LCBO Food & Drink Early Summer 2024

WHENEVER

THE DJANGO REINHARDT (recipe p. 124)

Taste summer’s colours: orange, peach, lemon yellow and cherry red. Some drinks are so redolent of summer that they always seem like the perfect choice, whatever the occasion, especially when they showcase the season’s primary flavours: peach, cherry or citrus.

Dry white vermouth is the only alcohol in this subtle modern take on a Sour, which makes it exceptionally versatile as a low-ABV aperitif or brunchtime cocktail.

Cointreau Noir LCBO 38080, 700 mL, $53.95 A century ago, Édouard Cointreau created Majestic, marrying his classic triple sec with fine brandy. That inspired this sumptuous new blend of Cointreau and Rémy Martin Cognac, in which sweet and bitter orange flavours embrace the brandy’s complexity. Sip it neat or on the rocks.

Stella Rosa Peach LCBO 36836, $19.95 Here’s a semi-sweet, semi-sparkling pleaser made from Moscato d’Asti grapes grown in Piedmont, Italy. The finished wine is judiciously flavoured with white peach, offering a light and refreshing taste of summer. Lovely with simple salads, mild cheeses and fruit-centred desserts.

Cîroc Limonata LCBO 36452, $54.95

Warheads Black Cherry LCBO 38078, 375 mL, $14.95 Murphy’s Law, a craft moonshine distillery in Elmira, teamed up with the makers of Warheads sour candy to produce 20-per-cent-ABV liqueurs that mimic the candy’s flavours. At once sweet and super sour, the black cherry version is dandy for dark pop mixes or Jell-O shots.

Pallini Limoncello LCBO 38084, 500 mL, $28.45 The aromatic zest of ripe Sfusato lemons, hand-picked on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, gives this liqueur its intense fresh lemon flavour. Pour shots straight from the freezer after dinner or serve it on the rocks to let second ary illusions of fennel, rosemary and vanilla back up the citrus.

Cîroc’s latest premium flavoured vodka begins with its silky-smooth grape vodka, then adds natural essences of lemon and other citrus. It’ll add dimension to any vodka cocktail, but is subtle enough to work as a Neat Martini (no vermouth), garnished with an olive to balance the citrus.

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