TORONTO — Drake Hotel Properties is opening Drake Mini Bar at 150 York Street in the Financial District next month, across the lobby from Drake One Fifty. Part eatery, part bar, it offers an adventurous small-plate menu with hand-crafted cocktails and an eclectic wine and beer selection.
Set in signature Drake aesthetic with Douglas-fir wood, teal leather and natural stone surrounded by curated art, Drake Mini Bar re-imagines the classic hotel bar experience from early to late night.
Along with an interior courtyard patio, Drake Mini Bar features a 65-seat outdoor patio at the corner of York and Adelaide streets — one of the largest street-level patios in the downtown core
“Drake Mini Bar is our smallest project yet; an intimate retreat where we have lovingly crafted every inch. It’s a reprieve of sorts from the intensity of the city core,” says Jeff Stober, CEO and founder of Drake Hotel Properties. “We love being part of the cultural renaissance in the Financial District with Drake One Fifty right next door and can’t wait to share this food, drink and culture gem with locals and visitors alike.”
Chefs Ted Corrado (corporate executive chef, Drake Hotel Properties), Jonathan Pong (executive chef, Drake One Fifty and Drake Mini Bar) and Amancio Dos Santos (chef de cuisine, Drake Mini Bar) have created a menu featuring house-cured charcuterie, handmade pasta, daily baked bread and seasonal ferments and pickles made daily at Drake Commissary. Menu items include wild Argentinian shrimp with dill cream, capers and rye toast; ocean-trout sashimi with soy vinaigrette, wasabi, cucumber, dehydrated lemon and salmon roe; burnt eggplant with tahini crème fraîche, blood orange, mint and basil; and black cod with zucchini, ginger, jalapeño and green onion.
Drake Mini Bar will exclusively pour Pandolfa Sangiovese and Chardonnay as its house wines, in a quirky bag-in-box format. Alongside Pandolfa, the wine program features eclectic varietals and time-tested favourites, with nods to sustainable producers, natural winemaking and hard-to-find bottlings.
The cocktail program highlights creations by The Drake’s team of veteran bartenders, featuring classic Drake favourites to complement exciting new libations. The continually evolving beer program includes brews from Henderson’s Brewery and Halo Brewery.
Drake Hotel Properties’ director of Art and Culture, Mia Nielsen, has commissioned work from internationally acclaimed Toronto artist Rajni Perera. The solo-artist space features a wall-to-wall mural, as well as delicately painted tables inspired by Cartier sketches from the 1920’s for some of its iconic gem settings.
