Maple, forest, and festival drinks of Quebec

Beverages reflect place: forests, orchards, and winter carnivals. Traditional sips include spruce beer (soft drink or homebrew), Labrador tea and chaga infusions from the boreal pantry, and holiday maple eggnog. The Caribou cocktail—red wine and spirits sweetened with maple—warms crowds at the Québec Winter Carnival. Contemporary producers add terroir with ice cider and Québec ciders, maple-whisky liqueurs, and spirited coffee drinks. Many households infuse maple into lemonades, toddies, or hot chocolates; bars mix highballs with spruce soda or cider. Whether non-alcoholic or boozy, the profile is unmistakable: resinous evergreens, orchard fruit, and maple’s amber glow.