Gifting is one of life’s great joys. As a longtime hospitality and drinks professional, the spirit of generosity that guides my work is deeply aligned with the practice of gift exchange between loved ones. Both require an empathic understanding of another person’s perspective and desires and seek to deepen a relationship by anticipating another person’s needs and wants. Here are my top gift picks for any cocktail lover, whether they’re a seasoned pro or just starting out.
Food52 - Dunkaroos Alexander
“When it came time to actually incorporate this cookies-and-frosting dessert snack into a cocktail, my options were limited. My savior was the often-overlooked Brandy Alexander, which seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of more “serious” drinks. The classic is a combination of brandy (Cognac), crème de cacao, and heavy cream—topped with nutmeg.”
Food Network - 4 Best Non-Alcoholic Whiskeys, According to a Spirits Expert
“I don’t have any hard data for this assertion, but in my experience whiskey is one of the most emotionally charged spirits categories out there. Perhaps it has to do with Bourbon’s connection to the United States’ mythic past, Scotch’s projection of rugged masculinity or Japanese whisky’s elegant aesthetic that is so captivating, that it inspires legions of devoted collectors. Or maybe there is a simpler reason: it’s delicious.
It’s not unexpected, then, for people to have feelings about non-alcoholic whiskey. There are plenty of detractors out there, from beverage professionals to bloggers (to Amazon reviewers) decrying the category for being too expensive or quite simply not as delicious as alcoholic whiskeys. But the non-alcoholic spirits category is still emerging, and, when compared to whiskey’s centuries of refinement, downright embryonic. That said, non-alcoholic spirits, particularly whiskeys, have come a long way in the past few years and still have a long way to go.”
Food Network - 5 Best Non-Alcoholic Gins, According to a Spirits Expert
“There is also another reason why gin substitutes are so common in non-alcoholic spirits, they almost always are enjoyed mixed. If you love drinking straight gin, do you — but the vast majority of people usually throw in at least a bit of tonic water to their gin before enjoying it. Most non-alcoholic spirits are designed to really shine when mixed into a cocktail, and some producers go so far as to actively discourage people from drinking it straight. Cocktail making is a great showcase for a spirit by highlighting the favorable elements of any given ingredient while smoothing out possible shortcomings, and gin is one of the most widely mixed spirits in the world, so it is entirely unsurprising that gin is the largest category within non-alcoholic spirits right now.
So if you’re curious about the world of non-alcoholic spirits for whatever reason: dry January (dry life), culture, religion, health or if you’re simply just looking to expand your horizons, these picks are a great place to start your voyage.”
Food52 - Ballzooka
“The key to this drink is the Midori-infused tapioca pearls. In order to get the right chewy consistency, you'll want to be faithful to the instructions on the package. But the key difference is, instead of cold water, you use Midori. Tapioca pearls most commonly come in a black or dark brown shade, but green ones are not hard to find online. That said, the drink will taste just fine with the darker variety.”
Food Network - 4 Best Rum-Inspired Non-Alcoholic Spirits, According to a Spirits Expert
“If the first word that comes to mind when encountering the words “non-alcoholic spirits” is “why,” you’d be forgiven. Up until quite recently, this category of drinks — that seek to replicate as much of the spirits-drinking experience as possible while sidestepping the effects of ethanol consumption — have been virtually nonexistent. In the past few years the world of fancy non-alcoholic beverages has exploded, with all manner of spirits, wines, beers and category-defying liquids flooding the market.”
Food Network - 6 Best Rums, According to a Spirits Expert
“Rum is one of the most sprawling and diverse spirit categories. Despite its strong and well-earned association with the Caribbean, rum’s origins can be traced back thousands of years to south and central Asia. And while the go-to mixing move for rum might be a Daiquiri or tropical cocktail, rum can be used in a wide array of applications, from sipping neat to elegant stirred concoctions.”
Food52 - Dark Phoenix
“For this drink, I wanted to capture the feeling I had watching the Dark Phoenix saga unfold on the Saturday-morning X-Men The Animated Series. The saga tells the story of a psychic mutant, Jean Grey, who is possessed by an ultra-powerful alien entity and is transformed into a chaotic and destructive fiery red-and-orange being. The drink leverages the different densities between syrup (heavier) and soda water (lighter) to create a similar color gradient to the animated pseudo-deity.”
Thrillist - Why We’re All Under Jinkx Monsoon’s Spell
“A group of us waited for Jinkx Monsoon to arrive in an empty cocktail lounge in a midtown Manhattan hotel. When she walked into the room, everyone stood up like she was a visiting head of state. Given her colossal success—two RuPaul’s Drag Race wins, a yearly holiday special with collaborator BenDeLaCreme, multiple studio albums, and an extensive film and TV resume—Jinkx might actually qualify for the Prime Minister of drag.
We chatted about her role in the current Broadway production of Chicago, as well as her and DeLa’s holiday special, and why she’s so drawn to the Pacific Northwest.”
Food52 - Blood Orange Radler
“One of my favorite ways to incorporate citrus into my life is by combining them in all manner of cocktails, like this Radler variation that features IPA, lemon soda, blood orange, and Meyer lemon; plus a delicious non-alcoholic aperitif, Ghia, that’s flavored with botanicals such as rosemary, ginger, and gentian. You are free to use any manner of hoppy IPA you like, but my preference is to use a fully non-alcoholic one to make this drink as accessible as possible, although even if you used a regular IPA, this drink would be extremely low-proof—the equivalent of drinking half a can of beer.”
Thrillist - The Cake Boys Are All About Chaos
“To call what The Cake Boys do “drag” would be a gross oversimplification. A staple of the NYC scene for years, the drag king collective includes Muscles Monty, Senerio, Richard, and Sweaty Eddie; and their work incorporates music, stop-motion animation, and all manners of visual and performance art.”
Food52 - Tompkins Square
“As a drink recipe, this one is pretty easy to assemble: just measure, mix and stir. However, it calls for some relatively obscure ingredients that are worth seeking out. Kirschwasser is a clear spirit (i.e. eau-de-vie) made from cherries, and Maurin Quina is a bitter French aperitif made with cherries and quinine. When it’s cold out I love to garnish this drink with Luxardo cherries—always in season—even though the original recipe calls for fresh.”
Plate - WTF with Web3 and How the Technology Relates to Restaurants
“Lots of folks in the industry are desperate for solutions, and according to some, web3—the cluster of technologies that includes cryptocurrency, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and the metaverse—is an inevitable wave that will help restructure the industry, bring more money into the hands of owners and creators, and heal the earth. To skeptics, web3 represents a useless (at best) set of schemes that offer no benefits above existing technologies and come with massive downsides: security risks, rampant scams, and catastrophic environmental damage.”
Thrillist - 9 Reasons to Drive to Bellport, Long Island
“While many make the pilgrimage to the popular spots like Fire Island, a sandbar off the southern coast of Long Island, for those in search of a quieter scene, tucked away just west of the Hamptons is Bellport.”
Bon Appetit - The Right Way to Open a Bottle of Bubbly
“Uncorking a bottle of sparkling wine is by far the most emotionally charged beverage opening ritual. Sure, there is the satisfying crack of a cold beer or the soul-crushing frustration of stabbing the Capri Sun packet, but nothing comes close to the festive, borderline-alarming explosion that comes from a bottle of bubbly.”
Thrillist - How Brooklyn Musician Mel 4Ever Became Her Own Superhero
“For two years during the pandemic, I interviewed performers remotely. This month, I was finally able to join hyperpop sensation Mel 4Ever in a Brooklyn recording studio. It was worth the wait. Joined by collaborators Tor Miller and Jackson Hoffman, we spoke about new music, sobriety, and getting naked on stage.”
Food Network - Best Shaking Sets
“The magic of cocktails is their ability to take individual ingredients and transform them into something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. This is accomplished not only through the careful selection of ingredients but also in choosing the right tools. A cocktail shaker is perhaps the most essential bar tool in existence — it is the setting for the amalgamation of ingredients that gives rise to the emergent deliciousness we find in our Daiquiris, Margaritas and Whiskey Sours.”
Food52 - Vegan Grasshopper
This rendition is a synthesis of the various Grasshopper iterations, with a twist: It’s vegan. We live in a golden age of non-dairy desserts so instead of cream, we’re working with non-dairy vanilla ice cream. The tricky thing about working with alcohol-inflected frozen drinks is that the ethanol lowers the freezing point of the mixture, meaning that the drink will need to be colder in order to maintain that smooth consistency. This is why I added the step of returning the ice cream machine’s freezer tub to the freezer. (if you’re using a machine with its own chilling unit, you can skip this step.)
Lastly, if you are a fun person and like doing cool things, then you’ll take the effort to rim your glasses with sprinkles. But it’s not the end of the world if you choose not to.
Food52 - French Martini
“Rediscovering and rehabilitating cast-aside “bad” drinks is one my life’s joys. It reminds me of an interview I read in the 90s from Icelandic singer Björk (that I can’t find so I’m paraphrasing) where she questions why anyone would bother to do covers of good songs, since they’re already good. Why not find bad songs and cover those instead?”
Food52 - Spiked Egg Nog
“I first learned about Egg Nog from my dad. Even though he’s a huge wine geek he took particular delight in making Egg Nog every holiday season. Usually it showed up on New Year’s Eve and, as I approached drinking age, I began to sneak larger and larger samples every year.”