Rush Lane (Closed)

Address: 563 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2B6, Canada
Tel: +1 416 551 7540
Email: info@rushlaneco.com
Website: view Rush Lane (Closed)’s website
Door: Open door
Style: Cocktail bar
Food: Tapas/plates & dishes
Established: 2014

Review

Open barely a year at the time of this writing, Rush Lane has become one of the favourite locations for industry events in the city. The garage-door window at the front opens in warm weather and closes when necessary to keep the elements at bay. It is a long, narrow room painted in cool tones of grey and green, with yellow upholstering on the chairs and stools. Tables at the front give way to the bar along the left side of the back half of the room. Across from the bar lies a small, raised "library" area, with a comfortable sofa and an aquarium.

A talented team of bartenders work the bar, producing excellent cocktails, often variations on classics. Apparently they have the only working cocktail laboratory in the country, and use this to develop some of their cocktail ingredients. The cocktail menu is divided into House Cocktails (Sweet, Refreshing, Sour, and Strong), From The Lab (using a rotavap), Classics, and On Tap. Recently enjoyed was That Drink In A Man's Glass (Buffalo Trace bourbon, Benedictine, Fernet Branca, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, & lemon oil). The on-tap Negroni works very well indeed.

The kitchen produces very nice comfort food, satisfying small plates and sandwiches.