When Vancouver hand roll sushi spot Hello Nori arrived in Toronto last year, we were pretty pumped. Who could fail to be charmed by their rolled-to-order sushi and perfectly crispy nori? So when they opened a second location on York Street — joining the flagship on King West — we were even more thrilled to have another spot for king salmon, wagyu and truffle lobster hand rolls.
Now that we're return customers and fully immersed in the world of Hello Nori, we've picked up on another delightful element of the Japanese hand roll bar — the cocktails. While Hello Nori has its own line of sake and collaborated with Rorschach Brewing Co. in the east for its signature lager, the drink menu has also been packing a punch with its fun and flavourful cocktails.
"For our house cocktails, we pulled from popular Japanese pop culture moments," says Christopher Allen, Hello Nori's signature bar manager. "We conceptualized these moments into Modern Classics, like the negroni, the margarita and the Japanese highball. The goal was to create drinks that carried a story, that are approachable but also made to "Kanpai," says Allen, referring to the Japanese drinking culture.
Our favourite cocktail is the Peach Pafekuto, a floral mocktail from Hello Nori that's popping with peach flavours. "The peach pafekuto is one of our signature non-alcoholic cocktails. It is meant to stimulate the idea of the 'Perfect Peach.' By combining the sweetness but also simultaneously the tartness of white peach juice and lemon juice. We add a touch of our house lavender syrup to not only add a touch of florality but also to put the drinker in the orchard," Allen explains.
"We make it a sour, by adding egg white, the emulate the rich textures of a freshly picked ripe peach. We want our non-alcoholic drinkers to have the same dining experience. Something elevated and not just syrup and soda water. We want to make sure everyone is welcome and able to partake in our full experience."
Of course, if you're looking for some booze in your beverage, the addition of Roku Gin makes one of the most refreshing gin sours we've ever had. To get the full experience, we recommend heading to Hello Nori — but Allen has shared his Peach Pafekuto recipe below for at-home shakers:
