LCBO Food and Drink Holiday 2015

MOCKTAIL BAR

“I always like to offer good nonalcoholic drink options,” says contribu- tor VictoriaWalsh, co-author of A Field Guide to Canadian Cocktails (Appetite by Random House, 2015). It’s easy to prepare your own simple syrups, she explains, but make them extra strong to boost flavour in the absence of alcohol—and serve with sparkling water. Or stock up on bottled fresh-pressed juices, flavoured syrups, craft

sodas and trendy kombucha and kefir water from made-in-Ontario brands such as Harvey & Vern’s (harveyandverns.com), Alchemy (alchemypicklecompany.ca), Vams (vamsculture.com), Michaelsdolce (michaelsdolce.com) and Elxr Juice Lab (elxrjuicelab.com), and present to guests alongside sparkling water or soda and plenty of garnishes and herbs for muddling.

HOT DRINKS Guests welcome a warm- ing drink as they come in from the cold. One colourful caffeine-free option is the Holdrio, a favourite hot toddy in the Swiss Alps. Add a rosehip tea bag to a glass mug, top with just-boiled water and steep for a few minutes, then stir in one or two teaspoons of sugar and a shot of brandy or schnapps.

FUN & GAMES

Set up a DIY photo booth for fun party snaps, sug- gests event planner Kristina Chau. Build a backdrop from festive wrapping paper, offer props such as reindeer ears and funny sweaters, and create a party hashtag so guests can Insta- gram and Tweet their shots and easily find them later.

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