KRISTINA SMALL, BARTENDER AT SIDECAR
“For a good cocktail outside of work, I’ll swing by The Drake. I like the scene there; it’s a cool juxtaposition of artsy people, the younger set and an older dinner crowd. I usually order the mint julep, with loads of fresh mint. It’s a nice way to get the night going. I was inspired to try it because of a Simpsons episode where Homer makes one in his bathtub—I’m 24 years old, so a lot of my references seem to come from that show.”

RYAN MCVITTIE, CO-OWNER OF THE COMRADE
“ln the evenings, I go to Table 17. They’re the new kids on the Queen East block. The bar­tender, Mikey Morrow, makes the drinks old school, with fresh citrus, even crushed herbs, which is nice. After a few cocktails, I’ll ask for a glass of the ‘second from the left,’ which I recently found out is a côtes du rhône.”

ANDREA BARBER, BARTENDER AND MANAGER AT REPOSADO
“I stop by Il Gatto Nero every day, whether I’m working or not. I’ve been a regular for five or six years, and I watch all my favourite soccer teams there. They have an Italian bitters called Punch Abruzzo that I can’t find anywhere else. I drink it on the rocks with lime. I was sitting at the bar one day and saw its colourful label with reindeers on it, and I thought, What the hell is that? It was love at first taste.”

RUSS ROWLANDS, BAR CAPTAIN AT NYOOD
“If I want to live it up, I head to The Hideout for draft or a gin and tonic. It’s the kind of place where you can walk in and start chatting with somebody, and they won’t look at you like you’re trying to get them to join a cult. Plus, I know the owners, Danny and James Good. They’ve worked at virtually every bar in the city, and so have I.”