The scenario: you don't drink alcohol, but you're having people over who do. What's a teetotaler to serve? 

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I love my Soda Stream and I love having sparkling water on the table at my dinner parties. What I don't love are the plastic Soda Stream bottles plunked down in the middle of my carefully arranged table. Our very own Faith Durand offered me the perfect (and perhaps obvious!) solution.

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Corked is a not-very-pleasant wine word, but unfortunately corked wine is still a reality. What exactly is a corked wine? And how does a wine become corked? More

Somehow we survived the year without a dose of Don Draper, and just like a warm spring day, here comes the two-hour season 6 premiere of Mad Men just in time for our happy hour. For those of us who've been patiently filling our Sunday nights with Downton Abbey, Girls, and Walking Dead, it's time to break out your shakers and crack some ice. The guys and gals of Madison Ave are back to drink with us. Are you ready? More importantly is your bar?

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Remember when Odwalla's Superfood smoothie was the only green juice around? I'd buy it in the big jug size and marvel at just how tasty drinking my vegetables had become. But then I looked at the sugar content. Made from mostly fruit juices, it wasn't quite the health tonic I had hoped for. These days green juice packed with vegetables is all the rage, and can be made with a variety of ingredients, from the trendy kale to collard greens, mango, and cilantro. Read on for five recipes worth trying. More

The newest trend in beers is not so much old-school as truly, seriously ancient. That's Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione in the photo above. And the guy next to him? A biomolecular archaeologist who is helping Sam recreate a Danish beer based on analysis of residue from a 3500-year-old birch bark drinking vessel. How crazy is that?! I want some.

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Wine of the Week: 2011 S.A. Prüm Essence Riesling Qualitätswein
Region & Country: Mosel, Germany
Price: $12

Riesling wines are some of the most delicious and versatile wines you can buy - and great value too, as this 2011 Essence Riesling from S.A. Prüm attests. More

Item: Espro Press
Price: $79.95 from Amazon
Overall Impression: An elegant way to make an excellent cup of coffee.

An Aeropress has long been the preferred coffee maker in our household, but it's not the best choice for brewing multiple servings. Many a dinner party has ended with one of us stuck in the kitchen, pressing cup after cup for each guest. So we like the idea of having a large Espro press, which is sort of a new-and-improved French press. Not only does it make an excellent cup (or cups!) of coffee, but it looks quite elegant on the table. 

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Sherry is a sadly often misunderstood word. While Sherry is a style of fortified wine, it is not a generic word for the style. Sherry specifically refers to fortified wines produced in Spain, within a specific delimited area around the Andalusian town of Jerez. More

So many desserts, so little time!  This week I have wanted every sweet that’s been posted from the Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake to all the desserts made with ricotta and mascarpone.  In turn, I have my own instant boozy dessert — one that works just as well for when I’m hanging solo as it does at the end of a dinner party.  My hard and fast Rum Raisin Ice Cream only calls for three simple ingredients. When combined, I guarantee you they deliver pure culinary bliss.

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