LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2016

SEASONAL  CIDER SELECTIONS

SPICY CIDERS Fermentation can work in strange and mysterious ways, sometimes creating unexpected flavours like apple pie spices and peppery notes where they might not otherwise be expected. These ciders emphasize those elements while also ranging from moderately sweet to just off-dry, and their spiciness is expressed most notably in the finish.

BLACKTHORN CIDER LCBO 619551, 500 mL, $2.95 The spiciness of this English cider is immediately ex- pressed in its slightly funky, peppery aroma, which presages the dry, apple pie filling nature of its body. A crisp, dehydrated apple finish completes the picture.

STRONGBOW CIDER

SHINY APPLE CIDER LCBO 407668, 473 mL, $3.25 Fresh, bright and

LCBO 560532, 500 mL, $3.00

Fragrant and spicy with baked apple notes, this off-dry cider finishes with a quenching hint of citrus.

summery is the best way to describe this zesty cider made from Ontario apples.

SWEET CIDERS For those who prefer their drinks on the sweeter side, these can be either regular ciders enhanced with sugar or ciders fermented only to the point that generous amounts of residual sugar from the fruit remains. Sometimes served over ice, they can ably take the place of a fruity cocktail or sweet wine like Moscato.

MAGNERS ORIGINAL IRISH CIDER LCBO 699389, 500 mL, $3.05 The 17 kinds of apple used in the making of this renowned Irish cider make it difficult to identify the flavour of specific apple va- rieties, but a sweet and roundly fruity taste makes it immediately identifiable.

SEAGRAM’S CIDER LCBO 279539, 473 mL, $2.75 Ripe Canadian apples lend a fruit-sugar charac- ter to this spritzy take on the sweet cider style.

MOLSON CANADIAN CIDER

TURNING POINT APPLE CIDER

LCBO 339770, 473 mL, $2.95

LCBO 455832, 473 mL, $3.00 A somewhat

Round red apple flavours typify this sweet and straightfor- ward spinoff of one of Canada’s best-known beer brands.

subdued take on a mixed green and red apple flavour, with a faintly phe­ nolic finish.

48  FOOD & DRI NK SUMMER 2016