Mocktail Nights: 6 nights, 6 Bars and Many Many non-Alcoholic Cocktails
/This project was graciously sponsored by Ceder’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits. All opinions are our own.
The beautifully designed AMal restaurant in yorkville makes it easy to relax and enjoy ceders non-alcoholic cocktails with their delectable lebanese cuisine. photo credit; Some Good Clean Fun, 2024.
If you’re looking for mocktails in Toronto during Dry January or beyond, we’ve got you covered! We partnered with Ceder’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits to visit six unique restaurants across the city to taste test non-alcoholic cocktails, and experience how each unique bartender is using them. We’ve compiled a list below of our top six places to visit if you’re looking for alcohol-free options for all the scenarios in your life: brunch, catch-ups, drinks with the ladies or date night!
Best for Girls Dinner: Margo
Address: 600 King St W 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 1M3 (inside Clio)
Social: @margo.toronto
Margo is definitely the place to go for a girls night catch up, with its glamourous downtown vibe and upscale menu. Their cocktail bar is extensive, including two non-alcoholic cocktails from Ceder’s. The Fresco mocktail is made with Ceder’s Crisp, and paired with citrus, apple cider and ginger. It’s a refreshing pre-dinner aperitif that comes in a highball glass with a straw, but don’t let that discourage you from ordering it. It’s downright tasty! The Bloom mocktail gets really high marks for its flavour. It pairs Ceder’s Rose with citrus and the unique bite of sorrel, resulting in a daiquiri like texture and flavour. A very unique mocktail, and if you ask for it in a coupe glass rather than a tumbler, it’s got an exceptional presentation. We highly recommend nibbling on the dragon fruit garnish!
Best for brunch: Cluny Bistro
Address: 35 Tank House Lane, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
Social: @clunydistillery
Cluny is a French bistro in the Distillery District balancing traditional cuisine with modern comfort and elegance. It’s got a cool classic Parisian vibe with a modern touch, and a delightfully cosy destination for brunch. The mocktails at Cluny really stood out. Their Framboise & Gingembre option is a delicate balance of tart raspberry, and a little bit of ginger that doesn’t overpower the essence of the Ceder’s Wild. This one is my favourite of all the Ceder’s expressions, and the bartender agreed it’s the preferred one to work with, with its spicy and aromatic notes of ginger and clove. It compliments the layers nicely in the Framboise & Gingembre. The second Ceder’s mocktail is the Epice de Menthe, and while I was expecting a minty mocktail, it was actually far from it. The non-alcoholic cocktail tastes more like a fresh, spicy margarita and it was absolutely delicious - although not a great match for my walnut and pear salad. Cluny also gets high marks for serving their mocktails in the proper glassware.
Best for catching up with Bae: Madrina
Address: 2 Trinity St, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
Social: @madrina.to
Madrina is a bustling Tapas restaurant in the Distillery District, and it’s got the perfect cozy vibe for a casual catch-up with that someone special. The food is out of this world if you like either traditional Spanish tapas or more modern options, the perfect nibbles for sipping on some mocktails! The mocktail menu was created by the restaurant manager, with the idea that non-alcoholic drinks should be elevated and that is evident. Both options I ordered came in sophisticated glassware with the right kind of garnish, and both of them use Ceder’s Wild. The Abejita was a luscious mix of juices and non-alcoholic spirit - although I wanted more Ceder’s flavour in this one. The Picos de Europa Gin Tonic was an experience, from the way they serve it to the over-the-top garnish. They bring the drink to your table in a huge balloon glass, and while you watch, they use the ‘bar spoon pour’ to drizzle the Fever Tree tonic down into the glass. This results in a nicely mixed, and undiluted mocktail that tastes fantastic (helped along by macadamia syrup).
Best for post-work drinks: Daphne
Address: 67 Richmond St W, Toronto, ON M5H 1Z5
Social: @daphnetoronto
Daphne feels like it could be solely a Bay Street destination, but its modern American vibe has a playful balance between “strictly business” luncheons and the evening high-roller dinner and drinks. The bar area is a serious affair of backlit plexiglass, mixed with chinoiserie wallpaper, making it almost hard to believe the word mocktail has ever been uttered in these surroundings. But you would be wrong - there are several Ceder’s mocktails on this menu. I started with a drink called The Botanist, but am not a huge fan of the rose and guava combo, so asked for a simple double Ceder’s and tonic. This is not on the menu, but it’s a good reminder you can order simple drinks like this, just like you would with regular spirits. These are also the drinks that Ceder’s really shines in, where the ingredients aren’t competing for taste space in your glass. It also felt apropo to be sipping on a classic cocktail without alcohol, in a restaurant that feels both traditional and modern at the same time. A nod to the future with inclusivity for everyone!
Byblos is a two-story dining destination, tucked away behind the theatre district, serving some of Toronto’s best mediterranean cuisine, including my new all-time favourite salad and the most divine roasted tahini chicken I’ve ever tasted. The shared plates and modern comfort ambiance make this a perfect destination for a date night. It boasts three classic Ceder’s non-alcoholic cocktails on its zero proof menu. The Mediterranean Mule was our pre-dinner mocktail, and it’s zingy and refreshing. It was hard to taste the Ceder’s in it, but it was a great fusion of flavours perfect for a pre-dinner sip. We paired our meal with water, but relaxed afterwards with a Jiir Sour, a fantastic gin sour using Ceder’s Classic. This is definitely the way non-alcoholic cocktails should be served: a tweaked classic cocktail recipe, in the right glassware with the right technique (using egg white, for example). Really high marks for the bar manager who happily shared his enthusiasm for non-alcoholic options, and also shared my pet-peeve with bars unilaterally serving mocktails in glassware meant for juice or water. A fantastic evening out with great food and great drinks!
[note: Byblos’ downtown location is temporarily closed until mid-January due to small repairs]
Best for a family dinner: Amal
Address: 131 Bloor St W 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M5S 1R1
Social: @amaltoronto
Need to impress mom and dad? Or find a place for a large family dinner? Amal is an upscale, modern casual Lebanese restaurant, tucked upstairs in the tony part of Toronto’s Yorkville directly across from Burberry and Tiffany’s. It's one of the most beautiful restaurants in the city, and the food is exceptionally crafted Lebanese dishes. There are three Ceder’s mocktails on the menu, using traditional flavours of the Mediterranean like orange blossom and pomegranate. Of the three, two of the mocktails are citrus forward and nicely sweet and sour, nicely balancing the Ceder’s spirits. The third mocktail uses Ceder’s Rose and pairs it with middle eastern flavours for a very international drink that was slightly too sweet for the ladies at my table.
Overall, of the bars and restaurants we visited to taste test Ceder’s, we were surprised at how unique the options were and how each bar manager or mixologist uses fresh flavours and juices to complement the non-alcoholic spirits. It was a great experience to travel around Toronto tasting non-alcoholic cocktails for a variety of social occasions, and a real look at how the mocktail scene is starting to infiltrate even the poshest restaurants. Our takeaway: it’s totally possible to have some good clean fun with Ceder’s in this city!
Cheers!
