Summer entertaining has officially entered its low-maintenance era.
Gone are the days of shaking five different cocktails while your guests wait around the kitchen island. This summer, it’s all about simple drinks, easy food off the grill, and actually spending time with the people you invited over.
There’s just one problem.
One of our favourite summer mixing rums isn’t sitting on Ontario liquor store shelves anymore.
As Canada’s trade dispute with the United States continues, Ontario has removed American-made spirits from LCBO stores, meaning familiar brands like Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum have become surprisingly difficult to find for many Ontarians. It’s one of those unexpected side effects of the ongoing tariff battle that reaches beyond politics and into everyday summer rituals.
If you’ve travelled recently, picked up a bottle at duty free, or still have one tucked away in your home bar from before the ban, here’s a cocktail that’s almost too easy not to make.
Sailor Jerry Backyard Tea
Forget complicated cocktail recipes.
This one uses just three ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
- 3 parts chilled black tea
- 1 part fresh lemonade
Pour everything over a glass filled with crushed ice, stir gently, and garnish with a wedge of fresh lime.
The vanilla, cinnamon, and spice notes in the rum mellow beautifully with the tea, while the lemonade keeps everything bright and refreshing. It’s the kind of drink that works just as well on a cottage dock as it does around a backyard barbecue.
And honestly, that’s the bigger lesson.
The best summer parties rarely revolve around elaborate cocktails. They’re built on simple food, cold drinks, lawn games, good music, and conversations that last well after sunset. A pitcher prepared before guests arrive means nobody has to spend the evening playing bartender.
Until Ontario’s shelves are stocked with American spirits again, there are plenty of outstanding Canadian-made rums and whiskies worth discovering. Supporting local producers has become one of the unexpected upsides of the trade dispute.
But every now and then, it’s okay to admit you miss an old favourite.
If you’ve got a bottle of Sailor Jerry waiting for the right occasion, this feels like a pretty good excuse to finally open it.
Cheers to easy summer nights, wherever your rum happens to come from.
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