Where the Rainbow Ends, a cocktail inspired by Eyes Wide Shut and The Last Word.

While A Charlie Brown Christmas will eternally be my favorite Christmas special, Eyes Wide Shut is my favorite Christmas movie. We’re well past the time where the internet has debated whether Eyes Wide Shut is a Christmas movie, and the response is a resounding yes. The best holiday movies are at least a little twisted,…

Holiday cocktail ideas thanks to The Mixer: the classic Kir Royale and the new-to-me Italian Gentleman.

(Note: The Mixer from The Campari Group reached out to see if I’d like to share some of their cocktail content on my blog, and as a fan of many of their brands, I was happy to do so.) Fun fact: one of the criteria to be considered a cantinero, a specific kind of bartender…

Sipping on a Bicyclette while looking forward to 2021 and planning my cooking projects.

I thought we should start this book with something to lead you into your indulgence, a cleansing glass to get the juices going. It’s known in Italy as a bicyclette, as old men drink it and then wobble home on their bikes. Interesting, Harry’s Bar in Venice refuses to serve this concoction, rather as if…

The Hawksmoor Marmalade cocktail, otherwise known as a strong case for keeping bitter orange English marmalade in your fridge.

Before we address this delightful cocktail, a moment of seriousness: now that we’re less than a month away from the election, it’s clearer than ever that this election is the most important one in our collective lifetimes, and the only way to prevent this country from descending into a place where white supremacists feel free…

9.27.14: dinner (the first pizza night in far too long)

One thing I was hoping we’d be able to do following our vacation was to make one last jaunt to our local beach, and thankfully this past weekend gave us two picture-perfect days to choose from. While everyone else in New England descended upon their favorite orchard in which to go apple picking (or so…

Winter to spring cocktails: the Italian Greyhound from Canal House Cooking.

“We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into…

Fun with Meyer lemons: Campari and lemon aperitivi.

So you know how we received that box of gorgeous Meyer lemons from Rustic Garden Bistro? Over the past couple weeks we’ve been devising ways to use them up, so be prepared for a small onslaught of Meyer-lemon-related goodness.

02.07.09: appetizers (subtitle: i aperitivi).

The consumption of appetizers in Italy, particularly in the Piemonte region, is not one comprised of buffalo wings, beer specials, and quesadillas (not that there’s anything wrong with that, as all of those things are good), but that of slightly more, well, refined options.  I had been reading a great section in Autumn in Piemonte…