Recipes

Instagram-Friendly Aperol Spritz

Instagram-Friendly Aperol Spritz

Here’s one for all you “micro-influencers” out there. During a summer trip in Europe, the Aperol Spritz was our go-to drink even before we knew about apps such as Facetune to enhance* bold colors and details for Instagram (*completely alter reality to create false perceptions about people, places, and things). That orange, guuuuuurrrlllllllll, it really pops and will have anyone envying your alfresco dining situation. And with only three ingredients, it is perhaps the easiest and most effective way to pretend those 102-degree temperatures feel like nothing (when the reality is that the sweaty spaghetti straps on your boho chic tank top are melting into fettuccine).
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fill a large wineglass with ice.
  • Pour in the prosecco and Aperol.
  • Top with the club soda.
  • Garnish with the orange slice.
  • Enjoy!

Notes & Wine Advice

LITERALLY CAN’T EVEN

While there’s no need to improve this nearly perfect drink, here are a couple of ways to put a spin on the Aperol Spritz:
Add a splash of fresh grapefruit or lemon juice.
Garnish with a few slices of cucumber.
Add a splash of gin or vodka.
Can’t wait until aperitivo hour to have your spritz? Try making a frozen Aperol Spritz! Put the Aperol and prosecco in a blender with 2 cups ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and top with club soda.
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Course; Cocktails

Hot Damn Sriracha Bloody Mary

Hot Damn Sriracha Bloody Mary

It’s no secret that I love hot and spicy food, so in addition to the hundred-plus people I’d like to dracarys on a daily basis, I’d do it to my Bloody to ensure it has extra heat. But since I don’t have any dragons to fly, it only makes sense to incorporate my favorite condiment of all time, sriracha, into what is arguably the best hair-of-the-dog drink you can sip at brunch. I also am not the hugest fan of tomatoes (am I the only one who thinks they taste like dishwater?), so you know this ish has got to be good if it’s hitting my tongue and getting me out of bed during a hangover.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fill a pint glass with ice and set aside.
  • In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, lime juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, sriracha sauce, celery salt, and cumin.
  • Give it a few shakes and strain into the prepared glass.
  • Garnish with caper berries, cocktail onions, the celery stalk, and the lime and lemon wedges.
  • Serve.

Notes & Wine Advice

LITERALLY CAN’T EVEN
Switch up the base of your Bloody Mary by using Clamato—tomato juice that has clam broth added to it.
Make a big batch for a party and set up a garnish bar for your guests to make their own personalized Bloody Marys. Garnish options: pickles, bacon, olives, celery, baby carrots, lemons, limes, cherry tomatoes, pickled green beans, deviled eggs, shrimp, crab legs—anything you like!
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Course; Cocktails

Moscow Ass

Moscow Ass

My obsession with ginger knows no bounds, though I once dated one who was a serious ass. Ginger root, or rhizome, rather, is my one true love, with its surplus of health properties and delectably spicy notes. I put it on everything and in everything, and if there’s an opportunity to sip it from an adorably hammered copper mug with a candied garnish, then you better believe I’m already there cheersing the bartender and talking about the meaning of life. Or why Jessica Simpson’s gestation period seems to be that of an elephant. Her pregnancies last for three years, no?
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fill a copper mug with crushed ice.
  • Add the vodka and lime juice, top with the ginger beer, and stir.
  • Garnish with the lime wedge and mint sprig.
  • Enjoy.

Notes & Wine Advice

JUST THE TIPS
The type of ice matters here. Make sure to crush it! You can do this by pulsing the ice in a food processor or by putting it in a zip-top bag and breaking it up with a meat mallet.
It’s not necessary, but a Moscow Ass arguably tastes better out of a copper mug.
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Course; Cocktails

The Skinniest Margarita in the Room

The Skinniest Margarita in the Room

If you haven’t licked your Himalayan salt lamp yet, you’re lying. But this time we’re taking that Himalayan salt in granular form and using it to line the rim of a skinny margarita. Sure, having the bartender drop triple sec may be code for “mess me up until I forget my own name,” but tequila has become my drink of choice because a) it actually makes my hangovers less severe; b) it’s seemingly healthier because it isn’t derived from a carb such as potatoes or barley; and c) skinny margaritas. No matter your reasoning, I think we can all agree that salt, sweet, and alcohol is a perfect trifecta. At least for me… every day… at five p.m., when my patience wears as thin as Calista Flockhart in The Birdcage.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Run a lime wedge around the rim of your glass; set the lime wedge aside for garnish.
  • Pour the salt onto a plate and dip the rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
  • Fill the glass with ice and set aside.
  • In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice.
  • Shake until chilled.
  • Strain into the prepared glass and garnish with the lime wedge.
  • Enjoy.

Notes & Wine Advice

JUST THE TIPS
Use a quality tequila. For a skinny margarita, you are omitting the sour mix that contains a lot of sugar and hides a lot of the flavor of the tequila. Use a tequila that you’d be happy to drink on its own.
Are your limes too firm? Roll them under your hand on the counter to loosen the juices. Still too hard? Pop them in the microwave for a couple of seconds, but make sure not to let them go too long or they will burst!
Want to make a frozen skinny margarita? Freeze your citrus juice in ice trays and blitz it with the tequila, orange liqueur, and ice in a blender.
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Course; Cocktails

Kombitcha

Kombitcha

Since I’m a stomach-issue sufferer who’s about one accident away from permanently replacing underwear with Depends, I rely on kombucha for its scientifically touted digestive benefits (come through, fermentation). It also helps that the drink is fizzy and fun and can be tailored with spices, herbs, and fruit juices to create surprisingly complex flavor profiles. The process is a bit laborious, though, especially making the SCOBY, but so is doing your nails or filing your taxes. These tasks are simply nonnegotiable and always pay off in the long run. (At least the first one. I somehow owed money two years ago and am still bitter about it.)
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Ingredients

  • 10 cups cold filtered water
  • 8 bags black tea or 2 to 3 tablespoons loose-leaf black tea (or a mix of green and black tea)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 12-ounce package SCOBY starter
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar optional

Instructions

  • Sterilize a 1-gallon glass jar with boiling water.
  • Set aside to dry.
  • In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of the filtered water to a boil.
  • Remove from the heat and add the tea bags.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar until it dissolves.
  • Transfer the sweetened tea to the sterilized jar.
  • Fill the jar with the remaining 8 cups filtered water, leaving 3 to 4 inches of space at the top of the jar.
  • Check the temperature of the tea: it should be between 68ºF and 88ºF, (the ideal temperature is 76º).
  • If the tea is too hot, it can damage the SCOBY.
  • Add the entire package of SCOBY starter and give the tea a stir.
  • It’s now time to test the pH of the tea.
  • Dip a pH test strip in the tea mixture and compare its color with the color chart: the pH should be 4.
  • 5 or below.
  • If the pH is too high, add the vinegar, stir, and test again.
  • Cover the top of the jar with a cotton cloth or a coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band.
  • Set the jar in a warm place out of direct sunlight—the top of a cupboard is a good option.
  • Let the brew sit for 7 to 14 days; do not move it.
  • At day 7, begin tasting your brew by using an eyedropper to draw a sample from the side of the jar, trying not to disturb the SCOBY culture that has formed on top of the brew.
  • The longer the tea ferments, the more sugar molecules are eaten up, resulting in a less sweet tea.
  • The end result should be slightly tart.
  • If it tastes too sweet, cover the jar and let the kombucha continue to ferment.
  • Check every day until the kombucha reaches your desired taste.
  • If it’s too tart, simply sweeten it during bottling and try fermenting it for fewer days next time.
  • Once your desired taste is reached, test the pH again.
  • The ideal pH for kombucha is between 2.
  • 5 and 3.
  • 5.
  • Now it’s time to bottle.
  • Using clean hands, remove the SCOBY culture from the brew and place in a sterilized glass jar with at least 1 cup of the kombucha brew.
  • This is your starter for next batch of kombucha!
  • Cover with a cotton cloth and secure with a rubber band.
  • Store in a warm, dark spot for up to a month until ready to brew your next batch.
  • Transfer the rest of the kombucha to sterilized glass mason jars, leaving about ½ inch of space at the top.
  • Seal the jars with their lids and leave them at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 1 to 3 days to begin their second fermentation, when they will become carbonated.
  • The longer you ferment it, the more carbonated it will be.
  • Refrigerate to stop the fermentation and carbonation.
  • Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Notes & Wine Advice

LITERALLY CAN’T EVEN
Black tea is ideal for kombucha, but green tea also works. Or try using a blend of black and green tea leaves.
JUST THE TIPS
Use only glass containers when making kombucha. No metal or plastic.
The type of sugar matters. You may be tempted to substitute other sugars for regular granulated sugar, but refrain! Granulated sugar is the best for feeding yeast and bacteria.
Plan ahead! Kombucha is a labor of love and requires two fermentation periods—the first for developing the perfect balance of tart and sweet and the second for developing bubbles.
While your kombucha is fermenting, taste it daily. If you let it sit too long, the yeast will die once it eats all the sugar, resulting in a vinegary-tasting product. If you don’t let it ferment long enough, your product will be a very sweet tea.
If your SCOBY develops any type of mold, throw it out and start all over with a new one.
THE MORE YOU GLOW
Since kombucha is a tea that has been fermented, it’s a good source of probiotics, which are great for gut health. It’s also rich in antioxidants.
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Course; Cocktails

Nut Milk

Nut Milk

Couverts4 cups
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw nuts cashews, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, or any others
  • 3 cups hot water
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon honey agave nectar, or maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

  • Put the nuts in a medium bowl and cover with about 2 inches of water.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to soak for at least 12 hours or up to 2 days.
  • The nuts will plump and soften the longer they sit.
  • For a creamier milk, let the nuts soak for a longer amount of time.
  • Drain and rinse the nuts and transfer them to a blender.
  • Add the hot water, salt, and honey, if using.
  • Blend on high speed for about 3 minutes.
  • Line a colander with cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl.
  • Strain the nut milk through the cheesecloth, pressing on the solids to release all the liquid.
  • Discard the nut pulp or reserve for future use.
  • Transfer the nut milk to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to three days.

Notes & Wine Advice

JUST THE TIPS

Always use the freshest raw nuts to get the most flavor for your milk.
Avoid nuts with their skins on for a less chalky texture and increased flavor in your finished product.
You cannot oversoak your nuts! Soak for as little as 12 hours or as many as 48 hours for a silkier, tastier product.
Don’t throw away your strained nut pulp. Freeze it to add to smoothies, bake with your granola, or add to your oatmeal, or dry it out in the oven and use it as nut meal.
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Course; Basic recipe / Nuts

You’re So Vanilla Milkshake

You’re So Vanilla Milkshake

You may not be bringing all the boys to the yard, but you’ll certainly be bringing them to your kitchen with this easily customizable take on an American classic. Since nut milks from literally every type of nut are all the rage, there’s also a world of healthy possibilities and more combinations than Cher’s closet in Clueless. You probably won’t be wearing an Alaïa anytime soon, but after occasionally subbing nut milk for dairy, you’ll at least be able to fit in one and avoid being a virgin who can’t drive.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place a pint glass in the freezer to chill.
  • In a blender, combine the ice cream, vanilla bean paste, and milk.
  • Blend on high until smooth.
  • Pour into the chilled pint glass and top with whipped cream and a cherry.
  • Serve with a straw.

Notes & Wine Advice

LITERALLY CAN’T EVEN
The perfect milkshake is very personal. If you like your milkshake thicker, cut back on the liquid; if you like it thinner, feel free to add a bit more.
Not into ice cream? Substitute frozen yogurt.
Going dairy-free? Use dairy-free vanilla ice cream and any dairy-free milk and omit the whipped cream.
Interested in making a grown-up milkshake? Add a splash of your favorite booze!
JUST THE TIPS
Always chill the glass your milkshake is going into.
Make sure your ice cream is soft but not runny. If the ice cream is too hard, you will add too much milk, diluting the milkshake.
Don’t use ice in your milkshake—it will only water down the finished product!
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Course; Milkshake

Matcha Cocktail

Matcha Cocktail

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Ingredients

FOR THE BASIL SIMPLE SYRUP

Instructions

  • First make the basil simple syrup: In a small saucepot, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil.
  • Stir until the sugar dissolves and then remove from the heat.
  • Add the basil and let cool to room temperature.
  • Remove the basil and transfer the simple syrup to an airtight container.
  • Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  • In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the gin, lemon juice, matcha powder, and 2 tablespoons of the basil simple syrup.
  • Shake vigorously for 1 minute, until well chilled.
  • Strain into a glass filled with ice and top with club soda.
  • Garnish with a cucumber ribbon and basil sprig and serve.
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Course; Cocktails / Salad

Matcha Latta, Ya Ya

Matcha Latta, Ya Ya

The only bags I want anywhere near my eyes are Chanel, and because I don’t typically drink coffee, matcha is my go-to for a quick caffeine fix. There’s something about the electric-green tea that gives you a healthy zing and not the standing-in-line-for-a-Celine-Dion-concert jitters I get with coffee. It’s also jam-packed with antioxidants and delicious without added sugars or sucralose. “So why don’t you marry it?”—stereotypical bully on the playground. At this rate, anything is possible, including a matcha cocktail that I threw in for the girl who means business but is all about the party.
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Ingredients

  • ¼ cup hot not boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon matcha powder
  • 1 cup oat milk
  • 5 drops liquid stevia
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 scoops collagen peptides

Instructions

  • Combine the hot water and matcha powder in a mug and let sit for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking to break up any clumps of matcha.
  • If you do not have a matcha whisk, a regular small whisk will do just fine.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the oat milk, matcha mixture, stevia, and cinnamon.
  • Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until small bubbles appear.
  • Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender.
  • Add the collagen.
  • Blend on high until foam appears.
  • Pour the matcha latte into a mug and serve.

Notes & Wine Advice

THE MORE YOU GLOW

Matcha: Contains the nutrients from the entire tea leaf, making it higher in caffeine and antioxidants than traditional green tea. Boosts metabolism and burns calories. Contains vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc, and magnesium.
Collagen peptides: Helps improve hair, skin, nails, joints and ligaments, and tendon health. Packs 18 grams of protein in 2 scoops—and only 70 calories! Free of gluten, dairy, and sugar.
Stevia: A very sweet plant, part of the sunflower family, used to sweeten beverages and meals. Can be classified as “zero-calorie.” It is two hundred to three hundred times sweeter than table sugar.
Oat milk: Good nondairy alternative for people with allergies or intolerances. It’s free of lactose, nuts, soy, and gluten. Vegan-friendly.

LITERALLY CAN’T EVEN

Adjust the sweetness based on your preference. You can substitute agave nectar, maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey, raw sugar, or any other sweetener.
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Course; Hot drinks

Pinot Grigi-OMG Yes, Sangria

Pinot Grigi-OMG Yes, Sangria

There have been plenty of times when I have forgotten to bring my lunch to work but remembered to bring a bottle of wine for after-work happy hour. As I see it, this doesn’t mean I’m irresponsible, just someone who truly understands life’s priorities. If that day happens to be in the summer, the bottle is usually pinot grigio or Sancerre. And since I carry these bottles by the dozen, an ideal way to zhuzh ’em up is to transform this sometimes mediocre white wine into a refreshing golden sangria. The key to this recipe is customization. Whether it’s berries, stone fruits, or a citrusy Grand Marnier, you get to call the shots (literally) and create a sipper that is reflective of both your unique tastes and your unique personality.
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Ingredients

  • 2 ounces apple brandy
  • 1 lime sliced
  • 1 lemon sliced
  • 1 green apple cored and sliced
  • 1 cup strawberries sliced
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 750-milliliter bottle pinot grigio
  • 8 ounces club soda
  • Mint for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large pitcher, combine the apple brandy, lime, lemon, green apple, strawberries, and sugar, mashing gently to release the juices from the fruit.
  • Pour the pinot grigio over the fruit and stir to combine.
  • Cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
  • Remove from the refrigerator, pour into glasses, and top with club soda.
  • Garnish with mint and serve.

Notes & Wine Advice

LITERALLY CAN’T EVEN

Wine and fruit juices are great, but we’re looking for a bit more pizzazz with this cocktail. Spike it with some high-proof spirits—for example, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, triple sec, brandy, and the like.
Bubbles are a fabulous addition to keep this drink light for the summertime.

JUST THE TIPS

Now is not the time to break out the $60 bottle of pinot grigio. Use inexpensive wine when making a mixed cocktail, but not cheap wine. It should still be a wine you’d love to drink on its own.
Don’t just cut up the fruits. Make sure to mash them to release the juices into the sangria.
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Course; Alcohol / Cold Drinks
Cuisine; European / Spain