LUCID FORGE

The Toronto International Film Festival is well underway, with all the glitz and glamour you’d expect of a major Hollywood event. Just as important as the screenings, if not moreso, are the numerous parties, where deals are often made over drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Among the many venues hosting TIFF parties this year are The Boilerhouse, Ultra Supper Club, Cheval, and of course, the ubiquitous Drake Hotel on Queen Street West. Since its re-opening in 2004, the Drake has steadily gained in popularity and cool quotient. This year it had the honour of hosting the party for Passchendaele, the opening night film of this year’s festival.


The Toronto International Film Festival is well underway, with all the glitz and glamour you’d expect of a major Hollywood event. Just as important as the screenings, if not moreso, are the numerous parties, where deals are often made over drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Among the many venues hosting TIFF parties this year are The Boilerhouse, Ultra Supper Club, Cheval, and of course, the ubiquitous Drake Hotel on Queen Street West. Since its re-opening in 2004, the Drake has steadily gained in popularity and cool quotient. This year it had the honour of hosting the party for Passchendaele, the opening night film of this year’s festival.



So just what did Paul Gross and company quaff? The list of drinks and delectables at the Drake is tempting indeed. Bartender Simon Ho, who has worked at the fashionable night spot for three years, has created a veritable buffet of flavours that spans the continents. Along with bar manager David Brown, Ho has crafted a cocktail menu that includes traditional favourites but veers away from predictability.

“It’s fun, because they’ve given me the opportunity to go and have fun, to be creative, to punch it in,” he says of his Drake bosses, “I guess it’s like cooking. What chefs are doing with ingredients I do with drinks. I’ll take things and go, ‘ah I can throw rum in that.’ I don’t measure –I mean, I guess we could use shot glasses, but it’s all feel.” Brown concurs. “We wanted to do drinks that are already hot,” he says, noting that the hotel offers drinks that represent the gamut of international tastes. “We have the American South, we have Hawaii, and we have basically a rum punch from South America.” The latter continent is represented with two drinks, the Batida and the Caipiroska, made with strawberries and kiwis. In the former, Ho decided to make use of Pitu Cachaca, a clear form of rum made from raw sugar cane and widely used in the Caipirinha, a drink considered to be the national cocktail of Brazil. The Caipiroska, meanwhile, is a sweet, fruity cocktail made with strawberry vodka and simple syrup. Classic concoctions like the Mint Julep and the Pegu are offered as well. “It’s such a classic drink,” Ho says of the Julep, “I think of the Kentucky Derby, of people with big hats. They’re out all day, they don’t want to knock it back but want to take their time, enjoy (it).” Thought it’s September, the Julep is still a popular TIFF choice since it’s what is called a “long drink”, meaning it tastes better the longer it sits. Brown says “typically, long drinks are sipping drinks, so as the ice melts, it’s more refreshing.” Ho adds that the good thing about long drinks is the fact they aren’t necessarily boozy.

Like the artists who exhibit work (and indeed party) at the Drake, Ho himself is an artist, albeit one specializing in consumables. He takes care in experimenting with taste, colour and texture. “I’m running through 5 or 6 recipes, and then I’ll tweak them, so I know what people think.” He’s also particular about the details of his craft, taking an interest and care in the instruments he uses. Muddling, for instance, is essentially just “a process of crushing” –whether it’s mint leaves (for mojitos) or fruit (for the Caipiroska). Offering helpful tips for the home bartender, he says it’s best to use tempered glass shaker glasses for both shaking and muddling, noting that anything metal isn’t suitable for the latter –it’ll split those frequently-pricey muddlers, and leave horrible splinters in your fruity creations.  “I’d rather have wood than stone,” he says of his preferred instruments, “I wouldn’t use metal…. I’d never use a metal muddler, there’s no give whatsoever. You’d break the glass. And besides, there’s a sex appeal to the wood. It feels organic.” Along with quaffables, the Drake is also offering a music series and special screenings until TIFF’s close on September 13th. Open until 4am, the Hotel offers the TIFF Music Festival and the Future Projections program –perfect to watch while sipping one of Ho’s incredible creations. Who says summer’s over? You can still head to the Drake, sip a Julep, and party like a star.

For more information on The Drake Hotel, including programming during the Toronto International Film Festival, go to www.thedrakehotel.ca.