LibbyEmbracing the New Year with some unique and interesting finds is a wonderful way to set the tone for ‘23. Holiday hosting welcomes the usual routines and offerings, so this year dazzle your guests with drinks that will set the tone.
Whether you’re hosting a big crew or just a few friends, get your bar primed for a party with our new favourite wines and some clever craft cocktails.
We’re pleased to present our favourite wines and more to explore for the New Year.
The new wines from Chilean producer Tierra Rica offer elegant and well-balanced wines that bring out the best of the coastal region they’re from. Patagonia is as rugged as it is beautiful, with weather conditions that craft a distinct mineral quality to its grapes. The Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and fresh and delivers a herbaceous and citrus quality that would pair beautifully with creamy cheeses or seafood. This wine is refreshing and approachable and drinkable on its own, or with a meal.
Tierra Rica’s Cabernet Sauvignon features juicy bold notes you expect from a rich cab, with heavy plum and dark fruit flavours that swirl and leave a splendid mouthfeel. Smooth and silky, this fantastic Cabernet could cellar for a few years or be a fitting partner decanted for that meaty main.
Tierra Rica prides itself on their wines being both vegan and organic, distinct characteristics for this region.
Both wines are priced well, consider stocking up for those late-night dinner parties or stashing a few away for your wine collection. Now available at the LCBO.
Hand-crafted Cocktails Perfect For Sharing
Cloud House Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur is the new creation of Master Blender Andres Faustinell. Made with Columbian rum aged in ex-bourbon oak barrels, Cloud House is a sea-to-sky experience. The Cloud House coffee plantation is so high in the mountains, it sits above the clouds; the coffee is cold brewed at 4793 ft; the rum is aged at sea level in the port by the sea, lending it a light salinity. The combination is heaven on earth.
Cloud House is only lightly sweetened, and it is delicious by itself on ice. Smooth, complex, and very easy to drink. Because of its lower sugar content, it is also a versatile hero ingredient for cocktail recipes.
For the Cloud House Old Fashioned, I sweetened it with maple syrup from Seve de Mars. Seve de Mars makes three kinds of maple syrup, aged in oak barrels previously used to make rum, bourbon and rye. This lends the syrups a wonderful depth and complexity. Rum was the obvious pairing in this case, but they are all wonderful.
2 oz Cloud House Cold Brew Infused Colombian Rum
½ oz Seve de Mars Rhum Maple Syrup
Dash Dillons bitters
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir well to incorporate the maple syrup. Add ice and stir until very well chilled. Strain into a double old-fashioned glass over a large ice cube.
DIY with Dillon’s
Ontario is lucky to count Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers as a hometown hero. This boutique distillery offers countless ways to imbibe, but their impressive all-in-one cocktail kits offer a uniquely bespoke approach to crafting cocktails for a crowd.
This Mulled Rye Cider Kit is only part of their deep catalogue. Included is everything you need to make impressive drinks for a small crowd. Dillon’s Rye Whisky brings homegrown Ontario ingredients to every product. We’re already eyeballing their Rosemary & Clove Whisky Sour Kit.
This post has been generously sponsored by Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits. Please never drink and drive and always drink responsibly.
All photos by Libby Roach, excluding the Cloud House product shot.