"As soon as the current menu is complete, we’re already working on the next menu because it takes a lot of time, and a lot of thought goes into each drink,” says Rob Granicolo, co-owner of Cry Baby Gallery.
The Dundas Street West art gallery, which backs onto a hidden speakeasy bar, opened at the end of 2019 and has been wowing Torontonians with their complex concoctions ever since. There isn’t much by way of a food program here — just a snack plate — and cocktails, done really well. But creating an ever-changing menu of hits isn’t easy.
“We’re just trying to one-up ourselves every menu and it causes a great deal of stress and mental panic,” Granicolo says, laughing. “Nothing is ever complete the first time, it’s always days, weeks. Some cocktails, we’re like, ‘how are we still working on this?’”
As a starting point, Granicolo and the bar team like to riff off classic cocktails to help come up with their new serves.
Rob Granicolo, co-owner of Cry Baby Gallery
Sarah Pflug
“I love our espresso martini, the Woodbridge Athletic Club. It slaps. It’s got that minty espresso. It has that freshness to it. And it’s also packed full of caffeine,” he says. The quirky name comes from joking around with a friend.
“A lot of Italian people are from Woodbridge. It’s not even a stereotype, it’s just a census fact, at this point. And we thought it’d be funny to pay homage to something that everyone is familiar with, but no one really represents in Toronto. So why don’t we not play off of Italy for once and play off of our local Italian community here? And then when you see people come from the GTA, they’re like ‘that’s really cute.’ We like that. It’s got the right amount of pizzazz to it.”
Between the rotating art in the gallery and the changing menu of innovative cocktails, Cry Baby is definitely a bar with pizzazz.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, fill with ice and stir.
Remove the tumbler glass from the freezer and strain ingredients over a large, clear ice cube.
Cry Baby Colada
Sarah Pflug
Makes 1
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 oz Plantation 3 Star White Rum
1 oz Goslings Rum
1 oz pineapple juice
1 ½ oz cinnamon Coco Lopez
1 splash lime juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Pineapple leaves, to garnish
Cinnamon Coco Lopez
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
½ cup Coco Lopez coconut milk
3 full size cinnamon sticks
Method
Cinnamon Coco Lopez
To make the cinnamon syrup, combine the water and sugar in a pot over medium heat until dissolved. Place in a large container and steep cinnamon sticks for 36 hours. Strain.
Blend equal parts cinnamon syrup with coconut milk on a low setting.
Bottle, label and date. It can last up to three weeks in the refrigerator.
Cry Baby Colada
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin and fill with ice. Whip vigorously.
Fill a novelty hurricane glass with crushed ice and strain the cocktail to the top.
Garnish with a pineapple leaf or two and top with Angostura Bitters.
Woodbridge Athletic Club
Sarah Pflug
Makes 1
Preparation time 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 ½ oz Ketel One Vodka
½ oz Branca Menta
1 oz espresso
½ oz espresso syrup
Mint leaf, to garnish
Method
Make some espresso and let it cool down a bit.
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin and whip hard.
Fill a tall ornate (or matte black) glass with ice and strain ingredients to the top.
Garnish with fresh mint.
The River Gambler
Sarah Pflug
Makes 1
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 oz Herradura Blanco Tequila
2 oz grapefruit liqueur
2 oz prosecco
½ oz lime juice
1 bar spoon simple syrup (2:1)
1 dash salt Grapefruit wedge, to garnish
Method
Add all ingredients except prosecco to a shaker tin and fill with ice. Whip hard.
Pour prosecco into a highball glass and slowly pour the shaken ingredients on top.
Add enough ice to fill the glass 90 per cent. Top with a grapefruit wedge.
