The only bar in Toronto where you can stumble into a live jazz set, find serious bartenders throwing cocktails and sample fresh tastes from the on-site fermentation room, Mother Cocktail Bar has always offered an entirely unique experience. Smart, dramatic, chiaroscuro-inspired décor and a minimalist modern backbar create a relaxed vibe in which to contemplate an ambitious cocktail menu that pushes boundaries with ingredients such as candy cap mushrooms, lime pickles and iodine. Although the high-concept, perfectly executed drinks steal the show, Mother also has a terrific kitchen that fires up some of the city’s best bar food, including the must-try garlic-and-Parmesan fries with truffle-and-dill aïoli.

Drink: THE EARTHY PETRICHOR WITH GIN, WHISKEY, EUCALYPTUS, ORANGE BLOSSOM AND TEA.