February 6, 2025

Dear reader,

This past weekend, I was out of town for a birthday party and I woke up on Sunday morning to a seemingly frazzled text from my partner: “SHOULD WE GO TO THE LCBO WHEN YOU’RE HOME TO STOCK UP?!” It seemed a little thirsty for 10 a.m., but who am I to judge? Then she filled me in: Ford had just announced that he was yanking all US-made spirits, wine and beer from liquor store shelves, in response to Trump’s threats of increased tariffs. Her main concern was getting through the rest of winter without any California cabs. Our wine cellar (otherwise known as a box in a corner of our basement laundry room) is, after all, severely depleted post-holidays. I was torn: I like a big and bold red, too, but rushing out to spend money on US-made wine seemed counterintuitive to the whole argument. And we make really good wine—and beer and spirits—right here in Ontario and across the country.

So, on Monday, I asked our drinks writer Kate Dingwall to put together a handy roundup of locally made alternatives to favourite US products. Later that night, however, our province paused the retaliatory measures after Trudeau and Trump put the threatened tariffs on hold for 30 days—US booze wasn’t going anywhere just yet. But there’s never a bad time to support local, and those tariffs are still looming. In this week’s edition of Table Talk, you’ll learn all about Canadian-made versions of Coors Light, White Claw, Cali cabs and more of your favourite beverages from across the border.

Also in this week’s newsletter: all of the over-the-top hot chocolates at Fireside in the Distillery, a celebration of haute cocoa; what’s on the menu at Ayla, a new Hong Kong–inspired restaurant above Patois; and a peek inside the home kitchen of Taline chef and co-owner Seb Yacoubian.

For more of our food-and-drink coverage, visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition.

—Rebecca Fleming, food and drink editor

It might not be banished just yet, but there’s still a chance American booze could disappear from Canadian liquor store shelves next month. To that we say, So what? If you have a favourite US-made something or other, there’s a perfectly good—if not better—substitute made much closer to home.

This past winter, the Distillery District saw a certain hot chocolate—one topped with a fat hat of meringue and whipped cream—go viral. Inspired by the appetite for haute beverages, the neighbourhood has launched Fireside in the Distillery, a celebration of all things hot chocolate. From now until mid-March visitors can enjoy 20 different over-the-top chocolatey concoctions—because sometimes you just need churros or candy floss in your cocoa.

Ayla, a new Hong Kong–inspired cocktail bar and restaurant above Patois, is turning out interesting twists on Cantonese classics. The menu items sound familiar—cheung fun, char sui, prawn toast—but guests will be surprised (in a good way!) with what arrives on the table.

Seb Yacoubian, chef of Taline, the Summerhill restaurant he runs with his brothers, is proud of his Armenian heritage. And it shows—not only in what he serves at Taline (which is named for his late mother) but in how he stocks his home kitchen, which is filled with Armenian spices, meats, cheeses, flatbread, noodles and drinks. Take a look through his fridge, freezer and pantry.

In the latest issue: what it’s like to be Scottie Barnes, the face of the Raptors—and the team’s best chance of salvation. Plus, the scandal that tore the equestrian world apart, the battle over the Bloor Street bike lanes, a ranking of the city’s best new pasta dishes, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.

Follow us for the latest from Toronto Life

Copyright ©2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part strictly prohibited. Toronto Life is a registered trademark of SJC Media
15 Benton Rd.
Toronto, M6M 3G2

You're receiving this email because you signed up for a Toronto Life newsletter.

Unsubscribe