Tag Archives: TIFF

Lights, camera, pour!
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is on its way (September 8 through 18, 2011) and the fans come thirsty for more than just celebrities and cinema.

The Fairmont Royal York’s Library Bar pays tribute to the Festival’s 36th year with a cast of three big-screen beverages to be released on Tuesday, September 6, 2011: The Breakaway, Festival Buzz-Tini and the Raj Kapoor.

The Breakaway’s starring ingredients come from The Royal York’s rooftop herb garden and beehives. The hotel’s award-winning honey gives direction to this tasty cameo appearance. Named after the hockey inspired Indo-Canadian comedy, this cocktail pays tribute to the film by an inclusion of ice wine and shot glass made of ice.

Fresh lavender picked right from the hotel’s rooftop garden also plays a supporting role in this camera-ready shooter. The drink’s namesake will be screened at TIFF and stars Vinay Vermani, Camilla Belle, Russell Peters and Rob Lowe. Drake and Ludacris are also set to make cameos in the film.

The Festival Buzz-Tini is a remake of last year’s Festival Buzz. Influenced by the hotel’s very own “V.I. BEEs,” this drink features The Fairmont Royal York’s award-winning honey, recently harvested from the hotel’s rooftop.

The apiary was established in 2008 and has been a sweet addition to the building’s fame. Niagara’s world renowned and critically acclaimed Ice Wine receives top billing in this blockbuster of a martini. In addition, a Can–Con puree of fresh Ontario peaches will co-star with the internationally renowned Peach Schnapps.

The Raj Kapoor Martini had its debut during the 2011 Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Toronto. In June of this year, news of the drink went viral and its ingredients were shared as far away as Delhi, India.

The Raj Kapoor, named after the world famous late Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi cinema, is a twist on classic gin and vermouth martini. Finely chopped ginger, lemon juice and simple syrup have also been cast in this classic.

The Fairmont Royal York’s Film Festival Cocktails are $14 and will be the featured presentation in the hotel’s atmospheric Library Bar, located on the lobby level.

During the festival, the Library Bar will be open from Monday to Friday 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

To make Library Bar reservations, email festive@fairmont.com or call 416-860-5004. Walk-ins are welcome.

The Fairmont Royal York is a mainstay for guests in town for the International Film Festival.

Bees Over Bay Street from EastmanVideo on Vimeo.

The Fairmont Royal York Hotel is buzzing. We have our bees — 300,000 and counting — and then we have our annual festival cocktails, which produce a buzz of another sort and are a highlight of the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

This year the mixologists at the hotel’s Library Bar will shake and stir the imagination of stars and film fans alike with two drinks: The TIFF Tini and the “Festival Buzz”.

While we love the TIFF Tini (a mix of Fairmont Organic Jasmine tea infused with pear vodka, topped with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dash of simple syrup), we simply adore the “Festival Buzz”. No doubt because it features our own rooftop honey and freshly picked mint from our 14th floor garden.

So far this summer nearly 150 pounds of honey have been harvested from the hotel’s apiary. To learn how the honey is harvested and why you should always wear white around bees, listen to Radio Royal York: Podcast #9 – The Honey Harvest.

The Toronto International Film Festival kicks-off September 9th with Michael McGowan’s comedy-musical Score: A Hockey Musical.