stories told here
I’m ahead of schedule. Typically I don’t crawl out of hibernation and start jonesing for sunshine and heat until February. Or, I might be behind schedule. January is almost over and I’m just now getting started on those resolutions. Or it could be just the right time for this refreshing, bright, better than water, better […]
Deliciously boozy and buttery homemade orange caramel sauce takes hot chocolate to the dizzyingly sumptuous sip and sigh territory, the treat I’m willing to wade through winter for. And while I’m busy pushing the resolutions aside why not add whipped cream (spiked, of course, with even more caramel sauce)? So this is Christmas Eve and […]
When I was a little girl being sick meant Mom would bring me ginger ale and hot lemon and honey to sooth my throat. It meant staying home from school and watching Perry Mason and the Price is Right on daytime television, Mom’s cool hand on my hot forehead. Comfort. Love. Like christmas being sick […]
coffee vanilla infused vodka spritzer With the weekend approaching I am feeling half motivated and half lazy, a combination that seems to cry out for a slightly caffeinated booze infused beverage. Something more grown up and less confused than Red Bull and Vodka (something I never tried but I’m going to be judgey about anyway). […]
raspberry sorbet and Rosé sipper Do you remember a world before Rosé? When drinking pink wine here in the United States automatically put you in a category closely associated with acid wash denim and skittles? When pink meant sugary sweet? And then suddenly Rosé was everywhere. Pretty people of all genders sipping proudly, taking […]
Peach Granita and Vodka Ice Tea Fizz: Real peaches, real tea, real vodka, real good. This not too sweet ice-cold cocktail is both fancy and backyard casual. Call it a fizz or call it a float. Have more than two, call a cab. If I had company coming over I would make this in a punch […]
This is the sort of drink that I wonder why I didn’t think of sooner. But then this is the sort of relentlessly hot day where sipping cold beverages next to a fan seems the only fitting activity and I’ve had iced tea on the brain. Last weekend we met a friend for her birthday- […]
Strawberry Smash Cocktail with Gin and Basil At the beginning of strawberry season I composed a list of recipe ideas. With this cocktail the list is complete and I am free to move on to other things. Ah, but what a way to go out. The blush of strawberries on my lips and the flush […]
The herbaceous notes of gin, the spicy earthy kick of ginger, and the bright fizz of Brut Champagne make this a surprisingly smooth, well-balanced, and sublimely dangerous cocktail. See this pretty picture, everything is calm and happy, the pretty flowers, the muted hues, the dancing bubbles. Have one of these delicious cocktails and the work […]
Jalapeño Lime Simple Syrup to spice up your life or, at the very least, your drink. Subtly sweet citrus simple syrup with just a bit of heat, this won’t punch you in the face with hot but may give a playful slap. No red mark. Use it to make an easy tequila cocktail or in […]
Sometimes simple is best. No need to stuff every fruit into your sangria, in fact, why not skip the fruit and get cool as a cucumber? Best of all?! this cucumber white wine spritzer is a batch recipe- so whether you sip it while doing chores or serve it to friends when all the work […]
Ice cream floats for grown ups. Smoked Maple Bourbon Caramel sauce drizzled over your choice of Milk Chocolate Extra Stout or Double Vanilla Ice Cream and Extra Stout Beer. Yesterday we had an ice cream social, the house full of family, friends, and stout (root beer for the kids). I guess you could also call […]
Bright mango daiquiris perfumed with just a hint of rose. The tropics, and a healthy pour of rum, blended. Winter is over here. I’m sorry but it’s true. The trees are blossoming, the daffodils are in full bloom, and temperatures in the high sixties by Saturday. But all this means nothing when it comes to produce. […]
My Sherry Amore: Pink Grapefruit and Vodka Sour This cocktail is dangerous, so smooth you hardly notice the booze. Inspired by a Pisco Sour with Vodka for kick, Sherry for a hint of herbaceous wine, Pink Grapefruit to impart a romantic pleasing color and citrus zest, egg white to make it smooth and frothy, and […]
Citrus and maple melded with just a whisper of rosemary in a make it all better hot toddy. Whether you’ve got a cold or are just feeling cold this hot toddy will chase away the chill. I made this hot toddy with rum but any drink with booze and lemon makes me think of Irish […]
Start with the flavor of nutrient rich blueberry and zesty ginger, then add a bit of banana, one more power punch of antioxidant rich pomegranate and you’ll never know you’re getting your greens on. Unless of course remembering that you’ve got your greens in makes you happy. Then remember, rejoice, do a yoga move or […]
A Classic Manhattan Cocktail Rye Whiskey, less sweet than its cousin Bourbon, and aromatic bitters are made sippably soft with the addition of Italian red vermouth. Stirred not shaken so the color stays true and the surface unclouded and smooth on the tongue. Nothing fancy just good drink. Everything I learned about Manhattans I learned […]
Why you should infuse your own liquor When I want a twist on a traditional cocktail I look in the spice cabinet. Ginger, Pepper, Cardamom, Coffee. To add these flavors to your cocktails you have two choices, an infused simple syrup or an infused liquor. I’m fickle. Half the time when I make a […]
Sipping on gin and juice takes on new meaning with this surprisingly delicious and simple winter warmer made with spiced apple cider and Pimms No 1. Leftovers of a different sort, wherein I root through the liquor cabinet looking for something new and discover the Pimms (inherited Pimms actually, bought because of it’s visual similarity […]
Looking for a slightly ghoulish grown up halloween drink? AKA- there is candy, but also booze. Try this caramel for brains hot shot. These halloween hot shots warm you three ways- caramel, heat- and brandy or whiskey. Plus pomegranate juice for a art balance. updated September 5th, 2019 looking for hot drinks that aren’t shots? […]
When seasons collide what’s left to do but mix it up with a coffee infused raspberry daiquiri. Coffee and a hint of spicy chocolate tempered by the sweet tang of fresh raspberries and rum. This combo could be the start of several different drinks. Blended and topped with whipped cream it’s a dessert in […]
I know. Longest title ever. Long title short story. Grapefruit on sale. Three open bottles of gin in the cabinet (gifts, every last one of ’em). Three distinctly different bottles of gin in the cabinet. Is it weird (or too Portlandia-ish)that I sniffed all three before opting for the New Deal Gin 33?
This cocktail isn’t pretty. As much as I love Pomegranate Molasses it turns out it does not, as I imagined, impart a ruby hue. But don’t let the murky water scare you, jump in!
I have been bad. Not putting up a new prompt, not even finishing my own assignment for last week. Why do I think of it as an assignment? I treat writing like an onerous task that I dread but the truth is the process is fun. I like to write but I don’t know what […]
I had every intention of posting a holiday specific post. Something sweet. Something heart-shaped. But that would be a lie.
Portland got its (semi) annual snow storm over the weekend so rather than brave the icy/slushy streets (nothing is plowed but the main roads and according to the internets 90% of the roads will never get plowed) we stayed home and I made cocktails with what was in the cupboard.
Spices rule the winter season. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom. Tropical heat and heady scents captured in intensely flavorful gingersnap cookies or celebratory toasts with sweet pear nectar and homemade cardamom infused brandy. Top it all with cava for a delightful winter drink After the coffee infused rum was such a resounding success I continued […]
I know, I know. Homemade marshmallows are so three years ago. But gourmet marshmallows are freaking expensive no matter how pretty they look and homemade marshmallows are like a blank canvas, the possibilities are endless.
It’s been cold here this week. I’ve had to take the hummingbird feeder inside to thaw and one particularly possessive hummingbird has been guarding the nectar, dive bombing another birds that dare to sip. While cold sugar water isn’t my thing hot liquor water can be and so the winter warmers continue.
Outside frightful. Coffee infused rum, delightful. Add a frothy cloud of warm eggnog and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. On days like this, when the roads are slick and the rooftops are white with snow, I can feel just a teensy bit less guilty for making a cocktail in the middle […]
