LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2025

2. To serve, drop a melon sphere into each of four martini or wineglasses, add 4 oz sparkling wine to each and garnish each with a mint sprig and chunk of pomegranate.

Makes 4 drinks

TIP Ice sphere trays can be found at big-box stores such as Canadian Tire, or ordered from cocktail supply shops. Many make spheres that are 13/4 inches in diameter (about 4.5 cm), which will work with this recipe’s proportions.

PAPER PLANE SPRITZ This ultra-dry spritz brightens up any holiday occasion with a pop of bright flavour and light fizz. Think of it as the Aperol Spritz’s sophis ticated North American cousin! Cocktail bartenders often garnish this with a tiny blue paper airplane, but we used metallic gold paper for a festive flourish.

APPLE-RAISIN HOT TODDY If you’re toasting cinnamon-bagel chips as a garnish, poke a hole in the middle of each one before toasting, so they can be easily threaded onto cocktail picks. 8 oz brandy (we used St-Rémy Signature, LCBO 16544, $47.45) 1/2 cup (125 mL) sultanas or golden raisins 4 cups (1 L) apple juice 1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar 2 cinnamon sticks 1 star anise 3 cloves 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed with blade of knife 8 strips fresh lemon or orange zest, divided Dried apple rings or chips Raisin-toast fingers or toasted raisin bagel chips to garnish 1. A day before serving, combine brandy and raisins in a large glass measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to infuse at room temperature overnight. 2. Shortly before serving, strain brandy-infused raisins out of liquid. Reserve brandy. 3. In a small saucepan, add infused raisins, apple juice, brown sugar, dried spices and 2 strips of citrus zest (reserve the rest). Heat just to a simmer, about 10 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and add raisin-infused brandy, stirring to combine. 4. To serve, put a few dried apple pieces in the bottom of each heatproof serving glass or mug along with a few of the brandy-infused raisins and a strip of citrus zest. Pour equal amount of hot toddy into each serving glass. 5. Garnish with raisin-toast cutouts or bagel chips. Makes 6 drinks

Fruit with Punch from page 119

DRIED CRANBERRY RADLER Unsweetened cranberry juice creates a bright, tart radler-style drink, lightly enriched by muddling with dried cranberries. Asahi Super Dry (LCBO 439950, 6 pk, $17.70) Japanese pale lager has just the crisp, light-bodied, clean finishing character and hardy carbonation that’s perfect for this dramatic-looking cocktail. De-alcoholized beer, such as Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% (LCBO 27824, 6 pk, $13.95), creates a non-alcoholic version that’s just as tasty and beautiful as the original! Small handful dried cranberries 4 oz unsweetened cranberry juice 1 can or bottle (355 mL) lager or pilsner, or de-alcoholized beer 1. In bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle dried cranberries and cranberry juice. Add ice and shake for about 15 seconds. 2. Using a cone-shaped fine cocktail strainer, pour 2 oz juice each into two tall, narrow serving glasses. Top each with half the beer. 3. Garnish each glass with a cocktail pick of cranberries moistened and dipped in raw sugar or sanding sugar, or with cranberries threaded onto a rosemary stalk. Fresh or frozen cranberries to garnish Raw sugar or sanding sugar (optional)

3/4 oz Aperol (LCBO 176834, $33.50) 1/2 oz Amaro Nonino Quintessentia (LCBO 933796, 700 mL, $55.15) 1/4 oz Canadian rye whisky 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice 3 oz dry sparkling rosé wine 1 oz soda water 2 dashes orange bitters

1. Combine Aperol, Amaro, rye and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well for 30 seconds. 3. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with sparkling rosé, soda water and two dashes bitters.

Makes 1 drink

GRINCH SPRITZ Guests will love how this drink’s flavour profile and colour changes as the melon-flavoured ice sphere melts into the fizzy wine.

3 oz melon liqueur 3 oz fresh lime juice 3 oz still water 16 oz sparkling wine 4 sprigs mint to garnish 4 chunks pomegranate to garnish

1. Mix together melon liqueur, lime juice and water. Pour into a four-chamber silicone ice sphere mould (see TIP) and freeze overnight.

Makes 2 drinks

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HOLIDAY 2025 ————————