LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2020

It’s not a dip, not a spread—it’s a mop! Pita bread soaks up silky labneh sprinkled with irresistible spice-and-nut dukkah. Savoury herbs like mint and sumac come alive paired with botanical bubbles.

• Many beverage-alcohol production methods use the carbon dioxide gas that’s a by-product of sugar ferment- ing into alcohol to create naturally carbonated results in sparkling wines, ciders and beers. • With some traditionally aged beers and ciders, plus traditional- or ancient-­ method sparkling wines, a small amount of sugar in the bottles ensures that bubbles will develop over time. • Bubbles can also be intro- duced into many beverages by injecting carbonation, as is done with some spar- kling wines and ciders and draught beers. Where bubbles come from Like an effervescent person­ ality, bubbles can be both born and created.

Herbaceous botanical bubbles The gin craze has sparked a trend for other botanical beverages. Flying Monkeys Wonderstar Botanical Lager ( LCBO 574400, 473 mL, $3.35) layers a lick of juniper and citrusy hops on a crisp lager base that pairs perfectly with patios, yacht rock and bright summery bites. Canadian whisky fans will want to raise a toast to a unique spirit, Forty Creek Forager Botanical Whisky ( LCBO 13915, $34.95). Pour it with soda water over ice and add a lemon wedge to make a tall, cool summery highball.

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FOOD & DRINK SUMMER 2020