Category

drinks

  • Misipasta

    Misipasta

    [From the May 2, 2024 newsletter] Before [Craig’s family] got here, I went with my friend Daniel to MisiPasta in Williamsburg. We ate many delicious things that night, but the highlights for me were: this cocktail which was like a Manhattan made with rhubarb liqueur. (Love rhubarb in the spring.) And the sausage sandwich —…

  • Fig Leaf Cordial

    Fig Leaf Cordial

    A few Sundays ago, I spied fig leaves at the farmer’s market for five dollars. I’m not the type of person who usually buys ingredients that I have no idea what to do with, but on this particular occasion, I figured: why not?

  • The Time I Made A Lime Leaf-Infused Lime Daiquiri But Couldn’t Open The Cocktail Shaker

    The Time I Made A Lime Leaf-Infused Lime Daiquiri But Couldn’t Open The Cocktail Shaker

    I’m a big fan of Simply Ming on PBS (in fact, I’m just a big fan of cooking shows on PBS in general). But Simply Ming seems to be one of the only platforms on TV where real, heavyweight chefs can come and showcase a dish (Daniel Boulud and Shaun Hergatt were recent guests). And…

  • Chocolate Malteds

    Chocolate Malteds

    Most people who buy malt powder do so to make malteds, not homemade everything bagels. But days after making those bagels, I found myself with a perfectly good carton of malt powder and, having made a chickpea stew for dinner, I figured: “Hey, we deserve some chocolate malteds.” Here’s the thing about chocolate malteds: you…

  • The Porch Swing

    The Porch Swing

    Looking for a refreshing summer drink? Try this one on for size. On Sunday night, we went over to our friends Mark and Diana’s and they served up a delightful twist on the Pimm’s Cup, a cocktail called The Porch Swing which they learned from Blue Smoke in New York (the restaurant that also catered…

  • Hot Coffee Drink vs. Cold Coffee Drink

    Hot Coffee Drink vs. Cold Coffee Drink

    There’s a funny website called “Is It Iced Coffee Weather?” that determines, based on your location, whether it’s iced coffee weather. The current prognosis for me is: “No. Try it hot.” This is a question I’m often asking myself because I enjoy drinking coffee every day, so much so that I drink tea in the…

  • How To Make a Manhattan

    How To Make a Manhattan

    Cocktail-wise, Craig–who’s now our official bartender–has two drinks up his sleeve. The first, a Sidecar, I wrote about a few weeks ago. Now he has a new one, perfect for these chilly-weather months: a Manhattan.

  • How To Make a Sidecar

    How To Make a Sidecar

    My planned Christmas gift for Craig this year was a copy of The P.D.T. Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan and Chris Gall, based on the drinks at P.D.T. (Please Don’t Tell) in New York which was just named the best bar in the world by Drinks International. It’s a bar that’s hidden inside a hot…

  • Last Minute Gougères

    Last Minute Gougères

    On Saturday night, with 45 minutes left to go before our friend Dara was due to drop by for drinks, I made a drastic decision. I decided to make gougères. This seemed like a drastic decision because: (a) I didn’t have the right cheese in my refrigerator and (b) I’d have to dirty the kitchen…

  • The Sazerac

    The Sazerac

    When in New Orleans, you should drink a Sazerac. I didn’t know this until I went with Pim to dinner at a place called Mandina’s (more on that tomorrow) and she ordered one. Pim’s Sazerac was so good–it’s made with Rye whiskey, absinthe or Herbsaint (an anise-flavor liqueur, like Pernod), and bitters–I made a mental…