Cocktail Emporium

When owner Kristen Voisey decided to open a store dedicated to cocktails in April of 2011, she had no idea what she was doing. She didn’t have a clue about retail, what it meant to run a small business, or even anything about cocktails for that matter. What she did know was that Toronto had long been lacking place where people could go and get everything they needed to outfit their home bar.

“I wanted to create a place where people who loved cocktails could come and find unique things that weren’t available anywhere else in the city,” says Kristen. Though the store was a bit empty in its first few months, there is now barely enough space to keep up with the growing inventory. Kristen’s trick: listening to her customers. “Our customers tell us what they want and we get it,” she says, which might explain why the store has one of the biggest selections of bitters in the city—more than 150 flavours!

Kristen has been most surprised by how much the cocktail industry is growing and all of the really neat new products hitting the market. Her stock includes—but isn’t limited too—beer-making kits, vintage glassware, Japanese cocktail shakers, strainers, bar spoons, peelers, zesters, misters, measures, colourful knit drink sleeves, flasks, cocktail mixes, books and everything you could possibly need to create your own Tiki bar—including pink flamingo swizzle sticks!