LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2023

COCKTAIL REWIND

Martinis on the Menu You’ve always been able to order a Martini at nearly any bar on the planet, so long as it stocked gin, ice, some olives and the iconic v-shaped glass. The 1990s represented a new age for this cocktail, since Martini bars, shrines to the world’s most iconic cocktail, cropped up all across North America. There was a twist, though: the drinks on the menu at these new bars typically called for vodka, shaken up with juices or liqueurs, for a new generation of tasty and fresh cocktails. The Appletini, the Lemon Drop and the eternally famous (and still delicious) Cosmopolitan are just a few of the most memorable.

90s

FUN FACT The streamlined, v-shaped Martini glass was launched in 1925 in Paris as the Art Deco era’s answer to the curvy coupe glass that previously reigned. It would go on to become the universal symbol for cocktail culture as a whole. About 15 years ago, an interest in pre-Prohibition cocktails saw the old-timey coupe revived and the Martini glass started to disappear—but it’s making a comeback, just in time for its 100th birthday.

LYCHEE SLUSH This delicious slushy version of the famous 1990s-era Lychee Martini uses elderflower liqueur, fresh lime, grenadine and rosé wine to complement the vivid citrus pop of the modern citrus flavoured spirit.

1. Chill a large v-shaped Martini glass in the freezer. 2. Combine all ingredients, except the grapefruit twist, in a blender. Add five or six cubes of ice. Blend on medium for 60 sec onds, for a smooth consistency. Pour into chilled glass. Garnish with grapefruit slice.

3/4 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur (LCBO 180695, $50.10) 2 fresh lychee fruits, peeled and pitted (or substitute canned lychees) 2 oz dry rosé wine 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice 1/4 oz grenadine 1 thin slice of grapefruit for garnish

1 oz Bombay Citron Pressé (LCBO 30729, $33.95)

Makes 1 drink

66 FOOD & DRINK SUMMER 2023