Once you are known in your circle of friends and acquaintances as the “cocktail person,” interesting recipes seem to come your way. My friend Jo recently sent me a recipe for an Aviation that her son made for her when they visited over the holidays. I had heard of the Aviation but had never tasted one or tried to make it. It’s a lovely shade of violet (due to the addition of Creme de Violette), but don’t let the easy on the eyes color fool you- it packs a wallop. Maybe because it also includes gin and maraschino liqueur (and a little, and I mean, a little bit of lemon juice). It’s a classicall ..read more

Hello to all you cocktail aficionados! I have been very remiss in my duty to provide you all with consistent cocktail recipes in 2021 and for that, I apologize. But I am here to save you from falling asleep on New Year’s Eve with a new recipe, the Espresso Martini. Are you at a point in your life where staying up until midnight on New Year’s Eve is no longer a must? Yeah, me too. And yet… there are invitations and opportunities to ring in the new year, even in 2021 when Covid cases are again on the rise. People of all ages are gathering together again, mostly in small groups, to celebrate the ..read more

Happy February folks!  Or as we like to say in the frigid Northeast, the month of the never-ending snowstorms.  Actually I believe the snow is supposed to stop today, so I’m being a bit dramatic.  We’ve had very mild winters the last few years so I’m just surprised when we actually have winter weather here. It’s to be expected I suppose. So last year my husband and I did a dry February.  You may recall that February 2020 was the last semi-normal month we had before Covid hit us.  If we’d had any idea what was awaiting us in the months after February, I think we would h ..read more

I must apologize for a post so close to Christmas Day, but it has been awhile since I’ve posted a cocktail recipe, and even though things are quite hectic this week, we all need a drink or two to help get us through the holidays.  Obviously this holiday season is like none other in recent memory.  I absolutely love the holidays, but it feels so weird this year.  It’s not like we are normally invited to many holiday gatherings, but the fact that we aren’t going ANYwhere except to the grocery store can really bring a person down.   This sparkling pomegranate punch is eas ..read more

It’s almost that time, folks- Election Day.  Halloween was this past Saturday and now we are hours away from another spooky event.  Depending on who you listen to, we could be in for an extended wait to find out who will be leading our country for the next four years.   I am not going to turn this into a political post.  I’m not out to change anyone’s mind about who to vote for, and no one is going to change mine.  But here’s something I think we can all agree on- we will all need a strong cocktail during this election process.  And even though the election m ..read more

I am having a hard time believing it, but my son is turning 21 next week.  It is simply unfathomable that my baby is officially an adult.  Not that he doesn’t still need his Mama.  He calls and texts me some of the most basic questions about how to adult.  He’s a junior in college and although all of his classes are currently online, he is living at his off-campus apartment with five roommates.  And yet he tells me “I’ve had a stuffy nose for awhile and nothing comes out when I blow.  I think it might be a nasal infection.” Um, what?  And  “I’m taking a ..read more

One of the best things about being known by your friends as a cocktail connoisseur (is that what I am?) is that many of them send me links to great drink ideas, or let me know of an interesting concoction they’ve created.  I don’t get around to trying every recipe given to me, but my friend Mary Lou recently told me about a light summer refreshment she came up with that I just had to check out.  She calls it the Lou Lou Melon, which I think is clever.   Mary Lou originally made it with Bacardi Grand Melon watermelon rum, but apparently Bacardi discontinued this spirit in 20 ..read more

As I’ve mentioned previously, there’s nothing like a great mixer to make a fabulous cocktail.  It’s not easy to come up with unique cocktails on a regular basis (as you’ve seen with my inconsistent posting habits).  But this past weekend I stopped in my local liquor store and spent awhile perusing the mixers section.  Sometimes you start with the booze and sometimes you start with the mixer!  Doesn’t really matter as long as you come up with something tasty. So I found this Powell & Mahoney All Natural Blood Orange Mimosa Cocktail Mixer and my mind was racing with ..read more

Is it just me, or did everyone have to forego their summer vacation plans and have to make do with staycations this year?  I’ve seen a few Facebook posts of friends traveling to nice spots, but for the most part, it looks like we are all staying put.  I suppose most of us have resigned ourselves to stay safe at home and ride out this Coronavirus storm.  It’s okay, really it is.  It’s not as if we could really do much even if we WERE able to go somewhere.   If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may recall we had plans for a dream trip to the Greek islands t ..read more

For those of you who find time has no meaning anymore, I wanted to remind you that this weekend is Independence Day weekend.  The 4th of July is on a Saturday, which means the holiday weekend starts tomorrow.  Hard to believe it’s July and things surrounding the Covid pandemic still don’t seem to be improving.  Or should I say they have improved, then deteriorated, and we are still in a quagmire (depending on where you live).   But it’s summer, and I love love love summer.  Everything just seems so much more chill- traffic is lighter, stores are less crowded, and ..read more