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Mother

Toronto

Fermentation is the heart and soul of Mother, a smart bar on a chic stretch of retail and restaurants that back on to the park in Toronto's perennially cool Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. Named after the starter used to make vinegar, Mother is renowned for its wildly inventive drinks programme, based largely on funky house-made ingredients from the cellar's fermentorium and inspired by seemingly anything that captures founder and 'thirsty dreamer' Massimo Zitti's interest, from tomato soup to the movie Dune. The drinks are an important part of the draw, but crowds also flock to this dark and intimate space to bask in the candlelight, groove to an artfully curated funk soundtrack and drink in the truly impressive showmanship behind the bar.

The cocktail list includes its well-established barrel-aged drinks programme, a generous number of zero-proof options, classics and the headliner section: Mirror Mirror. The layout makes it possible to trace the bar's progression over the years, from original hits like Toasted Chai Piña Colada, made with caramelised yogurt, coconut sorbet and lacto-fermented pineapple and ginger, to contemporary drinks like Fading Silhouette, a warming concoction of amaretto, kombucha, plum and black cardamom. Each creation at Mother may be utterly unique, but, together, the drinks tell a story of a bar that's deeply committed to experimentation and discovering fresh ways to raise the art of the cocktail.

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