The spirit-forward Toronto cocktail combines rye whiskey with a bold and herbaceous Italian amaro softened with sugar syrup.
Toronto Cocktail – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
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Like many classic cocktails, the Toronto’s precise origins are unknown. In Robert Vermeire’s Cocktails: How to Mix Them book published in 1922, he refers to the drink as the “Fernet Cocktail”, where the standard measure is a gill which equals 142ml:
Fernet Cocktail
Fill the bar glass half full of broken ice and add:
1 dash of Angostura Bitters.
2 dashes of plain Sugar or Gum Syrup.
1/4 gill of Fernet Branca.
1/4 gill of Cognac Brandy, or Rye Whisky to taste.
Stir up well with a spoon, strain into a cocktail-glass, and squeeze lemon-peel on top
In his book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks published in 1948 David A. Embury refers to the Toronto as “A modified Old-Fashioned is made with Fernet-Branca, a bitters particularly well loved by Italians.” His specs specify Angostura bitters as an optional ingredient.
- 1 part Sugar Syrup
- 2 parts Fernet-Branca
- 6 parts Canadian Whisky
- 1 dash Angostura to each drink (optional)
This cocktail may be made in Old-Fashioned glasses or may be stirred with large ice cubes an strained into cocktail glasses. In either case, decorate with a twist of orange peel.
Fernet Branca plays a key role in the Toronto cocktail. The strongly-flavoured Italian amaro lends a bitter, minty and herbal note which pairs well with rye whiskey and is softened by the addition of sugar syrup.
Toronto Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 60ml rye whiskey or Canadian whiskey
- 20ml Fernet Branca
- 7ml simple syrup
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: orange peel, expressed
Method
Add all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a chilled coupette. Express the orange peel over the drink and use as garnish.
