Notes2 ounces rye whiskey
I used Bulleit
2-3 dashes hopped grapefruit bitters
Bittermens makes one, available here: www.onlybitters.com
1/2 ounces sweet dolan vermouth
1/2 ounces maraschino liquer
1 grapefruit peel
Inspired by the flavors in a traditional IPA (bright, bitter, citrusy hops, sweetness from the malt, and a just baked bread quality from the yeast), I asked the head bartender at Charcoal in Chicago to mix me up a liquor only version. He told me what he put in it, and I tinkered with it […]FeedUnfurl
NotesIngredients
2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey (use something good, but not over-the-top)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar (or 1 sugar cube)
2-3 dashes of bitters; Angostura is traditional and works well; Fee Brothers’ Whiskey Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned Bitters are betterFeedUnfurl
NotesWe who like to mix drinks at home do it for many reasons: First, it's cheaper than drinking out. Second, it's fun to mix your own drinks at home. Third, it's even more fun to mix drinks for other people at homeFeedUnfurl
Notes 3 tablespoons gold rum
2 tablespoons brandy
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Ice cubes
2 thin apple slicesFeedUnfurl
NotesGinger flavors the creamed lentil soup and spiced carmelized onions make a fabulous garnish for this rich soup from India. You will need a food processor or blender to puree the cooked lentils.Unfurl
NotesNote: The most important part of a Bloody Mary is the tomato juice. Use a high quality juice, preferably not from concentrate. No need to use your best vodka here. Bottom shelf stuff will do fine. You can replace the celery salt rim with a salt and pepper rim if you prefer. Every ingredient should be adjusted to suit your own personal taste. I love horseradish. You might not.FeedUnfurl
NotesAccording to Ted Haigh (aka Dr. Cocktail), the French 75 is one of two cocktails named after the French 75-mm field gun, which was commonly used in World War I. "One barman in 1947," reports Haigh, "called it a Tom Collins with champagne instead of club soda. Vive la difference!" Here's Haigh's version of the recipe, from his wonderful book, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.FeedUnfurl
NotesAdd another drink to this list: the Sidecar. As with most cocktails, the origins of the drink are hazy (be suspicious of those who state with certainty when or where the Sidecar was first mixed), but this entrancing mixture of brandy, lemon juice and orange liqueur started making the rounds in the most fashionable watering holes in London and Paris during the 1920s. Very simple in structure, the Sidecar is complex enough in flavor to satisfy even the most jaded palates, but not so over-the-top with mixological gewgaws as to frighten away the casual tippler. FeedUnfurl
NotesThis recipe uses the International Bartenders Association's ratios of tequila, cointreau, and citrus juice, which makes a pretty strong margarita. Feel free to add extra syrup or to water it down some to suit your own tastes. To make short work of your lemons and limes, read our citrus juicer review here.FeedUnfurl
NotesBut an old-school daiquiri is an exercise in purity, as beautiful in its unadorned simplicity as a well-made martini or Manhattan. Of course, "well made" is a big factor here, as well: to fully realize the daiquiri's inherent beauty, be sure to measure your ingredients; free-pouring, while easier and cooler-looking than eyeballing a measuring cup, frequently leaves you with an odd-tasting drink. And while you can mix the daiquiri with different rums or in one of its fruit-enhanced variations, the use of fresh lime juice is absolutely essential; those little green plastic limes and day-glo bottles of Rose's should stay as far from your daiquiri as possible.FeedUnfurl
NotesThe Brooklyn may be less well-known that its neighbor, but it's equally delicious. The maraschino liqueur (we recommend Luxardo) adds a rich sweetness, which compensates for the fact that dry rather than sweet vermouth is used. You may have trouble tracking down Amer Picon, a French version of Amaro, an apertif most commonly made in Italy. Amer Picon is difficult to find in the United States, but an Italian Amaro such as Ramazzotti will substitute quite well. Or, you can skate by with a few dashes of bitters. FeedUnfurl
NotesThe Martinez cocktail may be a predecessor to the martini, but these drinks could hardly be less alike to the modern palate. The Martinez starts with equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, and this alone distinguishes it in two ways from the modern martini. You then add a teaspoon of maraschino liqueur and either Angostura or orange bitters.FeedUnfurl
NotesWhile enjoyable at any time of year, the crisply bitter Negroni seems particularly well-suited to springtime imbibing. Composed of only three ingredients measured in equal amounts, a Negroni is also remarkably difficult to foul up (though I won't way it hasn't happened) even by novice bartenders. FeedUnfurl
NotesThis isn't a Negroni. It is, however, the Negroni's long-lost autumnal cousin. First noted in print in 1927 in a slender volume called Barflies and Cocktails, and forgotten almost ever since, the Boulevardier takes the same Negroni formula--a good dose of gin brushed up with equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth--and gives it a twist by substituting whiskey for the gin. FeedUnfurl
NotesThat's one reason why, every year, hundreds of spirits and cocktail aficionados from around the world converge in the swampy heat of New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, a five-day conference celebrating everything shaken and stirred. Now in its fifth year, Tales of the Cocktail is currently in full swing, and countless tipplers--myself included--are scouring the French Quarter, asking bartenders at venerable watering holes such as the Carousel Bar, the Napoleon House and Tujaque's to mix up a perfect Sazerac. FeedUnfurl
NotesPerfectly suited for a hot afternoon or evening, the Ramos Fizz holds special appeal as a breakfast or brunch drink. I'll be in New Orleans in two weeks for Tales of the Cocktail, and I expect to get on the outside of several of these during the week. But for a drink this good, it's best to start warming up now—who's with me?FeedUnfurl
NotesWith a formula almost as old as the republic, the mint julep is a product of an era in which things were done much slower. Somewhat labor-intensive to properly make, a good mint julep can't be rushed, and cranking them out by the hundreds using prepared mixes and flavored syrups can only result in sadness. FeedUnfurl
NotesIt's Friday afternoon, and if you're lucky you've got about 60 hours before you have to think or speak for anybody else again. Time for the Whiskey Sour--the comfortable T-shirt of drinks.FeedUnfurl
NotesSpawned from the rum-soaked genius mind of "Trader Vic" Bergeron, the mai tai is one of the most regal refreshments in the exotic-drink universe. Originally made with 17-year-old Jamaican rum, imported French orgeat, Dutch curaçao and fresh-squeezed lime juice, the mai tai quickly became a phenomenon; it also quickly became perverted. Hordes of Trader Vic-wannabes took wild stabs at recreating Bergeron's long-secret recipe, and the result is what we all-too-often experience now: a sweet, murky drink filled with assorted fruit juices and syrups, with little resemblance to the original swoon-worthy concoction.FeedUnfurl
NotesThe Planter's Punch flowed out of the rum-rich Caribbean well over a century ago, and its origins date back centuries. Originally a simple combination of a full-flavored rum with lime juice, sugar, some form of spice and plenty of ice, the Planter's Punch morphed over the decades into elaborate concoctions containing pineapple juice, grenadine, several types of rum and so on, and the drink is the common ancestor of all those tiki drinks and punches that are once again in vogue. FeedUnfurl
NotesThe Cosmopolitan is a cultural touchstone because once upon a time, Dale DeGroff got one into the hands of Madonna at the Rainbow Room and it became the drink to be seen with. Then HBO and SJP, of course, made the drink ubiquitous and clichéd.FeedUnfurl
NotesThe Tom Collins dates back more than a century and a half, but its welcoming crispness keeps it fresh always. So established in the libational world, the Tom Collins even has its own eponymous glass (tall, with plenty of room for ice). Over the years, the drink has faced some challenges--bottles of Holland House Collins Mix in my parents' liquor cabinet spring to mind. Was squeezing a lemon really so difficult? But successfully navigating its course from horse-and-carriage days to the digital age, the Tom Collins is built for survival. Keep some lemons and soda water on-hand this weekend and knock together a Collins in between grilling stints. FeedUnfurl
NotesCooper Brothers Cocktail
1½ oz bourbon
½ oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
¼ oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
Stir, stir, stir with ice and then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Twist a piece of orange peel over the top of the drink. Garnish with a fresh orange twist.Unfurl
Notes Last week, when the polar vortex, something that ought to be a frozen rum cocktail with an umbrella on top, but is sadly anything but, had begun to descend its icy grasp on all parts of the U.S., I made the best pot of soup of my life.FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesFreezer cooking! Have you heard about this? You spend one day preparing meals for the month to keep in your freezer so you don’t have to think about it later. FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesWith only a few seconds of preparation the night before, you can awaken to steamy, creamy, perfectly prepared steelcut oatmeal. It’s like you’re suddenly transported to a cozy bed-and-breakfast where the hostess bustled around in the kitchen early in the morning in order to serve you this healthy breakfast treat at the moment you’re ready.EmbedUnfurl
NotesSo it's Labor Day weekend, the holiday that offers up togetherness and honoring American labor as flimsy pretexts for men across the land to stand next to fire, poking things. Unfurl
NotesMoist, luscious, and delicious. Just the right blend of spices make this chicken dish one of my most requested. Great hot or cold. If using thighs with skin, you can put over direct medium heat for the last few minutes to crisp skin.Unfurl
NotesThis project is a fun project for both chili pepper afficianados and those with a sense of humor. This is my 12-year old son's creation! It is sort of a Russian roulette with homemade twinkies. We made four twinkies, and filled one with a Thai dragon pepper filling. Will you get the fiery one or will you get a normal one? Either way, it is delicious!Unfurl
Noteshere’s an easy but satisfying twist on regular ol’ eggs. slice a cross section of red bell pepper so you get a nice circle-ish shape. take care to cut it so it will sit flat on a pan. heat both sides of the pepper in a frying pan for a minute or two, so that the pepper starts to soften but not too much. then, crack open an egg and put it right in the middle of the pepper.FeedUnfurl
NotesSo of course I was super excited when I saw these for Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes on Cupcakes Takes the Cake. The cupcakes were made by Zoey Cakes in Baldwinsville, NY.FeedUnfurl
NotesWhenever Joe makes homebrew, I whip up some spent grain bread. All the recipes I found on the internet treated the spent grain as a sort of add-on ingredient, the way you would treat cheese or raisins. I wanted it to be the main part–it is grain, after all. That’s what bread is. So after some tweaking (there will be endless tweaking, of course), I have come up with my own version:Unfurl
Notes Every holiday season I make batches of different colored and flavored marshmallows. This one is definitely a favorite. They will melt in your mouth. They are delicious alone, in hot chocolate, chopped up and added to fudge or brownies, dipped in chocolate...Unfurl