Only in its second year, the Toronto Cocktail Festival is back, and we’re ready for round two. Beerfest may have gone belly up earlier this year, but maybe that’s just a signal that Toronto has grown up, and maybe our drinking habits have, too. To support that theory, Gail Nugent, publisher of The Alchemist Magazine, makes a case for why we love a good stiff drink, and what we can expect for this year’s big bash.
Why You Need to Be at This Year’s Toronto Cocktail Festival
The entire festival is rooted in community. Industry professionals and hospitality staff rely heavily on one another, and if you’ve ever worked in culinary, you know that spending long hours in close quarters has a way of turning coworkers into something closer to family. Creating experiences that resonate with both hospitality insiders and guests is an art in itself. Gail understands that well, knowing that the most successful events come down to bringing the right ingredients together.
2025 may have been the inaugural festival for Toronto, but Vancouver is now going into its 6th year. With Calgary coming soon, Gail has her finger on the pulse for Canadian cocktail culture. I had the good fortune to attend last year’s festival here in Toronto, checking out a neighbourhood cocktail crawl.
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I attended last year’s crawl solo, and met quite a few other friends along the way. Articulate and engaging, we broke down components of cocktails and exchanged notes on the food pairings. We shared our favourite Toronto speakeasies. I left a little tipsy, sure, but I also left with a few new friends I probably would never have met otherwise.
Toronto Cocktail Festival: An Inside Look at the Festival
No shame to the other festies; but it’s not about how many drinks you can have or how much free swag you can score. Here, the approach is nuanced. Meet a (world’s best) bartender, or chat with your favourite brand. Learn techniques to bring home to elevate your bar. These conversations are integral to the success of Gail’s events. You can ask questions and get as nerdy as you need to be.
No matter which side of the bar, everyone here is so positively engaged. There is a pedigree in the purpose of these events.
How to Get Tickets to Toronto Cocktail Festival Events
There are eight days of imbibing for the Toronto Cocktail Festival. Buy tickets early before they’re sold out.
🎟️ Some Top Events We Are Tracking 🎟️
- Brunch at 1 Hotel with a five-course paired cocktail menu on October 18
- Neighbourhood Crawls, Trinity-Bellwoods, West Queen West, Fashion District…
- Waterworks Gala with 20 Bar Stations
- Master classes with Expert Bartenders
- DaNico Patio Launch Party
- Rollicking cinq à sept at top bars in Toronto
Event prices vary. All events include food or small bites. People are known to take the week off work to soak up as many experiences as possible, so grab tickets early for top events. The vibe is savvy cocktail enthusiasts, insiders who dine out often, and the hospitality pros who finally have a night off.
Canada has an insatiable appetite for bars, both hidden and not, and Gail has intentionally sought out higher-echelon experiences that curate a vibrant night out, not a drink-a-thon where we let it all loose. Non-alcoholic drinks are part and parcel of the programming, not a sidebar.
Local bars that would be closed normally on a Monday afternoon are now swinging their doors open and courting customer-focused tastings and seminars with brands they actually want to work with. Gail, who previously published The Growler, a craft beer magazine, is deliberate in this intention. Connecting people, over a glass or two, is in the spirit of everything she does.
Toronto Cocktail Festival October 18-25, 2026. Follow @thealchemistmag for more.
All photos by Libby Roach. Lead photo of Gail Nugent shot at Union Hotel.