LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2018

BEER DRESSING UP BEER

Saisons are dazzlingly complex. Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Oast House Brewers Saison ( LCBO 359877, 750 mL, $11.75) mixes aromas of cracked peppercorns, lemon, fennel, pear and baguette. Turn up the farmhouse funk with the barnyard notes of white peppercorns, and make the hefe’s citrusy notes sparkle with a hit of salt, which helps flavours bloom. Start by moistening half the rim of a large, red wine glass with a slice of lemon, then mix SAISONS AMPLIFIED

1 ⁄ 8 tsp (0.5 mL) crushed pink Himalayan sea salt with 1 ⁄ 4 tsp (1 mL) crushed white peppercorns and rim half the glass. The result is a dry, effervescent drink that is sure to be a conversation starter.

B lg a Wi bie

Tart Belgian witbiers, brewed with orange peel and coriander, aren’t just for summer. Their delicate flavours and Champagne- like bubbles make them perfect aperitifs for holiday parties. Give your Blanche De Chambly ( LCBO 927392, 6 pk, $14.75) the Kris Kringle treatment by cutting an orange into large slices and pushing cloves into the skin all the way around the slice. Cut a sliver in the middle and hang off the side of a tall Champagne glass filled with witbier. GARNISHED WITH CLOVE-STUDDED ORANGE SLICES

D rt He eize GARNISHED WITH GREEN OLIVES

A pimento-stuffed green olive adds a zingy contrast to the bready, banana notes of a hefeweizen. Spear a few medium-size green olives and set over a freshly poured glass of Hacker-Pschorr Weisse Bier ( LCBO 247486, 500mL, $3.45). Taste how the tangy orange notes in the beer soar, while its carbon- ation cuts through the oily brine and leaves a spicy, briny aftertaste.

FOOD & DRI NK HOLIDAY