Drinks

Save your pennies! Watch the video to learn how to make your own kombucha at home.

On one of my very first forays into journalism, I was tasked with interviewing some local Atlanta lifestyle celebrities about comfort foods and one interview in particular has stuck with me. Recently it once again popped into my mind giving me the ideal drink idea for our 10-Minute Happy Hour. At the time Lee May was a garden journalist for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

You’ve heard, perhaps, of raw eggs in cocktails (Ramos gin fizz, eggnog), but in soda?! Yes, and it’s better than it sounds. Soda sữa hột gà, or Vietnamese egg soda, may seem odd, but it’s surprisingly refreshing. Made from egg yolk, sweetened condensed milk, and club soda, it tastes like a rich, custardy ice cream soda.

Big-batch sangria that won't break your budget.

Channel your inner mixologist.

Say hello to the newest addition to our liquor cabinet! This rather improbable combination of vodka and milk makes a liqueur so smooth and perfectly sweet that you’ll want to sip it straight. To make one, simply mix vodka or grappa with an equal amount of milk and sugar. We love the idea of making our own liqueurs, and we’ve been wanting to try this milk liqueur ever since we saw it in David Leite’s most recent book The New Portuguese Table.

I once went to the Caribbean and actually got sick of piña coladas. It happens to the best of us. Midway through the vacation, I asked my bartender to switch it up a bit and it turns out that the same drink made with mango is just as good, if not better. The bartender kept the pineapple slice garnish as a nostalgic nod to our journey together through a week of seaside cocktails. If you don’t want to bother tracking down a ripe mango and slicing it, use frozen mango.

At taco trucks, my drink of choice is always jamaica, that bright red brew that is a little tart, a little sweet and totally refreshing on a hot day. Made with dried hibiscus flowers, jamaica is easy enough to make at home, but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered how much tastier — and even simpler! — it can be when you cold-brew it overnight in the refrigerator.

Kombucha and ginger are a dynamic duo of superhero proportions. Kombucha is delightfully tart and fizzy; ginger brings a warm and spicy side-kick punch. I’ve been brewing batches of kombucha for years now, and I’ve spent many many of those batches in a quest to find my perfect recipe for ginger kombucha. In the end, you can’t beat simplicity: super-fresh ginger in every bottle.

From our recent posts, we know that many of you love masala chai as much as we do. Here’s another aromatic, spiced beverage to try. Indonesian bandrek doesn’t contain tea, but it features many of the same ingredients, such as cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Simmer a pot of this on the stove, and your house will smell amazing. (It’s also an excellent sore throat soother!)Bandrek comes from the Sundanese people of Java.

If you’re short on time in the morning, there’s nothing quite as fast or as tasty as a fruit smoothie. But smoothies do seem to have one drawback: Are they ever as filling as a proper breakfast? The answer is yes — they can be! It’s all a matter of adding the right ingredients for a smoothie that’s equal parts convenient, delicious, and satisfying.

It was at El Floridita that Ernest Hemingway conducted his love affair with the daiquiri. During his many stints in Cuba, where he escaped to and from his home in Key West, Florida, the writer was known to post up in a favorite corner of this Havana watering hole and quaff glass after glass of barman Constantino Ribalaigua Vert’s simple, sublime concoctions of rum, lime, sugar, and ice.

From citrusy teas, to tonics, steamers, and more, these are the drinks I turn to during cold season.

Have you ever tried beet kvass? Earthy, salty, sour, and sweet, this jewel-toned lacto-fermented beverage is full of probiotic goodness. Plus it’s ridiculously easy and affordable to brew right on your kitchen counter. Making beet kvass is similar to the process of making sauerkraut, traditional dill pickles, and kimchi.

Have you heard of fire cider? The first time I encountered this traditional folk recipe, I have to admit I was terrified. Horseradish, garlic, onion, ginger, hot peppers, and spices infused in apple cider vinegar? To drink? It took me years before I tried it, but you can be braver than me. It’s worth it! Plus you can use fire cider in so many ways — from cold cure to cooking to cocktails. Hot, pungent, sour, and sweet, fire cider is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Is there any greater time of the week than Friday happy hour? The work week is finally done, but the weekend to-do list — filled with errands, events, and obligations — has yet to begin. It’s basically your free pass for the week. So why not mark this magic hour or two with a fabulous cocktail … or two? Here are 12 of our favorites that are sure to get your weekend off to a good start.

It doesn't take a lot of fancy footwork to make a really good whiskey cocktail.

It’s springtime, the air is fresh, the sun is out. Time to sit out on the balcony (or patio, or fire escape…) with a glass of something cold in hand. This is the time of year when we like to begin dinner parties with an easy, crowd-friendly drink — perhaps a pitcher of strawberry-basil margaritas, or a simple whiskey sour.

We’re talking all things preservation this week, so while you’re readying a batch of pickled vegetables why not mix a little of that vinegar into your next drink or cocktail as well? A roundup of shrewd shrubs to wet your palate await.Drinking vinegar is back in vogue and it’s not just because its distinct zing can curl your mustache. Mixing a tinge of vinegar into your drink or cocktail can add some complexity and savory overtones that may just have you coming back for more.

Here are a few sangrias that are perfect for autumn, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and everything in between.

These big-batch drinks will keep the party going all night long.

When it comes to summer entertaining, we're all about recipes that we can make ahead of time, and that goes for drinks too.

From simple tricks to store-bought sips, we have you covered when it comes to non-alcoholic drink ideas. Most of these beverages aren’t too sweet, making them perfect to serve alongside food.• 12 Noon to Midnight – Light, refreshing, and not too sweet• Cascal• Grown-Up Soda (GUS), Vignette Wine Country Soda, DRY Soda Co.What are your favorite non-alcoholic drinks to have with a meal?Related: Ideas for Fun Non-Alcoholic Party Drinks?

From boozy favorites to family-friendly beverages, these will leave you green with envy.

Toast to the last night of the year in style.

And they couldn't be easier to make.

It's the ultimate cozy cocktail.

Scotch may not be your usual drink, but stir it with some sweet red vermouth and a dash of bitters, and you may just find you like it.

This coffee concentrate — the same type used to make stellar iced coffee — can turn out a cup of hot coffee that is just as good: rich, flavorful, and mellow.

With more sunshine, my end-of-day goal is to spend a few moments putzing in my garden. This means dinner consists of simple recipes, served with easy but delicious drinks, like smashes. These smashes make up a whole new world of cocktails with endless options for muddling, mixing, and of course sipping. This one is just perfect for today’s 10-Minute Happy Hour.

It’s hot cocoa season. Can you feel it? There’s a chill in the air, holiday lights twinkling outside, wool socks snuggled on your feet, and the only thing missing is a mug of rich, creamy, homemade hot chocolate. If you’re looking for some new ways to enjoy one of winter’s best beverages — tea-infused hot chocolate? hot chocolate and whiskey? — we have some recipes and tips to see you through the season.

A fast and fancy at-home cocktail you can serve all year long. Egg white included!

For me, there’s not much better than an ice-cold coffee on a hot summer day. One problem though: if you want to sweeten your coffee you only have a few options. Option one is to use sugar, which is hard to dissolve and can result in a pile of sugar gunk at the bottom of your glass. Option two is using a store-bought coffee syrup, but those tend to be cloyingly sweet and flavored with junk. The hidden third option is to make your own syrup at home.

News flash, everybody: Summer is hot. I always seem to forget how hot it gets here in California, until it happens. The temperature starts to creep into the high 90s and I start to panic. It’s that how many layers of clothes can I remove in this social situation and still remain decent? sort of panic. I’ve come up with a solution to cool things down: How about we make some slushies? They’re easy to whip up in a blender, made with real fruit, and best of all, ice cold.

My favorite thing about sangria, the Spanish punch, isn’t actually the wine or spirits; it’s the luscious assortment of fruit that gets ladled into each glass. I love how refreshing it is to sip, and munch, on a warm day, and I’ve often felt bad that my teetotaling partner hasn’t been able to enjoy it. I developed this non-alcoholic version with him in mind, and discovered that I like it just as much as the real thing.

Recently friends of ours got married in a remote, a.k.a. no cell service, Catskill’s resort. This resulted in a long overdue trek through New York’s Hudson Valley. We hadn’t been back in those parts since I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 1999. The long weekend road trip right on the heels of a late spring heatwave and a tiny bottle of homemade Limoncello became the inspiration for this week’s 10-Minute Happy Hour.