Sometimes it’s great to stick to the classics, but why not step outside the box every once in a while?

Toronto is known for its long list of beautiful and delicious cocktail bars, and some spots even feature drinks we are sure you’ve never heard of before!

If you’re looking to try something new and enlighten your taste buds on a night out in the city, stop in and give one of these 5 cocktails a try!

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Banchan

If you love Korean flavours then you have to try this.

Banchan is one of the mouth-watering drinks from XXX, a speakeasy located below Little Sister on Portland. This Korean-inspired cocktail is citrusy, refreshing and savoury with soju, cucumber, lime, sesame, kimchi and seaweed.
Meaning ‘side dish’ in Korean, this drink accompanies a range of dishes from kimchi to kim (nori). Yum!
Where: XXX, below Little Sister, 102 Portland St
xxx bar toronto
Image via XXX Bar

The Black Truffle 

This one may require a sophisticated pallet!

The Black Truffle, found at Bar Chef on Queen West has quite the list of ingredients including black truffle snow, smoked salt, coconut foam, lime zest, gin, coconut liqueur and dill. Yep, dill.

A little bit of sweet and a little bit of savoury, this cocktail has it all.

Where: Bar Chef, 472 Queen St W

Matcha Snickers 

No, Matcha Snickers isn’t the name of a new chocolate bar, it’s a drink!

This cocktail comes from after seven, a speakeasy behind a yogurt shop called Kome Yogurt. The ingredients for this beverage are barley shochu, dark chocolate, ceremonial matcha, cream sherry, peanut butter, coconut water, and sesame.

This fusion of flavours sounds like a winner to us.

Where: after seven, behind Kome 50 McCaul St

Chai & Waffle Martini 

While the name of this drink sounds seemingly ordinary, it’s what goes on top that makes it stand out!

This cocktail has makings similar to an espresso martini but with chai infused vodka, amrula, waffle syrup and masala chai. The twist? This drink is topped with shredded parmesan cheese! So if you want something a little cheesy to sip on then head over to Gully on Bloor West.

Where: Gully, 521 Bloor St W

Salad Days

This cocktail is as savoury as it sounds.

Salad Days can be found at Cocktail Bar on Dundas West, a quiet spot known for its creative drinks including this one! Gin, tomato, olive oil, “salad sauce’ and lemon are all that goes into this drink and it definitely sounds interesting!

Where: Cocktail Bar, 923 Dundas Street W

So if you’re down to be a little adventurous next time you’re out for a drink, give one of these cocktails a try, Toronto!

Taylor Lucas

Regional Editor – Taylor is a Toronto-based journalist with a passion for story-telling. Whether chasing a story, writing, or editing she brings a creative spin to the media world and has a blast doing it. Taylor brings years of journalism experience in sports, local/national news, and entertainment. In her spare time, you can typically find Taylor trying out a new restaurant or cocktail bar, cooking, golfing or binge-watching true crime documentaries.

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