At first glance, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and bagels might not seem appropriate fodder for cocktails. (And if you asked my epicurean mother, they’re not fit for human consumption at all.) But after nearly 15 years dreaming up cocktail recipes for renowned bars and restaurants, for my first book, and for my now-shuttered nonalcoholic drink brand, Proteau, I’ve realized that cocktail inspiration can be found in a lot of unexpected places.
Recently, as I neared my 40s, this inspiration arrived in the form of a sentimental sensation deep inside my millennial brain. It was a yearning for the misspent and underappreciated years of my youth: the glorious 1990s. I took this inspiration and ran with it while writing Saved by the Bellini & Other ’90s-Inspired Cocktails.