For the first time this year, I saw signs of the new season at the farmers market: purple-green Spring onions and lush, shiny strawberries. I was so enthralled that I decided to toast the first berries with a timely cocktail. This drink has a fruity-floral bouquet, with a clean finish from the mint and ginger. It's also not too sweet. When I served it to my guy, he took one sip and said, "This Read more

Most of us like a little something sweet after a good meal, whether it's a decadent dessert, a piece of candy, or a glass of dessert wine. I'm a sucker for creamy, sweet after-dinner drinks, like a white russian or a sip of Adult Chocolate Milk. Lately I've been getting creative with my dessert drinks, starting with this honey roasted martini. I tore the recipe out of a Grey Goose ad a while Read more

A long holiday weekend that also happens to be the last weekend of Summer calls for desperate measures! I'm talking about a potent cocktail that's both refreshing and delicious — these Sonoma Coolers will do the job perfectly. This pitcher drink is an interesting mixture of muddled basil and grapes, fresh lemon, grapefruit juice, and vodka. When serving, the whole thing is topped off with a Read more

Fans of flavored vodkas, listen up! Absolut vodka has just released its latest city-inspired flavor, Absolut SF. Since San Francisco happens to be my hometown, I was excited to get a bottle of the limited-edition vodka that's an interesting blend of grape, dragon fruit, and papaya. Although I found the vodka to be too sweet to sip solo, I thoroughly enjoyed it in this preparation. The combination Read more

Whenever I come across strawberries that are about to go bad — the mushy ones with lots of wrinkles and a deep red color — I set them aside and use them in a cocktail. Many recipes involve muddling the strawberries to extract the juices, so it doesn't really matter if they aren't the prettiest of berries. For adventurous home mixologists, I highly recommend you make use of blemished berries Read more

With mangoes at peak season, I've been stocking up on as many as I can to make the most of this fragrant fruit. My favorite way to enjoy their nectar? Why, muddled into an inviting tropical cocktail. The Larita — a combination of muddled mangoes, Van Gogh vodka, triple sec, and a simple rum syrup — is like an island vacation in a glass. If you can't make your way to the tropics, this Read more

Kumquats are in season now through April, and while they're at their peak a little longer, I'm stocking up to use them in everything from salads to marmalades. My current favorite application? In a cocktail. To make this effervescent drink, muddle the kumquats to release their juices and aromatic oils. You'll find that the brightness from the citrus marries well with ginger syrup, which delivers Read more

There's something so enticing about a cocktail that incorporates rosemary. In most drink recipes, like the one seen here, the rosemary is muddled in a cocktail shaker, so the finished libation has an earthy, fresh, woodsy quality, but no chunks of the actual herb. This concoction is especially alluring because it combines the subtle kiss of rosemary with vibrant, tart citrus. Although the base Read more

After enjoying a frothy dessert cocktail on Valentine's Day, I decided to try another recipe, this one with a St. Patty's theme. It combines vanilla vodka with coffee and chocolate liqueur to create a decadent liquid dessert. My favorite part is the frothy whipped cream that gets poured into the mixture at the last minute — it reminds me of the thick cream that sits atop a classic Irish coffee. Read more