Make this fruity treat while peaches are still in season! You’ll need a muddler and a highball glass—a nice 16 ounce tumbler will be just fine (pretty is as pretty does!). PEACH SMASHOne third of a fresh, ripe peach, sliced3 oz Bourbon whiskey1 tsp fresh lemon juice1 oz Simple syrupSplash of seltzer or soda water … Continue reading The Cooks’ World/Pinnacle Liquor Cocktail of the Week: Peach Smash
Lemon
NEW! Cooks’ World/Pinnacle Liquor Cocktail of the Week: The Miami Martini
With this post, I’m delighted to launch a weekly series of cocktail posts in collaboration with two of Rochester’s most respected independent retailers of cocktailware and spirits: Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor—located less than a mile from each other on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton. Please read more about these partners … Continue reading NEW! Cooks’ World/Pinnacle Liquor Cocktail of the Week: The Miami Martini
A Holiday Brunch Martini
What's a great beverage to pair with Christmas brunch? A Brunch Martini, of course! It has a nice balance of citrus sour with the sweet of marmalade and a good triple sec—I love Pierre Ferrand’s Orange Curaçao, but you’ll never go wrong with the original, Cointreau. Grand Marnier is great, too, even though it’s not … Continue reading A Holiday Brunch Martini
Home for the Holidays
This isn’t exactly a beginner’s drink, but it’s completely delicious, gorgeous to look at, and in tune with the December holiday season. It took several attempts to make it the way I like it. The original recipe, which I found online, didn’t include simple syrup, so between the lemon and cranberry juices it came across … Continue reading Home for the Holidays
The Grande Champagne Cosmopolitan
This is not your Desperate Housewives Cosmo. It’s a frothy, creamy, elegant, Cognac-based Cosmopolitan that takes its name from the sub-region of Cognac, France, considered to produce the highest quality grapes for the iconic brandy we know as Cognac: Grande Champagne. Of note, this part of the Cognac region has nothing at all to do … Continue reading The Grande Champagne Cosmopolitan
The Pedro Martinez
I found this recipe in Imbibe Magazine a couple of years ago, enjoyed another one last night, and I love absolutely everything about it—even the absinthe, which is an acquired taste that’s grown on me over the past decade. Michael Shea, at the Rum Club in Portland, Oregon, gets credit for creating this drink. The … Continue reading The Pedro Martinez
Cool your heat wave with the White Lady cocktail
When life hands you a lemon, find someone with gin and Triple Sec, and make a White Lady! Actually, life is great, and this only involved an *actual* lemon. Cold, refreshing, lemony ... happy birthday to me!! The White Lady is a cousin of the Margarita and the Sidecar, with a century of history and … Continue reading Cool your heat wave with the White Lady cocktail
The Green Park
Sounds redundant, doesn't it? I mean, aren't all parks green? But this is a delightfully vegetal summer cocktail, made with fresh basil plucked from our own plants. The fragrance of basil greets your nose as you lift the glass, and the flavor of celery weighs in from the bitters as you sip. GREEN PARK6 Fresh … Continue reading The Green Park
Fun fact and a special drink for Dad
First, the fun fact. This year—the Year of Our Lord 2022—Father’s Day and National Martini Day fall on the very same day: Sunday, June 19. Coincidence? I think not. So, if you’ve been putting off what to do for Dad this year and woke up this morning with your hair on fire about it (so … Continue reading Fun fact and a special drink for Dad
The Modern
You've heard of the Old Fashioned? Well, this is The Modern. And wow, there is a LOT going on in this glass! You’ll need sloe gin, which raises the point that “sloe gin” is mostly a misnomer, although gin is involved. It’s a gin-based liqueur produced by macerating sloe berries with a significant amount of … Continue reading The Modern
The Libation Lounge 