Happy Birthday, Angry Chef!

Happy Birthday to my dear husband, The Angry Chef, who turns 857 today! We celebrated this past weekend at our favorite Chinese restaurant—a place I fondly refer to as the Golden Dragon—with a small group...

Tea Tasting, Part I

One of my fondest—and most vivid—childhood memories is going to the tobacco shop with my father, who smoked a pipe.* Bear with me, I'll get to the tea in a sec. Pipe-shop adventures Now, Dad has long...

Maple Fireside Nightcap

Last week, our dear friends the Lady Otter and D. Bunnyhunter brought us a little jar of Macallan's Amber Liqueur to sample. Made by Scotland's The Macallan, this is an amazing whiskey liqueur with notes...

Nutty Spiked Cider for Two

This is my kind of cold-weather drink. I've had a savage case of the sniffles the last few days, and I asked The Angry Chef if he might oblige me with some kind of...

Rustic Raspberry Vodka-tini

Does the world really need another flavored "martini" that's made with vodka, not gin? Absolutely. Indulge me. I have a penchant for smooshing up fresh fruit with vodka and gleefully declaring Happy Hour. Be careful. This cocktail...

Hey, You: Save the Mint! And Make It Schnappy!

This week, I started to think about one of my dreaded end-of-summer chores: cleaning up the garden. Aside from all the weeding, pruning, and plucking, I needed to figure out what I'm doing with all...

Sangria Tasting Bar: A Trio of Punches

For most folks I know, the word "sangria" almost always translates into "instant party." And as with any good party, the more the merrier. Here's how to set up a sangria tasting bar to...

Sweet & Sunny Lemon Drop Liquor

Apparently, this weekend is cocktail weekend. Contrary to yesterday's Bee's Kiss, though, my Lemon Drop liquor is light and refreshing. It's a great late-summer-lazy-day-sitting-in-the-yard-waiting-for-the-barbecue-to-be-done kind of drink. If you start a bottle early this week,...

One Bee’s Kiss, Please. Hold the Stinger.

I couldn't tell you why, but I'm dying for a cocktail tonight. Not a glass of wine. Not an old standby like a martini or a bourbon, straight up. I'm in the mood for something...

How To Make a Proper Mint Julep

All that talk about cocktail gear a few days ago started to make my mouth water for a juicy cocktail or two to toast the end of summer. Now, it's been raining in Boston for...