The all-drinks edition

Dear reader,

By the time this arrives in your inbox, I will be on an island 3,000-plus kilometres away (thanks to some very generous family members with a timeshare) and I will most certainly have broken my Dry January promise. If our flight hadn’t been at 6:30 a.m., I would have happily hopped off the wagon at the first sad airport bar I could find.

Those of you who are succeeding where I have failed will be excited to learn about Bevvy’s, Toronto’s brand-new bottle shop that exclusively stocks non-alcoholic products. This week’s newsletter includes a Q&A with the owner about how and why he broke into the booze-free industry.

For everyone else: where to find coffee-spiked cocktails, and a downtown wine bar that doubles as a wine school.

Don’t go to Kensington Market’s new bottle shop looking to get lit—Bevvy’s stocks only non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits. “There are so many great new zero-proof drinks, but they aren’t available at grocery stores—to find the ones I liked, I used to have to drive around the city,” says owner Christian Villamarin. So he’s gathered up all the good stuff in one place. Bonus: everything is available chilled, perfect for park drinks (when it’s warm enough for park drinks again).

Meanwhile, one King West restaurant and bar is serving up a few drinks that offer two types of buzz. Vela’s selection of coffee-based cocktails includes not only the ubiquitous espresso martini but also a couple of retro caffeinated tipples: a mudslide and a white Russian.

Sommelier Factory is the stuff of dreams for oenophiles looking to nerd out on wine. Downstairs, a bar serves snacks and a rotating selection of the good stuff (including champagne by the glass). Upstairs, wine school is in session.

In the latest issue: confessions from the new and intentionally underemployed labour force. Plus, how bloodsucking parasites are ruining our lives, the city’s best new resto-clubs, memoirs from Gaza, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.