This comforting hot drink, warm with spices, is the perfect antidote to winter’s chill.

A Gibson is essentially the same recipe as a martini. The garnish is an earthy pickled onion with a hint of acidity, instead of a briny olive. In our version we play up the flavor of the pickled onion by adding a bit of shallot infused red wine vinegar from France. The vinegar gives the cocktail a slight blush.

A refreshing drink for a June day when the local strawberries are at their best.

This herbal tisane is especially restorative and relaxing when taken in the evening as the days get cooler and the nights get longer. Wrap yourself in your Afghan and settle into fall.

This is a nice choice for New Year’s Day or brunch. In Italy a caffè corretto is a shot of espresso “corrected” with a splash of alcohol say grappa or sambuca. This drink takes the opposite approach by adding espresso to the liquor. Revive yourself with this smooth and bracing blend of espresso, balsamico and vodka.

Amaretto Sours were very popular in the ‘70’s. Justifiably so, except that they were usually made with a mix. With its combination of almond, cherry and chocolate balanced with lemon, fortified with Bourbon and capped with snow-white foam; this is the perfect libation to serve at your Christmas gathering. We rim the glass with crushed amaretti. Here is how to make one from scratch.

The typical version of this cocktail calls for tequila and grapefruit soda. Ours is a bit more elaborately concocted. You will find it refreshing and quite irresistible in this heat.

Salt stimulates the appetite and thirst.  Rimming your cocktail glass with salt enhances the flavors inherent in the potion and may provoke the desire for a second round.

Vinegar with Passion Fruit; this blend has an exotic freshness that evokes seafood recipes and takes our senses on a delicious journey.  Have a sip with your favorites from the raw bar or with tacos dressed in a cilantro lime slaw.

We’ve given this luxurious century-old classic Cognac cocktail a slight cosmetic makeover. Typically, the glass for this cocktail is rimmed with sugar. We are using a blend of fleur de sel, sumac and sugar to enhance the balance of sweet and sour inherent in the drink.

The Old Fashion was developed near the dawn of the 20th Century, so called because it harked back the style of cocktail in vogue in the early 1800’s. We substitute Villa Manodori "Artigianale" Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP for the usual Angostura bitters with great results.

The fruit vinegar lends a bright, tangy flavor of sunny citrus fruits to this very refreshing drink.  Rosemary would make an excellent alternative garnish.

This is a great alcohol-free drink to inaugurate the holiday season with. Make the shrub a few days before you intend to use it. If you want to fortify it with spirits add an ounce or two of white rum, gin or vodka. Try using brown sugar with rum. If you opt for gin adda couple of juniper berries to each cocktail. Happy Holidays!

Start your Labor Day festivities off with a preview of fall’s flavors.  There are teetoatler and spiked versions.

A shrub is a Colonial Era beverage made with a sweetened vinegar base diluted with water, seltzer, wine, or spirits that is enjoying a renaissance. Make it with sparkling water for the church social, with a still or sparkling wine for a summer afternoon refresher that is a bit racier. We are infusing the fruit and vinegar with basil for added complexity. Tarragon or lemon verbena would be good variations. This recipe is readily adaptable to many summer fruits and berries.