LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2024

BETTER BITTERS

Say it with Smoke Spirit of York Campfire Bitters ($16.95, spiritofyork.com) adds woodsmoke aroma and taste to whisky cocktails. With smoke-infused cocktails trending, this easy do-it-at-home trick works like a treat. Package up a bottle with their favourite whisky and a jar of cocktail cherries, or a wild-food item like smoked salmon candy or huckleberry jam.

GIFT IT WITH

On the Rocks Spiced Pear Whisky Sour LCBO 39607, 375 mL, $22.95 This fruit-forward Whisky Sour melts in your mouth, with pear and lemon flavours awash in a nutty vanilla undertone.

Forty Creek Maplewood Select LCBO 39103, $89.95 This small-batch blend of Forty Creek whiskies has a rich and spicy profile, finished with the bold flavour of kiln-dried sugar maplewood.

Regions of Scotland Whisky Tasting Set LCBO 21714, 5 pk, $84.45

Get acquainted with a few whisky personalities of Scotland with 30-mL bottles from Speyside, Islay, the Kintyre Peninsula, East Ayrshire and Oban.

Escape to the Tropics Blue Coast Bitters Tippy Canoe Tiki Bitters ($20, bluecoastbitters.com) consolidates a whirlwind of pineapple, toasted coconut, brown sugar and all the spice flavours. This new bar staple adds a tropical touch to a Mojito or a Daiquiri, but it can also be called on to spice up iced tea or lemonade (for grown-ups, not kids; most bitters contain alcohol). Tie it all together with a colourful cocktail shaker, pineapple-motif stir sticks or a pack of paper cocktail umbrellas.

GIFT IT WITH

Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum LCBO 273516, $89.95

This is a gift to savour. Complex notes of honey, walnut, cocoa and toasted marshmallow mix into an earthy, nutty finish. Looks great on the bar, too.

El Dorado 12 Year Old Rum LCBO 60608, $51.95

A rich, tropical-fruity Demerara rum from Guyana has warm spice and lush vanilla notes that bring intensity to cocktails and lingering pleasure to sipping solo over ice. Also available in a gift pack with branded glassware (LCBO 287102, $57.95).

Learn how to make your own bitters during a two-part Bitters Workshop at Manns Botanical Spirits in Brantford. mannsdistillery.com

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———————— HOLIDAY 2024