Aunt Caroline wasn’t whipping up Lemon Lime Champagne Granita the night she sent Uncle Drew out for lemons. However, when the weather turns scorching hot and I spot a bowl of lemons on the counter I can’t help but chuckle and think of Aunt Caroline and this particular dessert. And, of course, that unforgettable night […]
Aperol Tequila Swizzle Cocktail – Something Different!
I need to get out my step stool in order to conjure gems like this Aperol Tequila cocktail. Way up high, back in The Inconvenient Cabinet sitting behind the refrigerator, you will just over a dozen bottles of booze. These aren’t my “main squeeze” libations, no, these bottles are the rather queer stash of alcoholic […]
July 25, 2016 by 24 Comments
Waking Up From My Siesta (Cocktail)
Author (and sometimes New York Times Opinionator blogger) Bill Hayes convincingly opined recently in the New York Times: “Not writing can be good for one’s writing; indeed, it can make one a better writer.” I can tell you today that this is total bullshit but back in August when I first saw the words I […]
January 11, 2015 by 24 Comments
Iced Caffe Latte – Afternoon Pick Up!
I didn’t know how fantastic an iced caffe latte in the late afternoon would be. Because if I ever knew how good a home made, ice cold, caffe latte made with premium espresso and a rich, fresh cup of whole milk would be I my coffee intake would spike right back up to my pre-semi-abstinence levels right then and there.
August 15, 2013 by 10 Comments
Gin Rickey Maurin Cocktail
I picked up a bottle of Maurin Quina at the store when I saw its devilish green label stare back at me from the shelf. How could I resist it? I knew that the “quina” part in its moniker comes from same quinine notes that tonic comes from so I knew it would be a natural for gin.
July 23, 2013 by 6 Comments
A Real Agave Margarita
You might think that on Kentucky Derby Day, the day where bourbon reigns supreme, I should be celebrating all things bourbon and not pining away for a real agave margarita. I should be teaching you all how to make authentic mint juleps while I regale you with some madcap horse racing story from youth, no? The […]
May 7, 2013 by 27 Comments
The Gold Rush Cocktail
This past weekend’s warm weather forced a brief moment of anxiety upon me as I had to contemplate the impending close of “Bourbon Season”. Saying ‘goodbye’ when I am not quite prepared is always awkward for me but eschewing bourbon for the season can be painful. When temperatures start to heat up I know I […]
May 1, 2013 by 11 Comments
Vermouth Cocktail – Aperitivo Fantastico Just In Time!
Wow. It seems I have discovered this vermouth cocktail just in time! It is a sad irony of my ever-aging life that my cocktail preference has grown toward less mixers and juice while at the same time I am more intolerant of the alcohol itself. Imbibing any more than three drinks night and I am […]
February 21, 2013 by 16 Comments
Black Manhattan – Dark, Mysterious Averna!
I have been alternately sipping and staring into this deep, brooding, dark Black Manhattan cocktail for 30 minutes now and yet I still don’t know what I want to say about it. Its gravity pulls in all my thoughts and will not let any of them escape. This deep, dark drink has got to be a metaphor […]
January 25, 2013 by 13 Comments
Aperol Spritz – Roman Sunset in a Glass!
Check out this seemingly off-season Aperol Spritz! Every food blog post this week starts off with the obligatory acknowledgement of an “autumn chill in the air”. While all the other food blog posts turn toward stew recipes and all manner of dishes ably prepared on stovetops or in hot ovens I’m serving this refresher! For […]
September 23, 2012 by 7 Comments
The Negroni Cocktail
I have been enjoying the Negroni since I was eleven years old. Well, not exactly. “There is a thirty year age difference between us thought Mrs. Stone. Then she was ashamed of herself and by the time Paolo had emerged from the bathroom she had mixed two negronis and placed them on the glass-topped table […]
September 13, 2012 by 12 Comments
Panaché (aka the “Shandy”)
Things here have been a bit slow but I assure this dilatory state has been of my own design and is no reflection on the urgent desire I have to share a Panaché with you. I will forgo, however, the traditional (and somewhat narcissistic) exaggerated apologies many bloggers offer when they fail to post […]
July 21, 2012 by 19 Comments
Blood Orange Sidecar
We a lucky enough to be gifted annually with a box of blood oranges from our good friend, Mahin. Mahin knows of my long standing blood orange passion so when her tree overfloweth with them each year she graciously parts with its offerings in our direction causing much celebration. This has made exploring ways […]
April 21, 2012 by 8 Comments
Big Apple Manhattan, do you crave it?
Are you flexible enough to embrace a Big Apple Manhattan? It seems correct somehow that rye whiskey serves as the traditional foundation for a classic “Manhattan”. A good rye whiskey is solid yet brash, fortifying yet with the complexity of a good wine. The loud intensity of a good rye whiskey screams to be noticed. […]
March 26, 2012 by 17 Comments
Horse’s Neck Cocktail – Bourbon Time!
Am I too late to post a New Year’s Resolution? It involves this Horse’s Neck Cocktail. Please don’t hold my resolution tardiness against me — I not resolving to be more timely in 2012 so there! No, I know better than to do something as futile as that. When it comes to resolutions I prefer […]
January 13, 2012 by 15 Comments
