
Cocktail· Rye
Toronto
The Toronto is a stirred cocktail of Canadian or rye whiskey, Fernet-Branca, rich demerara syrup, and Angostura bitters, served over a large ice cube with an expressed orange peel. It dates to the 1920s and was named for the city by David Embury in The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948). The Fernet is the central character; a quarter ounce reads as a bitter herbal pull through the whiskey without overwhelming it.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Canadian or rye whiskey
- 0.25 oz Fernet-Branca
- 0.25 oz rich demerara syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Built for stirred drinks
The Stirred Set
Mixing Glass · Bar Spoon · Strainer · Jigger
Method
- Combine whiskey, Fernet, rich demerara, and Angostura in a mixing glass.
- Add ice and stir for 30 seconds.
- Strain into a rocks glass over one large clear ice cube.
- Express an orange peel over the surface, then garnish with the peel.
Garnish
Orange peel
Pro tip
A quarter ounce of Fernet is the right hand; more and the cocktail tips into bitter medicine, less and you lose the herbal pull that defines this drink.
From the bar
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