Cocktail kits in Montreal to get you through a cancelled Christmas

One of the best bars in Montreal (and one of the best in Canada) was supposed to host this year's seasonal Christmas bar pop-up Miracle, but just because that won't be happening doesn't mean you can't drink up with some festive cheer in your glass. The Coldroom selling a bunch of cocktail syrups like caramelized banana, almond croissant orgeat and cinnamon (they stay stable for 30 days, so keep 'em for New Year's Eve) alongside swag packs that come with adorable Christmas-themed glassware. Montreal residents can get pickup from the Coldroom direct or get free delivery on the Island of Montreal on Fridays after 5pm if something is ordered on Thursdays by midday. Check out their online shop here.

One of Montreal's OG mixology masters, Bar le Lab has been keeping themselves up and running (and keeping us amused) with cocktail kits. While their bar is closed, their product lines continue to develop new recipes, the latest of which includes all the ingredients needed to make one of five cocktail recipes (except alcohol and ice cream one of the recipes requires), popcorn and homemade BBQ salt for a movie night, and recipes that detail how to pull it off at your home bar. Each kit has two cocktails per kit for $16 a pop.

One of the city's favourite spots for jugs o' booze was an early adapter to the pandemic, offering a takout menu with food (an exceptional feat for a bar in and of itself) along with cocktail kits, natch. They've got holiday menus to pick up as well as seven different recipes to choose from that range from classic menu standbys like the white peach, lemon, jasmine tea and elderflower of the Hurrican to the coconut, pineapple, lemon, milk, powdered freeze-dried banana filling and toasted coconut for a piña colada. They can serve anywhere from two to six people depending on what you pick.

If you're looking for something sunny during an otherwise gray time of the year, you'll want one of these cocktail kits: Downtown bar Pamplemousse is where you'll find Le Mal Necéssaire's tiki drinks for takeout while the latter's currently closed. There are two kits on the menu, one for Piña Coladas (freshly squeezed pineapple juice, homemade coconut cream, homemade coconut syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice served with two hollowed-out pineapples) and one for the Karakandjiji (freshly squeezed lime juice, sugar and home-made hibiscus tea mix). Put on those shades, mix one them up, and enjoy.

The mixology masters over at Atwater Cocktail Club have been keeping things going steadily as she goes with few alterations to their long-running just-add-booze cocktail kits. That doesn't mean they should be written off, however: ACC at Home's offerings now numbers in at nine different cocktails, each with their own portions of mix and dehydrated garnishes that are tailored to mix with particular liquors and a set of instructions to make sure you don't screw it up (though even the clumsiest of home bartenders could make them). Impress that special someone by bringing these out of the kitchen, and enjoy.

In addition to a recent flip to a pasta-forward concept to mix things up at their Hochelaga address, Le Flamant has a whole page of its current menu dedicated to pre-mixes and syrups to use at your home bar. We could spend time highlighting their house grenadine, house Clamato made with whelks, lime cordial with sage or any other of the products, but really? Buy up a bunch and start experimenting; the staff will be more than happy to recommend spirits to match whatever piques your interest.

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The folks over at this bartender A Team of a company have made a name for themselves in Montreal for delivering full package bar experiences. Now, however, they've adapted with BMBS At Home, a delivery service for fresh cocktails created by the company gets delivered straight to your door. Each package you order can serve 8 cocktails and will last over a week once refrigerated. If you're looking for something Christmas-y, try the Ginger Snap with its cranberry and gingerbread purée, or the Apple of My Pie with apple and maple purée. If you've got kids around, they also sell kids' kits that come with soda and candy.

Want a good set of cocktails for you and your friends (you know, they ones you're living with) that's straightforward and doesn't have any of that holiday edge to it? No problem, the Brossard-based Bar Les Cousins of Dix30's Escad Hotels is doing delivery for anyone living on the South Shore via Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes as well as pickup for anyone who wants to roll through. A variety of gin & tonic packages and seasonal drinks are up for grabs, like a pack that includes homemade peach shrub, ginger beer, cinnamon sticks, dried lemon slices, dried orange slices and bunch of tools to use.

Cocktail kits? More like cocktail boxes: We're all about what Crowd Bar & Flair has for the season, going from cocktails for six to eight people to mulled wine kits. For the cocktails, you've got the The Rudolph & Snowbird, with honey saffron syrup, mashed raspberry syrup, thyme sprigs and some special effects to replicate fallen snow. Two cocktails in one ain't bad at all,  and all you'll need is bubbly for the Rudolph and gin for the Snowbird. As for the mulled wine, their site doesn't go into the details, but hey! It's basically a free mulled wine kit!

¾ oz. Tonic Maison has won a design award for their expanded pack of just-add-booze syrups that make the mix-and-match game of a home bar pretty fun. They're currently selling a deluxe cocktail kit for $40 that features tonic, cola, ginger ale, honey sour and spritz flavours, and each bottle can serve up to 6 drinks—do the math, that's 30 drinks per kit! They've also got these more bespoke gift that includes a jigger with three bottles for $35. Both gift sets includes instructions on the back of the boxes, as well as on each bottle if you throw the packaging out in a hurry.

Alambika has long been known for their work on the bar supply scene—not to mention their cocktail kits designed to be used with Quebec distilleries. There's a surprisingly wide variety of liquors to disocver that are all from your own backyard, but given how many bottles you'll need to buy in order to try them all, we recommend you keep this one to yourself instead of gifting it.

This bar company from Montreal's sporting six different cocktail kits to pick from, all of which have either some kind of pun or joke dealing with the lockdown or the upcoming holidays. If Christmas vibes are what you're looking for, try the "Stay Home For Christmas" with its cranberry lemonade syrup that's both spicy and sour, topped with ginger beer, and mixed with tequila. If that's not your thing, check everything else Flux Bar Service has available. Each kit serves eight and can last up to 7 days when refrigerated.

Since its transition to the sabrage-forward Champangerie to the wine and food-centered Maison Saint-Paul, this spot has been having a tough go of it in the city, having its rebranding stymied by the pandemic. That said, support 'em! Currently they've got five pre-mix cocktails on their menu, from a blueberry-basil option to a bright and sweet mix of passionfruit and vanilla. It's not holiday-themed by any means, but they are delicious. Be sure to ask what kit goes with which liquor when you call them up.

Billed as a homegrown eco-friendly cocktail mix delivery service, Okapi is doing things a little more directly than most established restaurants and bars will bing, shiny websites to sell through. Their order forms are located online as Google forms, and cocktail kits are priced 2 for $12$, 4 for $20 and 6 for $25 per recipe. That includes choices like the cranberry, hibiscus, basil and cucumber mix of the Ouvre Fleur to the home garden Caesar-style drink with cucumber, tomato, kale and pineapple.