Mixed Drinks

Coming soon to a glass near you… indigenous grape varietals, beer cocktails, mixed drinks with great visual appeal and a slate of exciting flavours. Choices abound, providing everyone with sipping options.

Fresh Flavours

Drawn from a multitude of culinary traditions and diverse palates, the trending tastes of 2024 have international appeal. We’re all inspired by the quest for authentic global travel and our increasingly international outlook in the online and social media age. Tickle your palate with sake-infused canned cocktails, Southeast Asian flavours like tamarind and ginger, and a revival of tropical flavours, from passionfruit to mango.

Tarsier Southeast Asian Dry Gin

Trader Vic’s Mai Tai Cocktail

Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind

Sour Puss Passionfruit Mango (coming soon)

Bacardi Caribbean Spiced Rum

Indigenous Grapes

Lesser-known grape varieties, including those from less-familiar wine regions, are bursting into the spotlight. Many winemakers have returned to their farming roots, often with a more sustainable focus on traditional growing methods and local grapes. Unique selections from Portugal, Austria, Georgia and even Ontario are trending their way onto smart dinner party menus and wine lists: they possess the value and food-pairing potential to become your new go-tos.

GEORGIA
If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, try Georgia’s bold Saperavi grape.
United Stars Alazanis Valley Off Dry

ONTARIO
Disease-resistant, cool-climate Marquette is a bolder “grandson” grape of Pinot Noir.
Georgian Hills Marquette 2021 VQA VINTAGES

AUSTRIA
If you like crisp, food-friendly Riesling and Chardonnay, try tangy Grüner Veltliner.
Lenz Moser Prestige Grüner Veltliner 2022 VINTAGES

PORTUGAL
If you like Shiraz, try this blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz.
Vicente Faria Animus Douro DO

ITALY
If you like Grenache or bold Pinot Noir, try Sicilian Nero d’Avola.
Molino A Vento Nero d’Avola DOC Siciliane

Tiktok-Tails

Viral mixology videos now inspire new cocktail trends weekly, with social media influencers offering insight on what to whip up at home.

Typically created by amateur mixologists, these inventive drinks can be every bit as tasty as those concocted by the pros (and usually fun and easy, too), and often skew to a younger, sweeter palate (though the savoury Parmesan Espresso Martini craze bucks that trend!). Take the Hugo, an elderflower-tinged spritz: it amassed millions of social media hits, taking mixology out of the hands of bartenders and helping everyone feel more confident mixing up cocktails for friends. Sweet hits from last spring included Peep-Secco (a bright Easter marshmallow treat in a glass of sparkling wine) and the Chocolate Martini, served in a hollowed-out Easter egg.

Solo Suppers

Light dinners-for-one paired with a beverage are a social media–born trend that was originally christened “girl dinner.” It’s an enduring dine alone pleasure to take small plates and cocktails from the corner boîte to your own kitchen counter. Round up mini charcuterie plates or snacks from fridge and pantry, paired here with single-serve or small-format drinks.

Why go out alone for a quick bite when you can just make your own? Try these combos:

Prosciutto and melon, air‑fryer fries and aïoli + Joiy Rosé Sparkling

Deconstructed caprese of cheese and tomatoes with herbed olive oil and crusty bread + Peroni Nastro Azzurro Stile Capri (coming soon)

Thai spring rolls, sesame-dressed salad or slaw + Hoxie Lemon Ginger Rose Spritzer (coming soon)

Beer Mash-Ups

Beer and cocktail worlds come together in these trendy, easily mixed sippers. Learn more about beer cocktails and find out how to make the Lagerita, Beermosa and Bodega Dog.

Read more

Mini Trends

High-Drama Drinks

Dry ice, flames, liquid nitrogen, foams or fragrances, and even edible flowers that tickle the taste buds—all prove that cocktail presentation is, indeed, everything. Molecular mixologists on the world stage (and shows like Drink Masters), influenced in turn by top chefs, bring this theatrical, multisensory “drink-tainment” trend to the bar.

Climate Friendliness

The list of certified climate-neutral drink brands at the LCBO continues to grow, with many bottles from wineries like California’s Bonterra Organic Estates and distillers like Nicaragua’s Flor de Caña Rum. Watch for earth-friendly paper bottles, including those from Ontario’s Frisky Beaver Wines.

Frisky Beaver Dam Good Red VQA
Frisky Beaver Dam Good White VQA

Bigger Brews

Many of this year’s hottest beers are a bit stronger: higher-alcohol beers (above 7 per cent ABV) are bold and flavourful. This wave of strong beers arises from the brewmaster’s itch to experiment with traditional styles and big, modern flavours.

Bavaria 8.6 Original
Flying Monkeys Sparklepuff Triple IPA
Blood Brothers Brewing Shumei IPA

Luxe Water

The 1990s trend of deluxe bottled water is back, driven by those who take their daily hydration ultraseriously. Ontario now boasts its first certified water sommelier, Christina Li, who donates part of her company’s proceeds to the Canadian-based Safe Drinking Water Foundation. With so many people being more careful about what they’re putting in their bodies, “water awareness” is both a wellness buzzword and an affordable, everyday luxury. Sip local with naturally alkaline spring water from Flow Water or crisp, natural-spring Muskoka Springs.