The Spirit World

Not that bubbly isn’t exciting enough, but if you’re in the market for a lily-gilding champagne cocktail, check out this Charles Baker creation.
Ile de France Special
Build in a champagne flute:
.5 tsp simple syrup
1 oz good cognac
Stir, top with champagne (or any white sparkling that you like), then cap with two or three dashes of yellow […]

St. John Frizell–bartender and Charles Baker expert–has an article in this quarter’s Edible Manhattan about the genealogy of New York’s classic cocktail revival bartenders, from Dale Degroff through Audrey Saunders and her many mentees, including PDT’s Jim Meehan and Frizell himself.
It’s a really interesting article (including a tidbit about Jean-Georges-pastry chef-turned-bar back Johnny Iuzzini) and […]

Invented by the inimitable Gary Regan, this cocktail’s combination of ginger and smoke always feels very festive to me, like pies and roaring fires and flushed cheeks and getting way smashed at your parents’ house. Be warned: this baby’s pretty potent, so be careful not to end up face-down in the Yorkshire pudding. Maybe best […]

If you’re looking for something wintry and warming to sip in one of those big old heavy double rocks glasses, but are tired of the old standbys, try this Apple Old Fashioned a la Misty Kalkofen. I realize that those of a non-NE USian bent might be tempted to lean toward a calvados or the […]

What is winter if not Manhattan season? This variation, named for a neighborhood in Brooklyn, is similar to the Red Hook, another Manhattan variation named for another neighborhood in Brooklyn. It’s just different enough from the classic recipe to keep things interesting.
The Park Slope
2.5 oz rye
.75 oz Punt e Mes
.25 oz apricot brandy (the sweet […]

Brandy milk punch is like a lighter (and boozier!) version of egg nog, with the added bonus of being notoriously good in a fog-cutting (hangover-curing) capacity. Absolutely vital in these festive times.
Brandy Milk Punch
2 oz brandy (cognac, really–treat yourself to the nice stuff)
1 oz simple syrup
4 oz whole milk
shake and strain, serve on ice or […]

For those of us in the US, the quadrennial political season is drawing blessedly to a close. I suspect it is not outside the bounds of reason to think that some folks out there may be planning election night returns-watching parties. And while it is a completely valid option to plan a drinks menu around […]

These were actually gifts from a friend for my birthday, hence the adorable little labels (I’m sure those bottles look familiar, though…) He has a lavender bush in his backyard that’s about to get zapped by frost, so he steeped some of the flowers in gin and simple (made with half white sugar, half brown […]

With Plymouth finally exporting their sloe gin to the U.S., American drink enthusiasts no longer need to make their own—if you can get your hands on one of the few bottles, that is—yet there’s something awesome about putting up summer fruit for holiday cordial. This traditional British recipe can be made with sloe berries or […]

Man oh man if it’s not the season for making awesome cocktail ingredients from the farmers’ market. Food, too, I guess, if you’re into that sort of thing. Pictured is my Thai basil schnapps, which couldn’t be simpler to make: take some basil, put it in a jar, cover with high-proof neutral liquor (vodka or […]