LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2017

SEASONAL  12 DAYS, 12 WAYS

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Holiday Brunch

Brunch-goers will be delighted with a festive Cider Mimosa. Instead of Champagne and orange juice, use hard apple cider with a splash of red fruit. We love Ontario-made Pommies ( LCBO 253118, 473 mL, $3.25) for its bright fruity bubbles and light acidity. Drop 1 tsp (5 mL) cranberry

juice into about 3 ⁄ 4 cup (175 mL) cider in a Champagne flute. Sprinkle in 1 tsp (5 mL) pomegranate seeds and top it off with a 2-inch (5 cm) sprig of rose- mary resting on the floating seeds. This pretty, fragrant drink will take

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Holiday Party Thirsty party guests will thank you for offering an assortment of easy-drinking lagers and fruit-spiked ciders instead of high-octane cocktails. Welcome guests with a Champagne flute of Ernest Rubee ( LCBO 499038, 473 mL, $3.35), a sparkling, ruby-hued cider made with Ontario apples, cranberries and cherries. Stock up on crisp bubbly lagers that can hold their own against everything from a shrimp ring to hot, savoury hors d’oeuvre. Satisfy beer geeks by stocking some crisp, easy-drinking Mountain Lager from Side Launch Brewing ( LCBO 459115, 473 mL, $2.90). And add to the party décor with a mini keg of Czechvar Lager ( LCBO 345504, 5 L, $22.95), which guests can pour, themselves, right from the countertop.

your brunch game to the next level. BEST BEERS FOR GIFTING There’s no better gift for a beer lover than a big old box of beer. Par- ticularly when that box is full of six boutique Abbey-style ales. This collection from Belgium’s St. Bernardus ( LCBO 385476, 6 pk, $20.95) is filled with a spicy, fruity witbier, two Champagne-like tripels, two raisiny dubbels and the brewery’s celebrated quadrupel, St. Bernardus Abt 12, which uses a yeast derived from the famous Westvletern 12. 9

186  FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY 2017