LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2026

EDITOR’S NOTES

Spring is in!

a homemade wedding cake is the perfect touch—it also makes a great wedding gift. Check out all the options starting on page 76. Back to drinks… Spring brings new formats, new packaging, new flavours and of course new products to the LCBO. Our Drinks Editor, Charlene Rooke, has captured as much of that as she can in “Coming Attractions” on page 68. From chillable red wines and innovations in agave-based spirits to flavours for every palate on the ready-to-drink side, plus some fun new pairings to try, this story will get you all set for spring entertaining—and summer too. Then “Mixed Drinks” on page 53 wraps more new products up in a bow, curated for gift-giving occasions. We know anything retro continues to trend so, for our cocktailers, we’ve taken eight classic cocktails from several different eras and modernized them with new techniques and fresh flavours for today’s palates. Turn to page 37 to choose a new favourite or two. We hope this issue inspires you to shake off winter and to gather with friends and family to try something new. Enjoy the season!

Trends are always top of mind when we start planning our annual spring issue. Whether food or drink related, exploring, debating and sharing what we think are the most relevant and interesting stories for our readers are a big part of the fun we have deciding what goes into this issue. You’ll also find a focus on trends and new products at the LCBO during the season, so be sure to spend some time in a store or online at LCBO.com to discover the latest and greatest in the world of beverage alcohol. Sorting through food trends is a spiral that has no end, as every season brings a slew of new content to absorb. While you’ll find lots about what is trending right now on these pages, we also wanted to step back and focus on what we think is here to stay. In “Taste the Trend,” starting on page 62, food stylist and recipe developer Christopher St. Onge identifies the “it” ingredients that he thinks deserve space in your kitchens. If they aren’t yet part of your culinary repertoire, a world of delicious discoveries awaits you! While the protein trend continues to rage on, we swing the spotlight back onto natural proteins, meat and seafood, and give them a fresh spin for spring BBQs (page 83). And, with summer wedding planning in full swing, it seems that more and more couples are taking a DIY approach to the occasion: we think

Coming Soon Watch for the next

issue of Food & Drink . Our Summer issue will be in stores and online Wednesday, June 24.

JODY DUNN Editor, LCBO Food & Drink

@lcbofoodanddrink

lcbofoodanddrink

LCBO

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES TSE

14

———————— SPRING 2026