LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2024

MELON SODA

P. 133

PARTY FAVOURS Tips on serving a summer outdoor party crowd from Old Salt’s Maggie and David Banks.

Go with the flow: Set up food away from the drinks area to avoid crowding and clashing lineups. Law of attraction: Lawn games, flowers or even a propped photo station can add to the fun. Fluid equation: Figure on an average of 1.3 drinks per person per hour.

Shake it out: Add fresh ingredients like citrus or juice to pre-batched mixes and shake each cocktail to order. “Shaking gives drinks great, fluffy texture and provides a little theatre,” says David. Use separate cocktail shakers and measuring jiggers for each different drink; rinse shakers and use fresh ice between each shake.

In the mix: Choose different spirit bases for each cocktail so you appeal to everyone. Have beer, wine, cider plus non-alcoholic options at the bar as well. Dressing up: Use edible garnishes, reflecting the flavours of each drink, to reduce waste. Batch game: Pre-batching cocktails gets a drink in everyone’s hands quickly and avoids lineups.

ILLUSTRATION BY EMILIE SIMPSON

78 FOOD & DRINK SUMMER 2024