LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2023

SUMMER CHAMPURRADO When Mexican hot chocolate is blended with pinole (corn flour), the thick, hot drink is called Champurrado. Using a freezer instead of corn to thicken this cold drink turns a cozy winter warmer into a cool summer slush with a chili-spiked rim. In place of our Hot Mexican Chocolate recipe (at LCBO.com), authentic chocolate de mesa (round discs of coarse dark cacao, spices and sometimes sugar) are avail able at Latin grocers, or find artisan brands like Taza on amazon.ca; prepare it according to package directions and freeze into cubes. 3 cups Hot Mexican Chocolate (1 recipe, without optional whipped cream) Lemon wedge Swicey Glass Rimmer (recipe follows) 6 ice cubes 2 oz tequila or mezcal Dark chocolate for garnish (optional) Small fresh or dried red chilies for garnish 1. At least 1 day before serving, prepare hot chocolate, cool and pour 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Reserve extra 1/2 cup (125 mL) chocolate mixture in a sealed jar or container and refrigerate. 2. When ready to serve, rim 2 cocktail glasses with Swicey Glass Rimmer by running a small wedge of lemon around the rim of the glass and dipping it in a saucer of rimmer. 3. Put frozen chocolate cubes in blender with ice cubes and tequila or mezcal, and blend on smoothie or milkshake setting (medium-high speed) until slushy and smooth. If consistency is too thick, shake refrigerated cold chocolate mixture then drizzle through hole in the blend er’s lid in a thin stream, until slushy consistency is reached. 4. Fill each glass with half the blended mixture, dust the top with finely grated dark chocolate and garnish with a red chili. SWICEY GLASS RIMMER Sweet and spicy (“swicey”!) all at once, this colourful cocktail glass-rimmer is also wonder ful with Margaritas and even Caesars! Using flaky salt and coarse raw sugar gives the mix ture a great texture, but regular table salt and white sugar work, too. Tajín is a savoury chili lime seasoning found at Latin grocers or on amazon.ca and other online pantry sources. Makes 2 drinks

FROZEN FRAPPE Vodka, coffee liqueur plus something creamy is a classic flavour combo, and our frozen version gets its creamy top layer from cold foamed plant milk. Vanilla-flavoured soy, almond, coconut or oat milk all taste great. Wherever you buy your plant milk, look for versions labelled “barista,” which are creamier and foam well. Freezing the foaming con tainer in advance and using well-chilled liquid also helps. 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) cold brew or strong drip coffee, cooled 1 cup (250 mL) plant milk (such as oat, soy, coconut or almond) 2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar 1/4 cup (60 mL) barista-type vanilla-flavoured plant milk 2 oz frozen vodka 1. At least 1 day before serving, whisk coffee with plant milk and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved. Pour 2 cups (500 mL) into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Reserve 1/2 cup (125 mL) mixture in a sealed jar or container and refrigerate. 2. At least 30 minutes before serving, place a metal teaspoon and a measuring cup or foaming pitcher with pour spout in the freezer. 3. When ready to serve, pour a couple of ounces of barrista-type plant milk into frozen container, and use a hand-held milk foamer or immersion blender to cold-foam the milk until it’s foamy. 4. Add 8 to 10 frozen coffee cubes to blender with vodka and coffee liqueur. Blend on smoothie or milkshake setting (medium-high speed) until slushy and smooth, drizzling additional reserved coffee mixture as needed through hole in the blender’s lid in a thin stream, until desired consistency is reached, up to an additional 1/2 cup (125 mL). 5. Pour blended mixture into two rocks glasses, and use cold spoon to scoop foamed milk on top of the drink. 2 oz coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa 2 one-bite brownies for garnish (store-bought or from scratch, baked in mini-muffin tins)

1. Mix 1 tbsp (15 mL) each of flaky salt (such as Maldon), raw coarse-granulated sugar and chili powder with 1 tsp (5 mL) cayenne pepper and 2 tsp (10 mL) Tajín seasoning until thoroughly combined. To rim cocktail glasses, pour rimmer mixture into a saucer, run a citrus wedge around glass rim and dip glass rims in mixture to coat. Store excess mixture in a tight-lidded jar or container for up to 1 month. FROZEN TOKYO TEA There’s a melon liqueur–enhanced Long Island Iced Tea (LIIT) variation known as Tokyo Tea, but unlike that LIIT, this drink also introduces the bitter note of real matcha tea to balance sweet melon and honey notes. Using frozen fruit (cut into evenly sized cubes, which blend up smoother) instead of ice cubes gives deeper flavour and colour, a hue that gets kicked up with a splash of a surprising liquid ingredient! Melona is a common brand of frozen fruit pop that looks and tastes great as a garnish. 1/2 honeydew melon 1 cup (250 mL) strong brewed matcha tea, cooled 3 oz melon liqueur 1 1/2 oz vodka 2 tsp (10 mL) honey 1/2 cup (125 mL) Mountain Dew (regular or sugar-free) soda 2 green frozen fruit pops for garnish 1. At least 1 day before serving, cut melon into 1-inch (2.5-cm) chunks. Freeze overnight on a sheet tray or laid flat in a freezer-safe plastic bag (to prevent clumps and make them easier to break up). 2. Pour cooled tea into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight. 3. When ready to serve, put 2 cups (500 mL) frozen melon (about 25 chunks) in a blender and add melon liqueur, vodka and honey. Blend on smoothie or milkshake setting, drizzling soda through hole in the blender’s lid in a thin stream, until slushy consistency is reached (up to 1/2 cup/125 mL soda). 4. Add matcha cubes one at a time, blending and tasting after each addition, until desired balance of bitter and sweet flavours is reached (4 to 6 cubes). 5. Pour slush into tall glasses and garnish with a green ice pop or melon pop.

6. Garnish with a brownie on a cocktail pick.

Makes 2 drinks

Makes 2 tall drinks

FOOD & DRINK SUMMER 2023 137