In 2024, Old Chelsea's La Distillerie du Square opened their own cocktail bar : La Cocktailerie.
La Cocktailerie
248 Chem. Old Chelsea, Chelsea, QC
Tuesday to Saturday: 4PM – 10PM
Sunday: 1PM – 7PM
Closed Monday
Parking: There is available parking in the back of the distillery which is very convenient.
La Cocktailerie opened in 2024 in Old Chelsea, one of the most beloved areas in the nation’s capital region. Old Chelsea is a great destination because it has great pizza spots, excellent coffee shops, an ice cream parlour, pubs, breweries, and much more. Since the addition of this cocktail bar, Old Chelsea is even more well-rounded, touristically speaking.
Something unique about this cocktail bar is that it’s located within a distillery. The “Distillerie du Square” closes between 6 PM & 7 PM (depending on the day of the week), while the bar opens at 4 PM. If your timing is right, you can tour the state-of-the-art facility, meet the master distiller, sample their spirits, and then have a seat at their bar to order some cocktails. The bar closes quite early for a cocktail bar (10 PM), but that may be a reflection of the smaller clientele on the Quebec side.
The distillery is a recent construction which opened in 2024 with an offering of Amaro, Amaretto, Gins (2), and cocktail syrups (3) that complement their gin. They recently introduced a salted maple creme (15% abv). All their alcohol can be purchased at the distillery.
The bar La Cocktailerie is located within the distillery, but there is a separate entrance to access the bar when the distillery is closed.
The Space
La Cocktailerie is a modern space with vintage and antique notes. You can tell that a lot of attention to detail and effort went into creating this bar: the brass shelves within an alcove, a heavy stone L-shaped counter, and the high-end copper barware make this a beautiful bar. Above the bar hang scalloped glass flower ceiling lights with Edison bulbs emitting a soft orange hue. Tea candles are everywhere, as well as recessed lights emitting a bright white light. The room was brightly lit due to the recessed lights not being dimmed at all, which was quite odd for a Saturday night.
Notwithstanding, La Cocktailerie still faces a significant challenge when it comes to their space: because this venue has 3 purposes (cocktail bar, event space, museum), a lot of the seating options are not optimal for a cocktail bar.
When we think of going to a cocktail bar, it’s often for a date or a night out with a few friends. This calls for tables that can accommodate two or four people. In contrast, La Cocktailerie has many long tables that seat about 10 people each. There are very few armchairs, albeit very nice ones: velvet and tufted leather. There are barstools by the bar and at the small tables alongside the walls of the room. We found that their seating arrangement negatively affected the cocktail bar experience because there were many spots where most people didn’t want to sit. Most of the guests moved to the armchairs as they became available, leaving the many dining tables at the centre of the room empty.
The Service
We started at the distillery where we tasted all their alcohols. We were then given a quick tour of the distillery by the distiller who explained the whole process from grain to spirit. This was very enjoyable and really added to the experience.
We then moved upstairs to the cocktail bar where we were served by the bartender. He was very courteous, sociable, knowledgeable and he spoke both French and English: bilingual service is very common in Old Chelsea. We noticed that despite his respectable cocktail knowledge, there was a lack of fluidity when preparing cocktails. We believe that this was caused by the overly-extensive cocktail menu that is probably impossible to memorize.
The menu
The main focus of this distillery bar is to promote their own products and demonstrate their versatility. To accomplish that, the cocktail menu makes extensive use of their products.
It could have been an eyesore to sift through the 45 different cocktails on the menu but thankfully they were conveniently categorized: classics, gin, sours, coffee, botanicals, amaro/bitter, fruity/tropical, and mocktails. There were very few rare ingredients or syrups in their recipes. We believe this ties in with their objective of guests trying cocktails at their bar and being able to replicate them at home using their spirits. Despite the simplicity of the drinks, everything that we tried was delicious and well-balanced. It was also great to see a distinct mocktail section and the use of NOROI, a Quebec-based No-ABV spirit brand.
While they had in stock many different brands of alcohol, they don’t have an exhaustive list of spirits. We think that they decided to limit their liquor inventory because their objective is to nudge their guests towards trying their products. There were not many fine spirits such as whiskies, cognacs & scotches. In fact, their selection didn’t go far beyond Jameson and Canadian Club in that regard.
All the cocktails that we ordered were elegant and garnished with citrus wheels, flower petals, fresh herbs or intricately carved citrus peels. The libations were served in heavy, beautifully crafted glassware. We noticed that we were not served water, and there was no beverage napkin served with our drinks. This was unfortunate because there were some inevitable small spills on the counter that we couldn’t wipe up.
Chutney Mule (18$): The Chutney mule was quite good. Bitter (thanks to the aperativo) but well-balanced. Unfortunately the bartender used ginger ale instead of ginger beer which dampened the potential of this libation as it lacked the spicy kick and gingery-ness we were expecting in a Mule cocktail.
Margarita (16$): The margarita was made with Grand Marnier and served on the rocks. It tasted strong yet sweet. It was delicious and well-balanced.
Nu et Bien Connu (20$): a well-balanced blend of Apero, chartreuse, Mezcal, St-Germain, citrus and somewhat fresh rosemary
Because La Cocktailerie is such a new bar, it’s hard to say if the menu is evolving with the seasons. With 45 cocktails to choose from, our impression is that it will just keep growing.
The food menu was mostly limited to dry foods (nuts, charcuterie, cheese), which is unfortunate considering how many dinner tables there are at this venue. If you’re hungry, it’s best to stop at one of the nearby restaurants before going to La Cocktailerie.
Overall, La Cocktailerie is a great addition to the Outaouais region. Their knowledgeable bartenders shake up some great cocktails in a beautiful space. We wouldn’t recommend this bar if you’re looking for a venue where you can eat and drink. Also, this is not the place if your go-to is scotch or cognac served neat. On our next visit, we hope the lights are more dimmed, and if we’re lucky, we’ll score some armchair seats by the fire.