MONTREAL-This city has long been a must-visit destination for those passionate about the pouring of a great drink. Post-war prohibition in the U.S. turned the town into a go-to for all things alcohol, and the push for creative concoctions hasn’t waned since.
Those lucky enough to get to the centuries-old city today will enjoy a modern microbrewery boom and an explosive and elaborate cocktail culture that rages well into each night. Begin your foray by sampling these seven drinks designed to pour you into Montreal’s ultra-local, ultra-creative and ultra-intoxicating sipping scene. Tip: Drink responsibly, and when a sober-up snack is required, ask your designated driver to take you to Montreal Pool Room for the best poutine in town.
The green fairy:
Order: 1.5-oz Courailleuse absinthe
Location:Sarah B. Bar, Intercontinental Hotel
Alongside velvet drapes and a roaring fire, begin your liquid journey tucked into one of the “green fairy alcoves” at Sarah B. Bar. The Intercontinental Hotel’s main libation station, named after French stage and film actress Sarah Bernhardt, features the largest selection of absinthe offered in Montreal. Your absinthe, whether it be a classic taste of Grande Absente or the ultra-decadent Larusée, will be delicately cut with ice water that’s poured over a sugar cube into crystal glasses, allowing the herbal aromas to be released and to intensify. Courailleuse absinthe is a Quebec-distilled absinthe made with the spirit’s authentic ingredients used in the 1850s.
Caffeine kick:
Order: Casino Coffee
Location:Casino de Montréal
Navigating Montreal’s expansive cocktail scene will require some energy and maybe a couple of extra bucks, so saunter up to one of the Casino de Montréal’s four swanky bars and order a cocktail with a kick before hitting some of the facility’s 100 game tables and 3,000 slot machines. Casino Coffee is made with local Café Napoleon beans, Baileys, Grand Marnier and Kahlua. One Casino Coffee down, try your luck on a number of the facility’s signature cocktails, which switch up every three months according to a theme. (A circus-inspired cocktail list is on its way). The casino’s mixologists curate the bar menu and each cocktail incorporates at least one product from Quebec.
A crafty pint:
Order: Pint of West Coast IPA
Location:Boswell Brasserie Artisinale
With 21 craft beers on tap, this popular microbrewery is as good for thirst-quenching as it is for halting hunger pains. While five to six beers on rotation are specific to the brewery, the rest come from Quebec or surrounding microbreweries and are served across the board at $6.50, with only the glass itself varying in size, depending on rarity and quality. The West Coast IPA is a malty India pale ale with tropical fruit and citrus, hoppy notes. From the kitchen, a classic fish ‘n’ chip meal or burger get the same tender treatment as the tartare or duck prosciutto. The bar’s surroundings feel intimate and cozy, despite the open, industrial space.
Creative backstory:
Order: Tigre Thai Collins
Location:Bar Le Lab
Walking by, you might miss Bar Le Lab, but maybe that’s the point. Beyond the bar’s forgettable front curtain those lucky enough to discover this passion project will be spoiled by an elegant and intimate watering hole, created in 2008 under the helm of master mixologist Fabien Maillard. Originally trained in Paris, Maillard creates cocktails that are complex, whimsical and each served with a backstory. The Tigre Thai Collins is Appleton Estate Signature Blend rum, Le Lab’s Hell’s Ginger syrup, lime, coconut cream, bird’s eye chili and lemon-lime soda. While visiting the speakeasy-style lounge, make sure to try Le Lab’s signature vermouth, made in Quebec in collaboration with local winery Val Caudalies.
Sacred price:
Order: Pint of Marguerite
Location:Bistro-Brasserie Les Soeurs Grises
In the past half-decade, Montreal has seen a microbrewery boom and Les Soeurs Grises can attest to being one of the first kids on the block. Its warm and inviting restaurant, which features a glass façade facing the working world of Les Soeurs brewers, gets its name from the famous Grey Nuns of Montreal whose legacy of charity work in the city began in 1737. In keeping with their service, the first pint ordered here comes cheap, at $3. Marguerite is a crispy blonde with floral aromas and hints of hazelnut butter. An added bonus for those passionate about pints? Nearly every meal on the Soeurs Grises menu features beer as an ingredient.
Trendsetting:
Order: Le Mal Nécessaire
Location:Le Mal Nécessaire
Feeling a little tipsy by now? Simply follow the electric neon pineapple lighting up the entrance of this unique addition to Montreal’s Chinatown. A huge favourite of the late-night crowd, Le Mal Nécessaire is a high-energy tiki bar that sidekicks its extensive line of exotic bevvies with chow-down Cantonese fare, such as dumplings, wonton fries, and Singapore-style noodles. A statement-maker on the city’s cocktail scene, Le Mal Nécessaire also plays host to the quarterly Drunken Masters competition, a speed-serving showdown between the best bartenders in the city. Le Mal Nécessaire is a bourbon and fernet-based cocktail made with an in-house mix of fresh pineapple juice, herbs and spices.
Take it home:
Order: Jeanne Mance
Location: The comfort of your own home
You’ve finished your spirited spree but wouldn’t mind taking a bit of Montreal’s cocktail culture home with you. Stir up your own Jeanne Mance, a collaborative cocktail made with four ingredients each produced by young Montreal entrepreneurs. There’s 2 oz Cirka’s Gin Sauvage, 1/2 oz Vermouth Val Claudalies Lab, 1/2 oz Maison Sivo Blackcurrant Cassis and 3 dashes of Sombre & Amer Febris coffee bitters. Named after the female co-founder of the city and designed by legendary Montreal mixologist Romain Cavelier, the drink has been made to honour Montreal’s 375th birthday this year. So filter your mix into an Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube, garnish it with orange peel, and toast to finding a way back to the City of Saints very soon.
Liz Beddall was hosted by Tourisme Montréal, which did not review or approve this story.
Liz Beddall was hosted by Tourisme Montréal, which did not review or approve this story.
When you go
Stay: I stayed at the InterContinental Montreal.
Do your research:tourisme-montreal.org
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