Food Network - 5 Best Whiskey Decanter Sets, According to a Spirits Expert
In order to answer the question: “Do I need a whiskey decanter?” one first must determine their relationship to the word “need.”
Drinks52 - Lower East Side Glögg
“Let’s face it: The holidays are exhausting. Granted, they can also be tremendous fun, but even that “fun” usually requires a fair bit of work: travel, shopping, cooking, cleaning…even the actual fun stuff can be super draining. Who hasn’t spent an extra few hours in the morning after nursing the after-effects of too much revelry? (I’ve even had debilitating muscle soreness from laughing too much.)
All of this is to say that we owe ourselves a bit of rejuvenation and re-energizing every once and a while, and so I created this fully-non-alcoholic and moderately caffeinated drink to keep in your holiday arsenal. “
Drinks52 - Sesame Boulevardier
“Thanksgiving can be a challenging holiday for drinks. Usually you’ve got a wide range of guests, plus a menu that tends to skew towards big, meaty and fatty flavors that are not always an ideal match for fancy wine or food—although I bet my wine nerd friends would beg to differ.”
Drinks52 - Gibson
“First appearing in print in a 1908 cocktail book, the Gibson has enjoyed quite a storied history. While the exact origins of the drink are hard to pin down—there are about a half a dozen tales of varying degrees of credibility—the Gibson has shown up in Hollywood classics like North By Northwest (my favorite Hitchcock movie, in case you’re wondering) and All About Eve.”
Drinks52 - Mountainside
“When I first tasted Japanese whisky, I was struck by its woody perfume and incense notes. To bring that out in this drink, I infused simple syrup with fennel seeds. Normally, an Old-Fashioned would be made with a straightforward, unflavored sugar syrup like simple syrup or demerara syrup, but here we use the blender (aka my favorite at-home bar tool) for a rapid infusion.”
Drinks52 - Italian Margarita
This drink combines three passions of mine: margaritas, amaretto liqueur, and the act of “rehabilitating” drinks that many people find to be objectionable.
Food Network - 6 Best Whiskeys, According to a Spirits Expert
“There is a wide world of whiskey out there, and it can be hard to know the best place to start out exploring.
To start, it’s important to know the key features that define the category. Whiskies are always made from distilled fermented grain and must be aged in oak containers. Drilling down into specific categories and you’ll see that some whiskies are a blend of corn, rye and other grains, while others are made exclusively from barley. Furthermore, the type of aging vessel can vary from brand-new and freshly charred barrels that impart strong flavors to the spirits, to many-times-recycled used oak vessels that let the underlying flavors of the spirit shine through.
The main whiskey producing regions of the world are North America, Ireland, Scotland and Japan, but you can find whiskey from almost anywhere these days: Australia, Taiwan and even South Africa has an award-winning distillery. North American whiskies, in general, tend to be made predominantly from grains like corn, rye and wheat, while whiskies from Japan, Ireland and Scotland are mostly barley-based. A language note: Ireland and the US write “whiskey”, while Japan, Scotland and Canada, call it “whisky”.” For the sake of simplicity, this article will use the US spelling “whiskey” when referring to the overall category, while respecting the “e”-less spelling for those countries who have that tradition.
In addition to being diverse, whiskey is also an extremely versatile spirit. Whiskey is the base for iconic and primordial cocktails such as the whiskey sour, highball and old fashioned, but most whiskies can serve as a standalone beverage, served “neat” without any additions or with a splash of water or ice.
Given that whiskey is such a broad and diverse category, it’s tough to distill things down to a few simple “bests.” That said, if you’re a relative newcomer to the wide world of whiskey, here are a few top picks to help you along in your journey through this fascinating and richly rewarding realm.”
Drinks52: Italian Margarita
“This drink combines three passions of mine: margaritas, amaretto liqueur, and the act of “rehabilitating” drinks that many people find to be objectionable.”
Miz Jade Wants Us to Hold on to Our Power
Miz Jade is an educator, dancer, and activist who has seen it all in her career. From boating with Kesha, to promoting inclusivity through children’s books, Miz Jade has been busy turning parties and changing minds since she was a teenager. She’s also performing at Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation’s annual fundraiser this month. We sat down with her to ask her how life has changed since the pandemic and how we can all come into our power and show up for our communities.
Food & Wine: It Is Time to Rethink Danny Meyer’s 'Setting the Table'
“The first time I heard the name Danny Meyer was from my mom. She was a New York native and avid diner who had just come from her first meal at The Modern, his fine-dining restaurant that had recently opened in the Museum of Modern Art. She had been sitting at the bar when Meyer, the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group, paused long enough to make eye contact. She recognized him, but before she realized who he was, the flutter of familiarity prompted her to blurt out an inappropriately familiar hello. He said hello right back. My mom described this as the kind of warm but politely vague hello someone gives a person who they know they should know, but can't bring themselves to register a name. My mom was so struck by how warmly he, one of the most legendarily successful restaurateurs of our time, treated her.”
Drinks52: Double Strawberry Lemonade
https://food52.com/recipes/85886-best-strawberry-lemonade-recipe
“Leave it to a former fancy bartender to complicate what should be an otherwise straightforward drink. This lemonade features strawberries two ways: first, as the base for the syrup that sweetens the drink, and second, frozen as the ice that chills the drink and gives it a playful two-toned hue.”
Drinks52: Red Wine Sangria
https://food52.com/recipes/85887-best-red-wine-sangria-recipe
“Sangria is one of the more forgiving drink recipes. You can play around with a lot of different variations in terms of wine varieties, fruits, and other additions, but for this I thought we’d keep it as close to classic as possible.”
Bon Appetit/Basically: This Is the Summer You Make Your Perfect Margarita
“The margarita is special in the pantheon of classic cocktails. Like the venerable daiquiri, it’s primal enough that it can be made from commonly-found ingredients yet has enough complexity to offer endless possibilities for riffing and customization. The core recipe—tequila with triple sec and lime juice—is forgiving for beginners but with enough room for experimentation that seasoned pros can add their own touches of flair.”
Drinks52: Picon Bière
https://food52.com/recipes/85885-best-picon-biere-cocktail-recipe
“But don’t be intimidated! Beer cocktails like these are low-work, high-reward cocktails that can really hit the spot on a hot, lazy day (or any day).”
Thrillist: How Monét X Change Has Used Her Voice After Drag Race Win
“Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars season four winner Monét X Change has had an extremely full schedule ever since her win. With albums, podcasts, even a guest spot on Lovecraft Country, this queen is now beloved for so much more than just knowing how to properly wear a kitchen sponge. I caught up with her on a summer afternoon to chat about NYC versus LA drag culture, podcasting, and why local queens deserve more respect.”
Drinks52: Blue Hawaii
https://food52.com/recipes/85869-best-blue-hawaiian-cocktail-recipe
“It might look strange that this drink uses both vodka and white rum, but there is good reason for it. Known for being flavorless and neutral, vodka is often derided by some (in my opinion, overly serious) drink makers, but it can serve a valuable purpose. In a drink like this, with so many intensely flavored ingredients, vodka can act as a “spacer,” providing room for the other ingredients to shine, while still maintaining the drink’s strength.”
Thrillist: How Sabel Scities Embraces Island Life
“Drag queen Sabel Scities got her start in the Portland scene, but has since made a name for herself everywhere from Hawaii to Fire Island. This multifaceted queen chatted about crafting a drag persona, her favorite spirits, and why even a gay bar needs a gay night.”
Bon Appetit/Basically: WTF Is Absinthe Anyway?
“As far as alcohol-related misinformation goes, the mythology around absinthe is some of the most egregious.”
Who Ordered the Blue Drink?
https://punchdrink.com/articles/who-ordered-blue-curacao-drink-shark-recipe/
Photo by Lizzie Munro
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My history with blue drinks goes back to a night in the late fall of 2010. I was a bartender at PDT—the New York neo-speakeasy that helped usher cocktail arcana into popular culture—and was working with my boss, Jim Meehan, on a tropical drink I hoped would reflect the flavors of a traditional Thanksgiving meal.”