A visit to Cloakroom begins with a conversation, not a menu. Guests are quizzed on what spirits, flavours or styles they’re chasing and are then presented a drink custom-tailored to their wants and whims.
Since opening in 2015, this intimate 25-seat room has built its reputation on precision, restraint and a signature no-menu approach. Which is a tightrope walk. Creating cocktails à la minute demands an appetite for spontaneity and perhaps a little whimsy —and also proficiency, deep foundational knowledge and the ability to analyze a guest’s palate, proclivities and desires.
The bar team, led by Andrew Whibley, balances play and precision with deft hands and a deeply curated backbar of custom and rare bottles. Seasoned bartenders build a bespoke cocktail, using handcarved ice and house-made amari and liqueurs, an array of tinctures and house-distilled potions— lime leaf, pandan and other subtle botanicals — captured at low temperatures to preserve nuance.
The team leverages an ever-growing collection of vintage spirits, assembled over a decade — aged amari, bourbon and vermouth that lend depth to classics and original drinks. Non-drinkers receive the same level of attention, with alcohol-free amari, vermouth and concoctions crafted in-house to mimic the structure of their spirited counterparts.
Ten years in, Cloakroom’s influence on the country’s bar scene is immeasurable. Some of the industry’s best and brightest stars have trained here, and Whibley continues to open bars of influence, like Bar Dominion.
Through it all, Cloakroom remains a bar that knows exactly what it is and what we want. They prove it, one tailored drink at a time.
–Alana Lapierre
