Leslieville’s culinary scene keeps delivering surprises, and the latest is Bar Etc. — a new “tropical in essence” cocktail bar that’s about to bring something genuinely exciting to a neighbourhood already building serious momentum on the Toronto food and drink map. Set to open at 1036 Gerrard St., Bar Etc. is a collaboration between sommelier and restaurateur Lee Stein and mixologist Siegel, a duo whose combined experience spans some of the city’s most celebrated venues.
Make no mistake: this is not a tiki bar. Siegel is emphatic about that distinction, and with good reason. Bar Etc.’s cocktail program draws on tropical and warm-weather ingredients — a whole lot more than cursory splashes of pineapple juice — to create drinks with genuine complexity and surprise. One cocktail uses mastic sap that Siegel has transformed into a savoury liquor. Another is designed to evoke the sensation of standing at the ocean’s edge in both flavour and scent. The daiquiri gets a complete reimagining that challenges everything you thought you knew about the cocktail.
The choice of Leslieville as a location is itself a statement. Both founders see the neighbourhood’s East End dining scene as fertile ground — not yet saturated, but full of creative energy and growing fast. Joining spots like the Michelin-recommended Ricky + Olivia, Bar Mini and Corduroy Lounge, Bar Etc. adds another reason to make the trip east.
The cocktail program is the obvious draw, but the full offering — classic cocktails elevated with unexpected tropical ingredients, in a carefully considered space — makes Bar Etc. the kind of venue that becomes a neighbourhood anchor.
Find Bar Etc. at 1036 Gerrard St. and discover what tropical-inspired cocktails look like when the people making them are genuinely obsessed with the craft.