Orgeat is a funny word. I remember seeing it for the first time in a row of bottles of flavored syrups available to add to lattes and cappuccinos and Italian sodas at an independent coffee shop in the 90s, the kind of place that had lumpy couches and open-mic nights and a patina of patchouli-scented dinge. …
Drinks
I’ve been doing battle with the ants who invaded my kitchen for the last couple of months, and it’s made me reluctant to take on big cooking projects lately for fear of finding something I’ve labored over swarmed with so many tiny hexapods. Uggh. But I couldn’t stay away forever. So I headed into the …
I don’t remember exactly when I first learned about Fernet-Branca. But somehow, perhaps four or five years ago, a bottle of it found its way into our liquor cabinet, and for a long while after that I didn’t quite know what to make of it. It’s a beast of an amaro, an aggressively herbaceous Italian …
A few years ago, bartenders went crazy for barrel-aging cocktails. The idea is simple: make a large batch of a cocktail, put it in a barrel (preferably one that’s been used for aging bourbon or wine) and let the cocktail age, mellow, oxidize a bit, and take on the flavor of the wood. It’s basically …
It may not seem like it, what with all the cakes and cookies and bars and brownies and pots de creme and cocktails, but I spend a lot of time thinking about wellness. I haven’t always been that way. I was a habitual lunch-skipper in high school (who occasionally pooled fries with friends). I subsisted mostly on grilled cheese for …
When the folks at Carpano asked if I’d like to try a bottle of their newest vermouth–Carpano Dry–I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve long been a fan of their sweet vermouths, Carpano Antica and Punt e Mes (Carpano Antica has been a staple in my Manhattans for years). I was curious to see what their …