Free Spirit @ Riverdale Hub
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1326 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, ON M4L 1Z1, Canada
Free Spirit occupies a room inside Riverdale Hub, a century-old building at 1326 Gerrard Street East that was renovated into what Riverdale Hub calls East Toronto's 'greenest building,' running on geothermal heating with a green roof and solar panels. Riverdale Hub itself is a not-for-profit social enterprise combining a cafe, art gallery, coworking space and event venue in the Leslieville / Gerrard India Bazaar neighbourhood, and Free Spirit opened there on April 23, 2024 as a fully alcohol-free restaurant and bar — among the first of its kind in Toronto.
The bar runs on Riverdale Hub's social-enterprise model: staff are paid a living wage, guests are not required to tip, and proceeds from the restaurant go toward addressing barriers for equity-deserving groups in the community. As Riverdale Hub puts it, Free Spirit is meant to be 'an inclusive place where people taking a break from alcohol, or those who do not drink, can enjoy sophisticated, beautiful and delicious cocktail mixes.' Toronto outlet YourCityWithIN described it as a venue 'pioneering an alcohol-free restaurant and bar concept at Riverdale Hub.'
The menu lists ten named zero-proof cocktails built with real technique rather than simple juice blends: a Bloody Caesar with Clamato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Frank's hot sauce and a house-made seasoned rim; a Smoked Rosemary Old Fashioned on spirit-free HP Whiskey with bitters, orange and rosemary; a Cosmo made with Seedlip Garden 108, cranberry raspberry juice and lime juice, garnished with blood orange; and an Espresso Martini built on Seedlip Spice 94 with espresso, brown sugar, cocoa powder and espresso beans. Other builds include a Spicy Margarita, an Island Oasis made with spirit-free dark rum, coconut water, pineapple juice and house-made pineapple shrub, a Mule, a Mojito, an Apple & Rum with spiced spirit-free rum, apple juice, lemon juice, cardamom and coriander, and a grape-based Sangria paired with pineapple and cranberry raspberry juice.
Beyond the cocktail list, Free Spirit backs the bar with a zero-proof beer program that includes Guinness 0.0 and Heineken 0.0, giving the room both a full mixed-drink menu and a straightforward zero-proof beer option.
Non-alcoholic menu: what to order
- Bloody Caesar - Clamato Juice, Worcestershire Sauce, Frank's Hot Sauce, house-made seasoned rim, garnished with a lime wedge
- Smoked Rosemary Old Fashioned - HP Whiskey (spirit-free), bitters, orange and rosemary
- Cosmo - Seedlip Garden 108, cranberry raspberry juice and lime juice, garnished with blood orange
- Spicy Margarita - Lime juice, jalapeno, agave syrup, soda, salt rim and lime
- Island Oasis - Dark rum (spirit-free), coconut water, pineapple juice and house-made pineapple shrub
- Espresso Martini - Seedlip Spice 94, espresso, brown sugar, garnished with cocoa powder and espresso beans
- Mule - Ginger beer, soda, agave, and lime juice, garnished with lemon
- Mojito - Lime juice, mint, soda and agave syrup with lime garnish
- Apple & Rum - Shot of spiced rum (spirit-free), apple juice, lemon juice and bitter notes of cardamom and coriander
- Sangria - Grape-based red wine (spirit-free) paired with pineapple juice, cranberry raspberry juice, garnished with blood orange slice
Menus change — see the current full menu on Free Spirit @ Riverdale Hub's website.
“Free Spirit is pioneering an alcohol-free restaurant and bar concept at Riverdale Hub.”— Amy CarlbergYourCityWithIN →
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