Bring out your bowls and cups – punches are coming back! These mixed drinks are returning in a big way for good reason – they’re fun, fast, and festive. I make punches following the ratio recipe of the traditional Barbadian national rhyme: One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong, Four of Weak. Traditionally, the...
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There may be only a few chilly nights left this season, so I’m going to cut right to the chase: before winter ends, make a traditional flip. This historic cocktail was the most popular drink in taverns in Colonial America yet seems to be lost even in the current mixed drink renaissance. It combines...
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Cocktail drinkers know that a Manhattan isn’t a traditional Manhattan without Angostura bitters and one can’t make a Sazerac without Peychod’s. But home mixologists might not know how simple and fun it is to make bitters and home. What are Bitters? Bitters are strong herb and spice alcohol infusions including at least one bittering...
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I love the Olympic games, cocktails, and a good story, so I naturally fell for the tale of the classic cocktail, The Olympic. The forgotten stepsister of the popular Side Car, the Olympic originated in London in 1922, likely in recognition of Olympic ocean liner, not the athletic competition. The first recipes were one...
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A gifted bottle of Michter’s bourbon plus the first peaches of the season equalled a lovely cocktail a few weeks ago. Alas with the derecho and heat wave, I took to drinking the bourbon straight up for awhile. Now I’m back to share this cocktail recipe with you. A traditional Old Fashioned includes a...
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Shrubs, also called drinking vinegars, are the new ‘thing’ in the drink and DIY field. Shrubs are a way of preserving fruit by making them into a syrup with vinegar that was widely practiced by Colonial Americans. The LA Times wrote this week about using shrubs in cocktails. Studies show that raw vinegar may...
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It’s rhubarb season in central Ohio! I like rhubarb in jam, strawberry rhubarb pie, and my grandmother’s rhubarb crunch. But my favorite way to enjoy this slightly sweet, floral, first “fruit” of spring is in a vodka infusion. You might think I’m a lush but hear me out. Rhubarb is tongue-searingly sour and requires...
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This whole house-selling business is exhausting. I get up early to work on house projects and stay up late wondering how we will manage showings and what house we will buy. Like the addict I am, I’m making coffee a lot more regularly now. As recently as six months ago, I was grinding beans...
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