Barroco
312 St. Paul W., Old Montreal.
514-544-5800
The wind chill is diabolical, the streets are deserted and Old Montreal seems to be experiencing a microclimate blizzard. How delicious it is then to step into the bustling warmth of Barroco, see the fire burning and hear Bob Marley coming out of the speakers.
Perched behind the bar, a vast gilt-framed mirror reflects the elegant stone-walled dining room with its vintage wedding-present china, white leather banquette and stuffed boar's head mounted on the wall.
The kitchen plays with French and Italian cooking and supports it with a deep and well-chosen wine list, but the bar is about pure mixology.
Renowned Montreal bartender Manny Vidas created the original menu - he still mans the bar on Tuesdays - but he has passed the reins to colleague Graham Warner to develop the winter lineup. It features lots of figs, vanilla, brandy and bourbon, and has a handy little guide to the type of glass - highball, martini, rocks - your drink will come in.
Perhaps its most impressive accomplishment, however, is the St-Moine le Cochon, which translates roughly as the dirty little priest; it's a drink that reimagines the Cosmopolitan, that most frivolous of cocktails, as something with substance and depth.
This version features B&B instead of vodka and cranberry-infused bitters instead of triple sec. It gets added body from the use of fresh egg white.
St-Moine le Cochon
Ingredients
2 ounces B&B
1 ounce pressed lemon juice
White of one medium-sized egg
3 dashes of cranberry-infused Angostura bitters (see recipe below)
Method
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice and shake well. Strain into an ice-cold martini glass and garnish with three dried cranberries floated on the surface.
Cranberry-infused Angostura Bitters
Ingredients
Bottle of Angostura bitters
A dozen dried cranberries
Method
Empty the entire bottle of bitters into a Mason jar and drop in a dozen dried cranberries. Close the jar and leave in a warm, dark place for two weeks, shaking once daily. After two weeks, pour the mixture into a food processor and blend. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
Special to The Globe and Mail