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Here are the best new bottle shops in Hamilton

Look, we’re all sick of the word ‘pivot’ by now; but with the impacts of the pandemic on the hospitality industry in Hamilton, ‘pivot’ is exactly what so many of our favourite local restaurants, bars, and cafés have needed to do time and time again.

As a result, multiple spots in the city have transformed their indoor spaces – which can’t currently be filled safely with diners – into independent bottle shops, offering rare and hard-to-find beer, wine, cider, and spirits that go well beyond what you can get at your typical LCBO.

Of course, Hamilton also has its fantastic independent craft breweries like Fairweather, Collective Arts, and Grain & Grit as well as nearby wineries and distilleries in Stoney Creek and the Niagara region.

But for locals who want to spread the love and support their other Hamilton favourites – while also getting their hands on some exciting adult beverages – we’ve compiled this list of some of the city’s best new bottle shops!

Sunny Corner Bar

Pre-pandemic, this little storefront bottle shop at the corner of James North and Barton was briefly the site of Meanwhile Wine Bar: a decadent little spot for well-curated wine and shareable snacks.

Though Meanwhile’s life on the James North strip was sadly cut short, business owners Dahlia Ishak and Ray Turner (also of Corktown’s beloved Salty Espresso) have transformed the space into Sunny Corner Bar, which is currently operating as a neighbourhood bottle shop behind its gorgeously painted façade.

Locals will find Ontario craft beers from coveted spots like Bellwoods, Matron Fine Beer, Town Brewery, Blood Brothers, and many more, as well as a well-curated selection of local and international wines.

Snacks like handmade sausage rolls and breakfast sandwiches are also regularly on offer here, cementing Sunny Corner as a ready local favourite. We can’t wait for it to open as a full bar one day soon.

Redchurch Café Bottle Shop

This stunning café and art gallery space in the heart of Gore Park slings amazing coffee and bright, inviting vibes; and now, Redchurch Café has added an enticing bottle shop to the mix.

Redchurch offers wine from Niagara region favourites like Pearl Morissette and Rosewood Estates with some hard-to-find international options as well.

Prosecco, seltzer, sprits like Collective Arts gin and Kinsip maple whiskey, and local craft beer and cider round out a sturdy selection of beverage options, allowing locals to grab an evening treat as they grab their morning latte.

Brux House Bottle Shop

Locke Street’s excellent Belgian-style gastropub has temporarily turned its rustic dining room into a bottle shop with one of the city’s best curated selections of Ontario craft beer, wine, takeaway food from their excellent kitchen, and fine pantry items.

Though the lineup of local and international wines demands attention, the focus here is on a diverse range of craft beer from some of Ontario’s best breweries like Badlands, Slake, Burdock, Bellwoods, Third Moon, Godspeed, and many others.

Sometimes, an extremely rare barrel-aged find from world-renowned breweries like Cantillon or 3 Fonteinen will make a fleeting appearance, making Brux House’s bottle shop the closest thing to heaven for local craft beer nerds.

The Side Door Bar

This relatively new little hangout tucked away beside Whitney Plaza in the city’s west end is now offering takeaway craft beer as well as cocktail and mocktail kits to-go out of their attractive bar space.

Craft beer from local and regional spots like Muddy York, Chronicle, Bellwoods, and Clifford Brewing is on offer at The Side Door, as well as pre-made kits that make cocktails in portions for two.

Just some of the cocktail kit offerings include the Terryberry Library cocktail, which blends blueberry simple syrup, lemon juice, and thyme with blueberry gin and club soda; and The Escarpment, a tropical cocktail with vodka, Blue Curacao, banana liqueur, and lemonade.

Durand Coffee Bottle Shop

The Durand neighbourhood’s treasure of a coffee shop has now built a bottle shop in its café space, adding evening beverages to the menu alongside those morning cups.

Durand Coffee’s bottle shop is absolutely stacked, putting emphasis on some rare and hard-to-find craft beer, wine, and more from purveyors like Willibald Farm, Meuse Brewing, Sonnen Hill Brewing, Revel Cider, Barncat Artisan Ales, Malivoire Wines, and many others.

On top of that, Durand’s bottle shop features snacks from Inessence Chips, Niagara Food Specialties, Mas Vell, Golden Ticket, and Provisions Food Company, meaning locals have basically everything they need for an indulgent night in.

MERIT Brewing Company Bottle Shop

One of Hamilton’s top destinations for beer and bar bites, MERIT Brewing Company has earned every ounce of its local and regional acclaim.

Though their standout kitchen is closed for now, MERIT had transformed their James North beerhall into a bottle shop that carries their own beer, packaged homemade sausages to prepare at home, and a selection of their own house-made condiments and pickles.

On top of that, MERIT also carries a small but mighty lineup of beer, wine, spirits, and nibbles from purveyors like Redtail Winery, Rosewood Estates, Gunn’s Hill Dairy, and Jensen Cheese. The stock is ever-changing, making MERIT’s bottle shop worth repeat visits.

Bar Sazerac

This intimate, New Orleans-style cocktail bar on James North is known as one of the city’s best; and though locals can’t gather for sips and nibbles at the moment, Bar Sazerac has found ways of bringing the experience home.

On top of seriously enticing pre-made cocktails to-go and a limited menu of bar snacks like pretzels and chicken liver pate, Bar Sazerac also offers full cocktail kits that feature bottles of the required spirits, pre-made cocktail mixes, garnishes, and some snacks like popcorn, crunchy chickpeas, and house pickles.

A small kit is enough to make three cocktails and will run you just $30, while the large format kits are $100 and feature full 750ml bottles of liquor. If you’ve had the terrific cocktails at Bar Sazerac before, you’ll know that you can’t go wrong here.

Bon Temps

This cozy French-Canadian bistro on John South is a local fine dining favourite, and they’ve added a strong selection of pre-made cocktails as well as consignment wines you can’t find in the LCBO.

Curated wines from France, Argentina, Spain, and right here in Ontario adorn the menu, as well as cocktails that are premade in-house and bottled up to be sipped luxuriously from the comfort of home.

Pair any of these potable selections with some takeaway food like oysters, charcuterie, wagyu burgers, lobster, pasta, and more, and you’re in for very, very good times.

What are your favourite bottle shops in Hamilton? Let us know in the comments!

Lead image courtesy of @bruxhouse

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