The Art of Molecular Mixology at Barchef

My big sis and I decided to have some cocktails at Barchef and these drinks were SOMETHING! definitely a huge WOW factor with their innovation, creativity and showmanship! Not only is it an uber sexy bar, darkly lit with chic decor but the guys behind the bar were very dapper as well.

We propped ourselves up at the long gorgeous bar and watched the guys do their magic and it was mesmerizing!
We met Brent first - he's one of the guys behind Barchef and he explained to us some of the intricacies that went into the drinks.
Barchef has a menu full of molecular mixology such as their 'molecular mojito' - which they serve with a Chinese soup spoon of fizz paired with an actual mojito- when you shoot the spoon - they advise you do shoot it like you would an oyster, you are surprised by the burst of a mojito ball in your mouth- it's insane!
They also have 'Fire and Ice' which is a spectacle to be seen at the bar- very cool! One of the most memorable sites of the evening was having the bartender Aaron, with his charming Australian accent, smoke up some vanilla beans and hickory chips and use it as a base for Barchef's take on a Vanilla Hickory Smoked Manhattan. It was presented in a clear cake dish with a cover, the smoke filled up the entire cake dish and (pictured below) when he uncovered it - the aromas diffused through the room and were very inviting. My Sis chose something from the 'sour' portion of the menu which was the Sake Sour (picture above)- made with my favourite non-distilled saki - Nigori and a bunch of other delicious compliments. The egg white made the cocktail frothy at the top and Aaron used a blowtorch to carmalize the syrup on top. The rimmer was a house made thai basil sugar rim.
Another thing that impressed me was that they infuse their own mixes and bitters with hints of lavender, lemon, orange, apricot, almond amongst other sweet and savoury flavours to play with our senses and crush their own rimmers with different candied sugars like the thai basil sugar.
This has become a new favour spot for a cocktail or two!
As Frankie, Barchef's founder puts, "Toronto has it wrong, they shouldn't focus on things like ice; ice cubes or ice blocks, but on cocktails"

Barchef - 472 Queen Street West, Bathurst and Queen
**** stars