When I announced to the interwoobles on a whim that I was quitting drinking for Lent, I expected a little good-natured ribbing and I got it. Friends expressed concern that I’d been replaced by a podperson, asked how the tremors were going, sent me photos of cocktails overlaid with “wish you were here,” like a…
Alcohol
Fasting, Booze, Lent and The Hedonic Treadmill
Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. You’ve probably heard of giving something up for Lent. Traditionally, Catholics who are better Catholics than me use the 40 days (not including Sundays) between today and Good Friday (that’s the Friday before Easter) to fast, pray, do charity and reflect on the sacrifices of Christ. But…
Tart Cherry Mint Mojito
Can we talk for a minute about the amazingness of tart cherries? They make the best jam, the best pie, and the best mojito variation I’ve ever sipped. Now I know what you are thinking. “It’s months from fresh cherry season!” Too true, but thanks to the modern miracle of the deep freeze, frozen tart…
Better Homemade Vanilla Extract
With all that holiday baking and homemade gift giving I’ll bet you ran through a fair bit of vanilla extract. Good news! If you start a new batch now it will be absolutely perfect for the 2015 holiday season. Homemade vanilla extract is about as simple a DIY as you could hope for, and the…
The Rosemary Gin Gimlet
On New Year’s Eve I went to one of my favorite restaurants with my favorite people and drank a Gin Gimlet. (Okay, okay, three Gin Gimlets. You know me so well.) It was nice to get reacquainted with the Gimlet – it’s an old friend I haven’t quaffed in a long while. The Gimlet is…
Grandpa's Cold Cure Cocktail
At this time of year, no one would blame you if you were a bit partied out. From Thanksgiving to New Years tends to be a glutton-fest of rich food, sweets and frequent libation. I’m eager to revive the ol’ Friday Cocktail Tradition around here, but sympathetic to folks who may be feeling like a…
Chocolate Mint Mojito
Mint isn’t just mint. There’s peppermint, spearmint, ginger mint, apple mint, pineapple mint, chocolate mint, lime mint and on and on. (Anyone ever seen Best in Show? Yeah, varieties of mint are kinda like the “I can name all the nuts” scene.) Different mints have different levels of super potent compounds that give them their…
The Marmalade Old Fashioned
Inspiration, Part One I picked up a bin of what I thought was “chicken scraps” from my local yuppie-hippie market a few weeks ago and found myself in possession of a lot of free organic citrus. Since my chickens don’t eat citrus, and since I hate food waste, I made marmalade. My dad used to…
The Apple of My Eye Cocktail
Do me a favor. Don’t call this an Apple-tini, ok? Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, Happy Valentine’s Day! Make this drink for the apple of your eye and prepare to impress. It has all the flavors of a luscious, juicy slice of apple pie without being cloying. The Apple of…
The Naughty Belle Cocktail: How Ladies Who Lunch Drink Bourbon
Ah, The South. Where the women are elegant, the peaches are juicy and the booze is Bourbon. Let a Southern Belle loose in the pantry and she might very well develop this cocktail. It’s strong balanced with sweet, homegrown, and very easy to love. Just like a Southern woman. I’m going to assume that every…
Rosemary Meyer Lemon Drop
The Rosemary-Lemon thing has been mainstream for awhile now. Lemon Cake with Rosemary Glaze, Rosemary and Lemon Roast Chicken, Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies, Rosemary Lemonade…need I go on? The piney qualities of rosemary and the bright spark of lemon are just a winning combo. This drink is no exception. Seasonal Meyer lemons and still-verdant rosemary…
The Bee Smoker Cocktail
What happens when the light and lovely classic cocktail The Bee’s Knees goes to the dark side? You get this – The Bee Smoker. The Bee Smoker is a cocktail for big, peaty Islay Scotch lovers who want something a little more playful than a finger of Highland Park 25, or who are trying to…