Home Bar 101
Stocking Your Star Bar Much like your kitchen pantry, your home bar has some basic requirements. We get a lot of questions about what we stock and how we use it, so we thought we’d do a recap of just that. Note that this is a condensed version of a much longer and comprehensive post ...
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix
Sunday Kickoff I don’t drink enough Bloody Marys. It has long been traditional for me to make one while cooking on Thanksgiving morning, maybe again on Christmas morning, but then the rest of the year it slips under my radar. That’s going to change. I like to cook and making this mix is very much ...
Infused Syrups
Sugar and Spice With our garden reaching the end of the season we’ve been enjoying all the spoils of a long hot summer. The basil plants are bigger than ever, the hot peppers are fueling our fierce salsa habit, the thyme, oregano and sage keep our summer barbecues full of flavor. Inspired by the these ...
Marmalade Martini
I spotted the sign at the market: two pounds of California naval oranges for $.99! And grapefruits were on sale too! I grabbed a bag and loaded up, excited to dig out my canning jars over the weekend. A day of marmalade making later, I had filled 8 jars with thick, gooey marmalade. Then, lucky ...
Bathtub Gin
A friend recently declared that “gin is the bacon of alcohol.” Much like bacon it is quite versatile, has a strong decisive flavor, and generally can mix successfully with just about everything.
The Bushwacker
“You should have a bushwacka! That’s a reeeal mon’s drink,” said the bartender. He let the words hang there like a dare. Well. I guess that’s that. I’ll have one.
The Standard-King Cocktail
I believe that limitation breeds innovation. Being a creative problem-solver is of great value to anyone, anywhere, in any situation. A recent road trip landed us in a [very cool] Bakersfield hotel with a half bottle of hooch and not much else and I was still able to scrape together a pretty tasty drink.
The Opportunist (with Pear Simple Syrup)
I’m not a year-round baker. Just a special event baker. But I love it. I peel and poach the pears. I start to pour the pear water — a mixture of cinnamon, vanilla bean, sugar, and pear essence that the pear boiled and simmered in — down the drain…
Kaeng Phet Cocktail
Last week I had a spark of inspiration from of my favorite Thai dish, red curry. Sweet, spicy, sour, savory — the Four S combo. I scribbled out a rough recipe for a cocktail and was off to the market.
Ballast Point Old Grove Martini
This Thursday, we’re giving you not just one cocktail recipe but five. And we’re doing it with four (or fewer) common ingredients. Plus a heads up on a smooth San Diego gin …
