Oakville's Flourish and Bask

Canadians made the transition to consuming less alcohol following the pandemic. The non-alcoholic drinks market exceeded $11 billion in sales last year globally. The sector is expected to account for more than 90 per cent of the category's total growth. Canada's non-alcoholic beverage companies are working hard to meet the demand. 

Oakville resident Chantal Ingram intended to open a shop focusing on returning to entertaining with fully dressed tables and decor.

"We are always in a rush, never taking the time to dress a table. Creating the name Flourish and Bask came from really wanting to teach people how to flourish. I wanted a nostalgic feel to my shop, like an apothecary. The idea being that you would add a flourish and then step back and bask in the glow, entertain and enjoy," Ingram explains.

Instead, Chantal quickly recognized the desire for people to become more inventive or imaginative with the cocktails they served. They were in search of creating drinks with more variety and panache. Even more acute was her awareness that non-alcoholic drinks were increasing in demand, with no dedicated shops in Oakville.

Earlier in her career, Chantal had worked in home decor, later, within the nonprofit sector. In 2019, like many whose jobs ended abruptly, she was faced with reinventing herself. Having always enjoyed the art of entertaining, she found a perfect and convenient location at Dunn Street and Lakeshore Road East with which to share her passion.

Open since October 2021, Ingram has been curating gift packages, filling her shop with an array of syrups, selecting some of the finest imported crystal glassware, and supplying a wide range of helpful barware. Flourish and Bask has one of the largest selections of alcohol-free products west of Toronto, a part of the business that has now grown to represent 60 percent of Ingram's business since January.

Several of the non-alcoholic brands found at Flourish and Bask include Leitz, wine-maker of some of the best wine to come out of Germany; Popular Canadian brand Sobrii's gin and tequila; the Free Spirits Company's tequila and award-winning bourbon, as well as BarkandBitter's Novara Bitter Aperitivo, double gold medal winner in 2022 of the IWSC Alternative Drinks Award.

Chantal will partner with different local restaurants for workshops whose bartenders will take the lead, and the restaurant will supply the cocktails. Eventually, themed events will be incorporated into the schedule. Workshops are currently held at Figaro Coffee House in Oakville. They will, in the near future, be scheduled monthly. 

What is included for each guest in a workshop will vary based on the location. Currently, at Figaro's, a guest can expect to create three cocktails, enjoy charcuterie and sweet treats, take home one bottle of cocktail syrup, and receive a $15 gift certificate from Flourish and Bask, as well as a Figaro discount card. 

Chantal adds, "I try to make a lot of value, and repeat customers answer the question of whether or not they do feel that they received enough value for the cost of each workshop."

Eventually, classes on table etiquette, dressing a table for guests, with decorating tips will be introduced.

The Flourish and Bask blog will have monthly posts on trends, recipes, shop news and workshop details.

Ingram shares, "Cocktails don't have to be intimidating. I try to make the process more approachable, whether people want something easy like a ready-made cocktail that you just add the alcohol to and go or if they want to craft something incredible. I have something for everyone."