"I love it when people order the Dealer's Choice," says Maija, smiling behind the bar. "When I get to make something custom, that always gets me excited."
It's a Sunday night in Bronte Village, and Majia is behind the bar of Goldwyn & Sons cocktail lounge in Bronte Village. There's a menu booklet with several detailed, upscale cocktails listed.
There's something special on page nine - it simply offers an invitation to allow the bartender to completely customize and invent a drink for you, tailored to your likes, interests and ideas.
After a few questions and jokes, Majia springs into action, and comes up with a new kind of Old Fashioned, highlighted by a new, homemade syrup flavoured to toasted marshmallows.
"Our other bartender Kanto has been working on this," says an enthusiastic Majia. "He made this from scratch, and we don't use it for anything on the printed menu yet. But it's delicious. And it smells really good too!"
When she's finished decorating the foam on top with bitters, I'm handed the glass to taste it. Immediately - and incredibly - it tastes like a warm marshmallow that's been toasted over a campfire.
Majia asks me how I like it. "It's good," I say. "I like the marshmallow. Honestly, I wish it was a bit stronger."
Without skipping a beat, she asks for the glass back, and then gently stirs in a bit less than a teaspoon more of the syrup. After handing it back to me, I sip again.
And it's perfect.
The Woodford Reserve bourbon is still the prominent ingredient, but the natural smoke from the spirit and character of the marshmallow syrup are well-paired and evocative of a night by the campfire, just as the stars are coming out.
Both of the bartenders at Goldwyn & Sons have worked together to make something wholly original and soulful just for me. And that's exactly the experience they;re going for.
How Oakville's first (and only) cocktail lounge came to be
It was February 2020 when brothers Russell and Ryan Mascarenhas opened their barber shop in Bronte Village. It was a small space that only had room for a few people, and the brothers named it after their father.
"Goldwyn is our Dad's name," says Ryan. "The sons are my brother and I. We wanted it to be a play on Johnnie Walker and Sons."
Russell was the haristylist, and he still operates the barber shop here by day. The front room was initially a reception space, but even from the early days Ryan thought of turning it into a bar.
Within weeks of opening, however, came every business owner's worst nightmare: the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As an entrepreneur, you’re always worried about cash flow and customer demand," according to Mascarenhas. "And that first year was a roller coaster. But I still wanted to have drinks be part of the experience here.
Once connected the front and back space became disconnected, and it would take almost two years before Ryan could get a liquor license. But the bar concept at Goldwyn & Sons was stagnant without a direction or design.
Everything changed when the same pandemic that kept closing and opening the shop brought a new resident to Bronte: entrepreneur Cliff Oliveira.
Cliff came in for a haircut after moving in late 2020, and nearly three years later, he left having struck a deal for he and Ryan to be the co-founders of Goldwyn & Sons cocktail lounge - opening soon.
"I've always really enjoyed luxury, premium cocktail bars, especially in big cities like New York, London and Tokyo," says Oliveira.
"I wanted to do myself, and thought it might’ve been in Toronto. But because I was here, and Ryan wanted to do one and had this cool space, we thought, why not make it here?"
With Russell on board, the three of them set out their new plan, and on November 18, 2023, Goldwyn & Sons opened their stylish 16-seat cocktail lounge in the shop's front parlour.
One year later, their team of extraordinary local mixologists are serving up the gin-based Peach de Résistance, the best selling pepper and passionfruit Brisa Caliente, and everything in between.
Shaken, stirred and everything in between
Making cocktails is a clear passion for everyone on Goldwyn & Sons' small staff.
"For me, I love the art and science that goes into cocktails," says Cliff. "I especially love the creativity. Even today in 2024, we’re coming up with new drinks to excite the palette. That discovery gets me going, and I want to share that with everyone I can."
"Going to a bar doesn’t have to be just making the classics," Cliff continues excitedly. "It can be so much more. People come in a little hesitant, not sure if they they'll be sold on something they've never had or heard of. But they leave sold. That's what we want Goldwyn & Sons to be for everyone who comes in here."
Their menu was made in conjunction with multiple bartenders, including consultant Jared Boeler, who's worked on menus at other upscale venues in Oakville (including premier restaurant Hexagon, a favourite of the owners.)
Now, the artists behind the bar is the team of Kanto and Maija. He works weeknights solo, and she works Sundays. On Friday and Saturday, the busiest time, they work in tandem for the guests all night long.
It's been a year now since they first opened, and Ryan's pleased because "as the word keeps getting out, we're now reliably busy on the weekends."
"Our goal eventually is to be the best bar in the greater Toronto area."
"Let's be honest," Cliff interrupts, "We're more ambitious than that. We want to be the best bar in the world."
He laughs, then goes on: "At one point, all the best bars were little spots no one had heard of. We could be like that - we start today and someday this bar in Oakville could be world famous."
"Coming into Bronte was an uphill battle. There was no nightlife here, so us coming in was a shock. We started by promoting other businesses, telling people they should come to Bronte Village as a whole and then move to cross promotion so we become part of a night-long or full day Bronte visit."
So how did their first year go? Ryan says that "slowly, it’s working. We've extended our hours now, and other businesses nearby are too. But it’ll take more consistency to make this a destination spot."
"Passion is everything for us," Cliff finishes. "Our mixologists Kanto and Majia have that. They were both looking for places to explore what they could do, and we were happy to give him that space because they respect their work and have earned it."
Ryan, meanwhile, claims his inspiration for the business comes from shopping at the LCBO just a few blocks away.
"For me, when I walk into the LCBO, it’s like a library. I’m a library guy. When I see all the bottle designs and realize there’s a story behind them all, it’s like navigating a library, you know?"
He continues, "The only spirit business that had a similar connection between product and people is a cocktail bar. I wanted to open Goldwyn & Sons for that reason. There’s a history and a story to what we create here."
The best drinks can be a little "twisted"
There's one more player that makes Goldwyn & Sons the special place it is, and that's lead resident mixologist Kanto George. Watching Kanto work behind the bar is like watching a true artist on display.
"My favourite part is the end result of a great drink," says Kanto. "I love seeing the guest’s expressions. Like when they say, “WOW!” when they taste something I make...that’s the best part."
Kanto moved to Canada earlier this year from Antigua, coming here to live with his wife in Mississauga. He trained for years at bars in Antigua and Barbuda, even picking up accolades in competition mixology, like the Mountgate Crafted Competition (where he was a runner-up for the grand prize this year) and the Taste of Wadadli Mixology open in 2022.
"When I first started, I was a barback in Antigua," he says. "Then I kept asking when I could try a shift on my own at the bar. After almost a year, I got my chance, and since then, it's been an art for me."
Now his original drinks and specialty ingredients are rooted based on his training and tastes from Antigua, and many of his components are homemade daily.
There's only one thing I can think to ask from him: "I'd like a Dealer's Choice, please. Make me something that excites you."
He smiles and gets to work. He's chatting with me all the while, including serving a full house by himself. But the crowd doesn't faze him one bit: "When there’s a big order, I work from the most difficult to the easiest. The most complex drinks take the longest."
One order even contains six different recipes for six guests all at once. In about ten minutes, the bar is full, and he gently takes his tray over to the table. Watching Kanto is like seeing an artist in harmony with his medium - both the drinks and the guests around him.
He says his favourite drink is a good, old Negroni. "That's my test of how good the bartender is," he explains.
"If it's bad, I order a beer next. But if they know what they're doing," he laughs, "I'll get another Negroni!"
At last, he presents me with a light yellow glass. Inside is his signature drink, simply called a Twisted. He smiles and says, "it's my take on a rum punch."
Mixed in the cocktail is El Dorado 12 year rum, lemon juice, cinnamon bitters, fresh cinnamon, and a special lemongrass syrup he's made himself. Kanto explains that native to Antigua, and he likes picking it fresh while hiking. Recently, his Mom sent him some from back home to make syrup here at the bar in Oakville.
I toast to him, and raise my frothed, chilled glass to taste the Twisted. From the first sip to the last, it's magnificent: sweet, smooth, floral, modest, bright, and most of all, sincere.
Without a doubt, it's the best drink I've had not just here but the best drink from any restaurant in all of Oakville. If this is what Kanto is making on a regular night, then I can't wait to see what he creates next.
A refreshing future ahead
Ryan and Cliff have big plans for Goldwyn and Sons in its second year: in 2025, they plan to start hosting seminars, pairing nights and mixology workshops for guests. In the summer, they also plan on their first expansion to add another two tables, increasing space for guests by 25 per cent.
"Our vision is clear," says Ryan warmly. "We want to make an impact on cocktail culture. We want to be part of the renaissance in making great drinks, and that's based in education and innovation."
As for Kanto, his Twisted is just one of many creations that's leading that mission.
"I love that I’m given this creative freedom here," he says. "I can express myself as a mixologist and I don’t have to stay within the confines of the menu all the time."
"That creative freedom is essential to me, because you don’t want to be confined. You want to show off your skill and be honest as possible. Here, I have the freedom to be creative and express myself."
After two visits and several interviews with the staff and guests of Goldwyn and Sons, my lasting impression is reminiscent of what Cliff described early on: maybe someday, this could be the best bar in the world. And isn't is extraordinary it began with the idea of opening something Oakville had never seen before.
It's Oakville's only cocktail lounge, but Ryan, Cliff, Kanto and Maija are creating something really special on Bronte Road. If you're looking for a great place to catch up with friends and family over the holidays, I can't recommend it highly enough.
As for myself, I can't wait to come back.
Goldwyn & Sons is open Wednesday to Sunday nights at 67 Bronte Road, Unit 6 in Oakville. More information can be found on their website here.