St-Henri’s Newest Cocktail Spot Features an Ice Bar and Plenty of Vodka

St-Henri has a new vodka-focused cocktail bar with Cyr now open on the Notre-Dame strip near Atwater.

It takes over the space that was formerly restaurant EVOO — and represents half of a wee, two-storefront empire, with the same owners as Caffe Farina, open right next door since about a year.

While Farina is firmly Italian, Cyr isn’t taking that route — it’s a cocktail bar, with a selection of new creations or twists on classics for the most part, on a menu that runs mostly from $12 to $16. Take the Nonna’s Negroni, the classic, given herby and sweet twists with cynar (an artichoke-based amaro) and elderberry liqueur, or a grapefruit whisky sour. Those with big wallets can take the Louis Cyr, a $60 drink intended for two, with a whopping eight ounces of vodka and absinthe, with some grapefruit added.

But the main novelty here is Cyr’s addition of an ice bar — as in, one of those freezer rooms equipped with a bar made of ice (peek at Instagram for a few more shots of what it’s like inside). Think drinking outside in Montreal on the coldest night of the year, but actually inside. Cyr has some 30 imported vodkas on hand, and is serving them in that ice bar at $20 for three shots.

Cyr is also serving food — those who also want to eat in -30 degrees can slurp oysters in the ice bar. Otherwise, in the regular temperature room, the menu centres around somewhat comforting fare like fried chicken with a green goddess sauce, fried gnocchi, and a classic beef tartare, mostly priced around $10 to $15. For those interested in something more conspicuous, there’s also “lobster French toast”.

STATUS — Cyr is open at 3426 Notre-Dame West from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday to Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday).

• Cyr [Official]