It wasn’t until I was developing the watermelon feta milk punch recipe, that it dawned on me to fat wash the spirit! Fat washing is a technique that used to extract ethanol and water-soluble flavor compounds from fat and infuses them into a spirit. The most common way to fat wash is to add liquified fat to a spirit, freeze the mixture, and extract the spirit from the fat.

While I can’t just hop on a plane anytime soon, I can recreate that feeling at home with this cocktail that I’m calling Breakfast in Paris. It is a Kir riff that is reminiscent of a French baguette smothered with butter and jam- a classic Parisian breakfast that I enjoy frequently when I am in France. The fat washing of the cognac takes this simple Kir to the next level.

There are times when I just want a margarita but without the alcohol ...or even the feelings from the alcohol as, let’s face it, seem to intensify as we get older. Something that would be great for a weeknight, during the day on the weekend in between errands, or just to simply enjoy for the taste because Margaritas are just freaking delicious!

I always get my best cocktail ideas when I’m eating. I love a good caprese salad. Oddly enough, it has all the components of what I look for in a cocktail- great acidity, herbal notes, a creamy texture and just a touch of salinity. Instead of simply infusing the ingredients into a spirit or making a syrup, I thought it would be more fun to create a more abstract vision for this drink.

This cardamom and rose scented pistachio orgeat is just heavenly. Its creamy texture will have you adding it to more than just cocktails. It’s really delicious in coffee or added to cakes as a glaze.

Spring is here, and all the wonderful things that come with it - Picnics in the park, warmer weather, pretty flowers, but there is one thing about spring that is not so wonderful - at least not for me, and that’s pollen. For all you seasonal allergy friends, this infused honey will have you back outdoors in no time!

I always want to take healthy ingredients and use them in my cocktails. Allergy season especially has me thinking of this. Once I learned that using local honey helps with seasonal allergies, because it has trace amounts of the pollen in your surroundings, I started incorporating it more into my food and beverages. It definitely helps that it tastes delicious.

Boozy, smoky and floral? Delicate florals are not typically commingled with boozy stirred cocktails, but the lavender in this cocktail really breathes new life into the Rusty Nail. The subtle smoke from the earl grey tea add an air of sophistication and the grapefruit oil gives just a hint of bitterness and accentuates the floral character of the Drambuie and lavender liqueur. It makes a wonderfully elegant night cap. One of my favorite scotch cocktails has to be a rusty nail - which has sadly fallen out of fashion.

There once was a girl who fell madly in love with a Persian prince - so she baked him a cake filled with love magic to make him fall in love with her. The verdict is out on whether it worked or not, but one thing is for sure - this cake is magical. Made of almond flour and lemon. Scented with rose and cardamom and topped with pistachio, I knew this cake would make an excellent cocktail.

I’ve been making milk punch for quite some time now and have never ventured into vegan milk punch ... until recently. I knew that there had to be a way to make a vegan version of clarified milk punch. Coconut milk seemed like the optimal candidate, the most obvious choice, because it’s essentially the same make up: water, fat and protein, just like in cow’s milk.

Though classic meringues are made with egg whites, they can also be made with aquafaba- aka the liquid left over from cooking dried chickpeas. It’s also the liquid found in cans of chickpeas. It behaves much like egg whites when whipped up with sugar and a bit of acid.

When it comes to Milk Punch, there are two styles: the New Orleans style that’s made with rum, brandy and whole milk or cream, and the clarified version sometimes referred to as English Milk Punch that dates back a few centuries. Ben Franklin even had his own recipe.

Watermelon & Feta salad is one of my summertime obsessions. It’s so refreshing on a hot summer day, and the sweet and salty flavor profile is definitely my kind of salad. As I was enjoying one the other day, I thought to myself, how could I make this even more refreshing? The answer of course - is to turn it into a cocktail!