New cocktail bars in Toronto transport us to some of the eras and places where cocktails reign supreme. The seventies and eighties, Hong Kong and Paris are just some of the disparate sources these new bars pull inspiration from to bring us never-before-seen cocktails that excite the taste buds and imagination.

Here are my picks for the top new cocktail bars in Toronto.

Goldie

This King West space used to be home to burlesque dinner theatre Candyland, but now it’s a plush bar that feels like something out of a seventies Hollywood movie. Cocktails include the sweet Classy AF served in a champagne flute and the Milk & Honey with milk liqueur.

Mrs. Robinson

Nope, this Little Italy bar isn’t named for a Simon and Garfunkel song: it’s actually the name of the CEO of Sugar Hill Records. Cocktails with wacky names are designed by the same bartender from Good Son, garnished with rosemary or served novelly in paper bags.

Mulberry Bar

A little piece of Paris lands in Bloorcourt with the arrival this charming spot strewn with hanging plants and roofed by a faux skylight. Classics like martinis and Old Fashioneds are done to a T and they get crafty with cocktails that contain wine or ice cream.

Mahjong Bar

Cocktails with names like Tropic Thunder, Stay Cosy (in homage to the Chinese restaurant this place takes inspiration from) and Pink Panther contain Asian-centric ingredients like pandan, soju and sake.

Convenience

Shooters meant to taste like candy, cocktails named after neighbourhoods like their very own Parkdale, and five cocktails on tap are all here. The five are a Paper Plane, Negroni, Pina Colada, Cosmopolitan, and Daquiri and get this: they’re also all five bucks.

Oak Island

Coolers, shooters and electric neon colours from the eighties lend their flair to the drinks at this bar on Ossington. Pisco Punch, Kamikazes,  and rye cocktails garnished with rock candy are all on the menu.

Bangarang

This Little Italy bar from the people behind Track & Field also has lawn games, and the name is a reference to the movie Hook. They have cocktails on tap with names like the Old Kanye, as well as their own spins on classics like Aperol Spritzes, Mezcal Margaritas and Porch Crawlers.

Hello 123

Rejoice! Vegan cocktails have landed on West Queen West, with ingredients like chaga, kombucha, aqua fava (a vegan replacement for the egg white that tops most sours) and house peach rosemary shrub.

Mad Crush Wine Bar

Wine may be the calling card for this Little Italy place but they utilize their expertise to incorporate bubbles into cocktails like a classic French 75 or The Dapper Sipper, Death in the Afternoon, or Elderflower Fizz.

Reverie at Weldon Park

Cocktails at this Little Italy bar and restaurant are given one-word names like Grapes, Beets, and Picard. They certainly have the swagger of stars with mononyms like Cher, Madonna or Kanye, with elements like earl grey foam, compressed grapes, reisling-pepper syrup and chia seed vinaigrette.