cocktail

A stunning Aperol Cosmopolitan that’s perfect for sipping. I must confess, sometimes I love a good cosmo. But the key with making a great one is using good quality ingredients. In this case, good vodka and actual Contreau, seriously, don’t skimp it makes a difference. This drink highlights the alcohol, so you need the quality to be […]

Passione Arrabbiata is the name of a cocktail from a NYC restaurant called Costata. Made with a chili-infused Cazadores reposado tequila, this drink peeked my interest from the moment I read about it. While I love the heat a chili-infused cocktail can offer (such as in my jalapeño tequila gimlet), what intrigued me so much about […]

Confession, I love a great frozen strawberry daiquiri. A treat for sure, but at the right time, on a hot day in the summer or on a white sandy beach somewhere tropical, there is truly nothing better. Refreshing, fruity, and easy on the eyes, I feel relaxed just holding this indulgent old timer in my […]

Ever have a golden berry? My guess is it’s unlikely. For those unfamiliar, golden berries are also known as Inca berry, Peruvian ground cherry, poha berry, goldenberry, husk cherry, and cape gooseberry.  Golden berries are small, bright, orange-colored fruits closely related to the tomatillo. Like tomatillos, golden berries are wrapped in a papery husk called […]

Unbeknownst to me, National Margarita Day is February 22nd. Seems like an odd time you ask me. Margaritas exemplify Summer, long sunny days, and warm relaxing evenings. So with that, I think a post about mango margaritas just in time for Memorial Day is the perfect way to ring in the Summer season. Margaritas are […]

I have blogged about making a sake cocktail before. New to the sake world, I am enjoying its versatility and flavorful notes. This lovely cocktail is based on the National drink in Brazil called a Caipirinha cocktail traditionally made with cachaça ( also known as aguardiente, pinga, caninha), which is a distilled spirit, made from fermented sugarcane juice, known […]

To be clear, it’s still cranberry season, at least it is to me. I first read about a Good Tidings cocktail in Esquire.  I’m not sure where that magazine has been all my life (although apparently the answer is: on my husband’s nightstand). Esquire regularly has fantastic drink features. I loved the flavors in this […]

Chances are you’ve heard of a White Russian, a rich creamy cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream served over ice. This beloved cocktail was created in the late 1940s by Gustave Tops, a Belgian barman who also created the White Russian’s sister cocktail a Black Russian which is simply a White Russian without […]

Holidays are all about spirit. And by “spirit” I mean the feeling of happiness, gratitude, and grace that swirls around December. Spirit is more a mood than anything religious. Anyone can have spirit no matter what one celebrates. I love the holiday spirit. The buzz, the pomp and circumstance, the gatherings, and the overall excitement […]

I consider this another fun, seasonal, Fall cocktail, based on the “Fallen Apple” cocktail I first read about in Saveur in 2015. The Fallen Apple recipe talked about in that article was from chef Anna Bogle of Summit City Lounge in Whitesburg, Kentucky (a place and a state I’ve never been). A “Fallen Apple” cocktail, either the […]

This is a Gin Rickey, and I’m calling it my “Fall transition cocktail“. Even if you have not tried one, a Gin Rickey (also known as a Lime Rickey) is a classic drink. Simple and refreshing, a traditional “Rickey” is simply gin (or bourbon), mixed with lime juice and carbonated water. Little or no sugar is […]

My husband introduced me to Sidecars a few years ago. Something new and not too sweet was an easy sell. I liked the idea of having a drink served “up” instead of over ice. I also loved the look of an elegant martini glass. After one sip, I was hooked. But they are strong. I […]

This is a Havana cocktail and I love this drink almost as much as I love the song Havana by Camila Cabello.  A rum-based drink that is served “up,” this is smooth and fruity from the very first sip.  The trick to this tropical beauty is the pineapple-flavored rum I used to kick up the tropical […]

I’ve always wanted to enjoy sake. I have tried it warm and cold, over the years, but never loved it. Friends always said, “Drink the really good stuff and you will love it.” They were wrong. Straight-up sake always struck me as too medicinal. For me, hard alcohol is always tricky.  Even when it’s the […]

A horned melon is not your typical-looking fruit. Also called a kiwano melon, African horned cucumber, jelly melon, hedged gourde, melano, and blowfish fruit, the horned melon is native to Southern Africa and grows mainly in dry semi-arid places such as the Kalahari Desert. This fruit was later introduced to other areas of Africa, Australia, New Zealand more recently, the US. The […]