From hot mulled wine and bubbly spritzers to creamy cheese dips and grilled oysters, we’ve gathered up all our favorite cocktail party essentials. Whether you are hosting a New Year’s bash or simply sipping at home, there is sure to be a drink or a bite to please everyone. So you’ve finished binging your favorite…
Cocktails and Drinks
Delicious cocktail & drink recipes. Some are even made with the help of your grill or smoker! Everything from smoked ice to grilled lemon simple syrup.
Holiday Gift Guide for Wine & Cocktail Lovers
Our Holiday Wine Gift Guide is perfect for the Wine and Cocktail Lovers on your list. From books, to wine clubs, we have plenty of options. These are our suggestions for the wine or cocktail lover on your list this year. They’re all products we use and love on a regular basis and think you…
Rhubarb Simple Syrup for Cocktails
Rhubarb Simple Syrup is a fruity flavored liquid sweetener you can add to your favorite summertime drink or cocktail to add a punch of tartness and a beautiful pink hue. You can also use this simple syrup in sweet tea, on top of ice cream, pancakes, or in an afternoon aperitif. Use this syrup to…
Rhubarb Lemon Fizz – A Rhubarb Cocktail
Rhubarb Lemon Fizz is a fun, festive, and refreshing summer cocktail containing 4 simple ingredients (and can also be made alcohol-free). Living in the Pacific Northwest we are surrounded by fresh berries and produce throughout the summer season. A few years ago a neighbor handed me a full bag of rhubarb from her garden. Not…
Pomegranate Ginger Beer Cocktail (a Holiday Cocktail)
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine. Ginger Pomegranate Cocktail is a refreshing cocktail made with ginger beer, pomegranate flavored Italian soda, lime juice, vodka, and some fresh herbs. It’s the perfect refreshing holiday cocktail this season. As always, please drink responsibly. It’s the holiday season!…
Apple Cider Mimosa – The Perfect Apple Cider Cocktail
Apple Cider Mimosa just screams fall. From autumn brunches to the holiday season, this apple cider cocktail is one of our favorite drinks to enjoy. Make this kid friendly with a sparkling water float. Living in the country, our farm is surrounded by orchards of all types and apples here are harvested October through November….
Watermelon Cocktail with Sparkling Wine
This Watermelon Cocktail made with fresh watermelon juice and sparkling wine couldn’t be easier to make. And it is the most refreshing summer cocktail you’ll drink this summer. I have an aversion to artificial watermelon-flavored things (candy in particular). But fresh watermelon, I could gobble up for days. And with all the fresh watermelon that…
Bourbon Cocktail with Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup
We love Bourbon Cocktails in our house and this one just made it to the top of the list. A Grilled Lemon simple syrup is the base, then we add our favorite bourbon and a few dashes of cherry bitters. This cocktail is perfect whether looking for a summer bourbon cocktail, or just something creative…
Mulled Wine Recipe
Mulled Wine is a comforting winter drink made from a blend of red wine, spices, and citrus, served warm. This holiday classic is perfect for sitting by the fire or serving as a cocktail at your holiday parties. This easy traditional holiday cocktail comes together in less than 10 minutes! Mulled Wine Mulled wine, also…
Pomegranate Mimosa
A delicious and festive 4-ingredient Pomegranate Mimosa made with sparkling wine, Cointreau, and pomegranate juice (plus garnish). The perfect cocktail recipe for holiday parties! The Holiday Season is officially here (wohoo), and along with that comes the decorations, music, lights, shopping, and my favorite part, the holiday parties! Parties filled with good friends, good food,…
Classic Hot Toddy With Cognac
Classic Hot Toddy Recipe made with Cognac for those cold winter nights or a great comforting cocktail. This recipe can also be substituted with brandy, whiskey or bourbon. It’s that time of the year — cold and flu season. Or just plain cold. And as much as I love me my wine, there are…
How to make a Spanish Carajillo…
How to make a Spanish Carajillo …or rather how I learned the proper way to order coffee in Spain, and a recipe for a Spanish Carajillo and other Spanish coffee drinks. On our second day in Spain several years ago, our group enjoyed a fantastic two hour long lunch at Loreto Restaurant in Jumilla with the…
Bourbon Spiked Hot Apple Cider
Bourbon Spiked Hot Apple Cider is an incredibly delicious and oh-so-comforting hot drink. This easy autumn cocktail can also be served cold for a refreshing treat! A Hot Apple Cider Cocktail When the fall season comes around most people are getting exciting about their pumpkin spice lattes. But for me, as soon as October comes…
How to make the Ultimate Mimosa Bar (or Bellini)
How to Make the Ultimate Mimosa Bar! No matter what time of year it is, mimosas are always a great idea! Whether for a wedding or baby shower, celebration, or heck, even Sunday football, your brunch needs a mimosa! And we’re here to show you how to create the ultimate Mimosa Bar along with some…
Blackberry Aperol Spritz (recipe & video)
A Classic Aperol Spritz Recipe, with a Pacific Northwest twist. An Aperol Spritz is a light and refreshing Italian cocktail with the perfect balance of sweet and bitter. In this Aperol Spritz Recipe we give it new personality by adding some homemade blackberry simple syrup. Aperol Spritz, An Italian Cocktail Anybody who has been to the…
Champagne vs. Prosecco — What’s the Difference?
Sparkling wines come in a variety of styles and descriptions, but they all have specific meanings and places of origin. If you’re curious about the differences between Champagne and Prosecco and many of the other words used to describe delicious bubbly beverages, start here. “BUBBLES,” “SPARKLING WINE,” “PROSECCO,” “CHAMPAGNE” — WHAT THE HECK IS THE…
How to Smoke Ice: Smoked Ice Cubes for your Favorite Cocktail
Yes, you can make Smoked Ice. Take smoked water, add to your favorite cocktail ice cube tray, and add to your favorite drinks. Yes, that’s right, smoked ice. We are not talking about liquid smoke, we’re talking about the real version of that. We’ve talked about smoked ice before, but we thought we’d bring it…
Smoked Bloody Mary with Smoked Bacon
Smoked Bloody Mary with Smoked Bacon is an absolute must try for your weekend brunch. It’s even better made with fresh summer tomatoes! Find out how to completely jazz up your next brunch with Smoked Bloody Marys! Since we first created this smoked bloody mary recipe back in 2014 it’s become a staple at any brunch…
What’s new at Ken’s Artisan Pizza?
Ken — a name that has become synonymous with some of the best pizza (and bread!) in Portland – has some exciting new additions to his well-known restaurant, which is now in its tenth year. Ken’s Artisan Pizza Shortly after I moved to Portland Ken’s Artisan Pizza quickly became our favorite pizza joint. Fast forward ten…
12 Tailgate Recipes (on the Smoker or Grill)
Here are 12 awesome Tailgate recipes that can be cooked on your smoker or grill for you to enjoy this year whether you’re at the game live or while watching your favorite game on tv! Tailgate Recipes Even in the dead of winter, people area willing to fire up the grill for their favorite Football…
The Smoky Old Man – A cocktail recipe…
… and a boozy birthday celebration Today is a big day. It’s Sean’s birthday. But not just any birthday, it’s his 40th birthday! I still remember when my mom turned 40 back when I was a kid. The house was decorated in black with “over the hill” signs everywhere. I grew up dreading the thought…
Cocktail Week — Adults Only Blueberry Lemonade with Gin
Cocktail Week continues today with… GIN I love the signature juniper berry flavor of gin. I love gin martinis. I love a refreshing gin and tonic. What’s not to love about gin?! And this bottle of gin makes me wonder why I don’t drink it more often. Produced in Scotland, Hendrick’s Gin is infused with…
Friday Favorites – Touring Oregon Wine Country
A weekly roundup of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Since returning to Oregon I’ve tried to immerse myself in Pacific Northwest wines, specifically on understanding the intricacies of each wine-growing region. This week I had the opportunity to spend some time focusing on two different regions…