After a long winter focusing on staying well, sunshine, backyards, and refreshing drinks are a welcome distraction! When you start to smell the scent of strawberry and rhubarb in your pint glass, summer is officially here. This year may look a little different than usual, your GoSip craft beverage creators will help to make it the best one yet with seasonal offerings. Here’s your local guide to summer sipping!
Warm weather calls for a tart ‘n tasty cider, and Niagara has a lot to offer. Shiny Apple is known for their many different cider options, including Peach, Blackberry, Salted Caramel, and Juniper + Orange. At Creekside you can enjoy a picnic on their deck, indulge in Chef’s cheese and charcuterie boxes, pick up some icy cold Rood Apple cider, stock up on groceries or spend time with friends. And speaking of friends, did you know apples & cherries are bff’s? Fielding Craft Cider recently released their Cherry Rose Cider, made with local cherries from Cherry Lane. Fielding is offering a number of outdoor seated options to enjoy the view, a cold beverage and more. The region always makes the most of its agriculture.
If a cold beer is your preferred thirst quencher, the Niagara Ale Trail is always growing, with new seasonal brews being released regularly. Oast House Brewing’s summer staple is currently available for a limited time – their Strawberry Rhubarb beer will be sure to sell out quickly! And what goes best with a summertime pint? Sunny patios! If you’re looking to Go Sip outside of your backyard, many craft brewery patios are open with social distancing measures in place. Lock Street Brewery in Port Dalhousie, Cold Break Brewing in West St. Catharines, Breakwall Brewery in Port Colborne, and Exchange Brewery in Niagara-on-the-Lake are only a few of the brewery options for your outdoor sipping.
Cocktails continue to shine with seasonal flavour and creative ingredients. Niagara’s amazing local distilleries have exactly what you need to prepare perfect summer drinks (or dranks) at home. LTD Distillery in Niagara-on-the-Lake is even providing Cocktail Kits that include the ingredients you need for an amazing Whisky Sour, Manhattan, Gin & Tonic, Caesar, and Old Fashioned. These are all available online and in their retail shop! Over at Dillon’s Distillers, they’re currently offering a daily outdoor pop-up shop for purchases and online order pick-up – plus, if you follow their social accounts, they’re sharing fantastic cocktail recipes to try at home. Can’t wait for the social then pick up their gorgeous cocktail recipe book.
With so many local options offering curbside collect and patio experiences, summer is a perfect time to GoSip!