To make it, you’ll need:
2 oz Canadian Whisky (but if you’re in the US market, rye whiskey would be an appropriate substitute)
¼ oz Fernet Branca
¼ oz Simple Syrup
1-2 dashes of Aromatic Bitters (Angostura is traditional, but feel free to use our Embitterment Aromatic Bitters for a slightly different take on the drink)
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir for about 20 seconds until everything is well chilled and diluted, strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, and garnish with an expressed orange twist.
As you can see, the Toronto Cocktail sort of wedges itself in between an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan. The Fernet could be seen as either a very bitter, lightly sweet vermouth (this would be the Manhattan interpretation), or as an additional bitter with enough sugar to warrant cutting your simple syrup (this would be the Old Fashioned riff).
Shawn had a hand in bringing this drink to the forefront as a result of his thorough historical research, so we’ll dig into it in greater depth during this interview.
Show Notes
During this conversation, we go wide and deep, covering everything from foraged cocktail ingredients to Philip Duff’s affection for the proud nation of Canada. Here are some links to some of the times we cover.
