.
Now I always tell you to
get your garnish prepared before you start making the drink. I forgot to do
that this time, but we'll do it know before we put the ice in so that it's
not sitting and diluting while you're doing a lemon twist.
Good call
This one we did have a little discussion about because orange twist is also
accepted as your garnish in a Toronto but I think yeah especially when you're
kind of wanting to highlight that quite nice mellow kind of bright Canadian
whisky having that kind of brighter citrus pop there probably makes more sense.
As always you want to put as much ice in your mixing glass as you can fit
then you want to stir it by putting the back of the bar spoon against the inside
of the glass and just kind of pushing the ice around. This is actually Fred's
bar spoon. Is there a reason you have such an ostentatiously long bar spoon?
Because I'm way cooler than everyone else.
Right.
It's the only way, I mean, how else are they going to tell?
That's right. What else am I supposed to base my ego on if not the length of my bar spoon?
Delicious.
Grab your glass out of the fridge, use your julep strainer to hold the ice back.
And I'm just going to pour it in.
The combination of the Fernet and the bitters gives you a great color with this one doesn't it?
It does, it's very pretty. Now we're just gonna expel the oils over the top so just give
your twist a sharp fold over the top of your drink.
And that'll just really brighten it up because obviously it's a pretty kind of boozy and full-on drink.
Give it a little twist and pop it in your glass.
The Toronto. So now you know.
Hmmm. That's lovely.
Thank you.
Yeah.
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