Cocktail Hour

We share three cocktails from Chubby’s to get you into an island state of mind. These tropical beauties are dosed so that you won’t need a nap.

IN THE LAST few years, Toronto’s cocktail scene has drawn from a tropical palette of colours and flavours. There’s been a welcome shift in how we imbibe; fewer heavy doses of strong, brown liquor and more vibrancy with select rums and mescals. One of the newest spots, Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen, flaunts Caribbean flair like no other bar in the city. A place known for modern spins on Caribbean food demanded a cocktail program that was able to dance with spice and colour. Head bartender Jonny Crozier (Gusto 101) was up for the challenge.

On recent trips to Jamaica and Panama, tasting craft bottlings of rum, which rarely make it to Toronto, helped him fall in love with rum cocktails. When Chubby’s opened late last year, Crozier ditched Italian wines and negronis to chase his newfound rum obsession. “We don’t shy away from the fact that we are a Caribbean influenced bar, we embrace all aspects of it,” he says.

At Chubby’s, Crozier’s approach to designing the cocktail menu is part creating nostalgia and part transporting drinkers to a tropical destination. “Cocktails can transcend beyond taste and invoke other emotions, kinda like music. I want to create drinks that are reminiscent of dishes, feelings or memories,” he says.

He uses a wide array of tropical juices for mixes and procures locally grown herbs for his infusions. Oh, and there’s rum – a lot of it. He explains that: “There are so many different styles of rums out there, it’s all about learning balance because different rums can be used for different types of drinks. It’s not a single tasting spirit.”

CALABASH BAY

INGREDIENTS

◆ 1/4 of the fruit from a cored pineapple, frozen

◆ 60 ml dark spiced rum

◆ 45 ml coconut cream or sweetened condensed milk

◆ Nutmeg and cherries for garnish

Pineapple preparation

Cut the top off a pineapple about one inch into the fruit. Scoop the fruit out and freeze. The outside of the cored pineapple will be used as your cup so don’t cut to the bottom; leave about 2 inches. Cut the very bottom of the fruit with a knife so it will sit flat.

Calabash Bay method

Add ingredients to a blender. Blend with ice until you get a slushy consistency Pour into the cored pineapple. Garnish with pineapple top, freshly grated nutmeg and cherries.

GARDEN SMASH

INGREDIENTS

◆ 45 ml gin

◆ 15 ml green Chartreuse

◆ 30 ml thyme syrup

◆ 2 slices fresh cucumber

◆ Soda or Ting

Herb syrup method

Add equal parts sugar and hot water (500 ml each) to a pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add sprigs of your favourite fresh garden herb to add flavour. Let cool. The syrup will keep for about two weeks in a sealed and refrigerated container.

Garden Smash method

Add all ingredients except soda to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 10 seconds. Pour contents into a glass, top with soda and garnish with a fresh sprig of thyme.

RUM PUNCH

INGREDIENTS

◆ 750 ml Jamaican rum

◆ 1 L lime juice

◆ 1.5 L tea syrup

◆ 50 ml Angostura bitters

◆ 500 ml ginger beer

Tea syrup method

Make your tea syrup the day before to allow it to cool. To make the syrup, pick your favourite vibrant tea flavour (berries and florals work best). Make 1 litre of strong tea and add 1 litre of sugar to the hot tea. Allow to cool completely.

Rum Punch method

Before your guests arrive add all ingredients except ginger beer in a pot that can hold more than 5 litres of liquid. Store half of your punch to refill your bowl later in the party. Add ginger beer and large ice cubes to the punch bowl.