cocktail

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 […]

Hello Summer! Is it just me, or have you been waiting for it as much as I have?  Long sunny carefree days and no school lunches are something to celebrate in my house. After living in California for 11 years now, I need warm temperatures and lots of sunlight. Summer delivers both in abundance.  Summertime […]

Have you ever heard of a bee’s knees cocktail? I sure hadn’t, but I’m very glad I found it. The phrase “Bees Knees” has been around since the 1920s and was often used to describe something “of excellence” or that was considered to be “the best“. Bee’s Knees, the cocktail, is traditionally a gin-based “sour” […]

A pomelo or “citrus maxima” is a citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit. I don’t think I ever saw one until I moved to California.  Pomelos are native to South and Southeast Asia and are popular during the mid-autumn or mooncake festival. Pomelos are typically large, pale green to yellow when ripe, with sweet white, […]

A Greyhound is a cocktail consisting of grapefruit juice and either gin or vodka; it is traditionally served over ice.  “Greyhound” is also the nickname given to my husband by a friend in law school due to his tall, thin physique.  Although the two are unrelated, I have an affinity toward anything greyhound-related. So this […]

I don’t feel like I’m 45.  So much so that recently, I have caught myself saying the wrong age–like 44, or 25. They always said that would happen. I’m not going to complain about being 45.  Age is all relative, and truthfully I only feel old sometimes. Typically, it’s a few days after doing something […]

I read about this drink a while ago and it left a lasting impression.  I used to be scared of tequila. Chalk it up to a bad experience at a young age. Older, I now find tequila fascinating. Its versatility amazes me. And if you haven’t had the good stuff yet, try it, it’s life-changing. […]

If you liked my cucumber-tequila cooler, you may enjoy this refreshing spring cleanse cocktail. Spring cleaning isn’t just for closets. Spring is the season of rejuvenation and renewal. Plants, vegetables, and flowers begin to grow.  Spring comes around just as we are all reaching our wits’ end.  When we can’t take the long, cold days […]

David Lebovitz is a genius.  A pastry chef by training, he is much more.  After years in the business and many at Chez Panisse under the watchful eye of Alice Waters, Lebovitz left the restaurant business and moved Paris to pursue writing. To date, he has written eight amazing books–and not just about cooking. He was […]

There are many occasions when a Bloody Mary is the perfect beverage: Sunday brunch, family gatherings, a long cross-country flight, and during lunch while skiing on a cold winter day.  Truthfully, I have always loved a good Bloody Mary, I think mainly because they are salty–and I do love salt.  In Wisconsin, where I went […]

This beauty is a jalapeño gimlet and it’s got just the right amount of kick.  A gimlet is a classic cocktail and is known as a martini’s sweeter cousin. A classic gimlet is made with gin and fresh lime juice.  As with many other cocktails (e.g. the Tom Collins), replace gin with vodka and you have a […]

This is a cranberry-orange whisky sour and it’s a great specialty cocktail for holiday parties.  A whisky sour is a classic bourbon drink that is subtly sweet and sour at the same time.  If you ask a bartender, a traditional whisky sour is one of the simplest cocktails that you can get that is still called a […]

Are you ready for Thursday? The holiday season is in full swing.  Holiday parties and family gatherings are arriving at a steady clip.  If you’re hosting anything, this post is for you.  Sangria is a fantastic holiday cocktail option and if made with a good red wine and a little brandy, it can be elegant, […]

Sometimes you need to make a change.  A twist on the classic margarita, this pomegranate-lime margarita is divine. I am a margarita lover, so this post should come as no surprise to my friends.  A classic margarita is delicious, made with fresh lime juice, a good tequila, and nothing artificial added.  But there is lots […]