Drinks

When it comes to holiday drinking, eggnog is only the beginning. Many cultures and cuisines proudly claim a Christmas punch and this week we’re bringing you The Global Punch Bowl with five festive punches, each with a story of their own.

There’s a new drink combo that’s been springing up on bar menus across the country: The Pickleback. Yes, that’s right – a shot of whiskey accompanied by a “back” of pickle juice. This week, with side-by-side measures of skepticism and curiosity, I gave this unlikely pairing a shot.A Little BackgroundOver the past few months, the Pickleback’s generated a lot of Internet buzz.

There are lots of ways to heat up your drinks, from fresh cracked peppercorns to wasabi and my personal fave — freshly grated horseradish. Add the endless array of fresh peppers (habañeros, serranos, thai bird chilies, etc.) and the even wider variety of hot sauces out there, and you’re choices are endless. Flavored and infused spirits are in the spice game, too, from vodka to tequila.

Do you like piña colada? Then you’ll love this nutritious take on the classic. With its fresh coconut and no added sugar, you won’t feel guilty about enjoying this smoothie everyday. My friend Alejendra (who also happens to be a doctor) shows us how she makes her delicious green piña colada for her family.Alejandra believes in the power of a good diet and a healthy food lifestyle.

The idea of a “dry January” may sound blasphemous to some of us who relish our Friday happy hour. But if you’re like me and want to take a break from booze after the holidays, here’s a non-alcoholic sip that’s still fun to drink! If your evening ritual includes the clink of ice cubes for a cocktail or pouring a glass of wine, taking alcohol out of the equation may seem challenging.

I am perpetually delighted by the fact that citrus comes into season at the very moment when we could use an extra boost of sunshine and vitamin C. And though citrus fruits aren’t the most common of smoothie ingredients, I really think they should be. Here’s a bright and fresh smoothie filled with clementines, coconut, and turmeric. Like a healthified Orange Julius, it makes a fabulous, filling breakfast or replenishing post-workout meal.

Green smoothies get a lot of attention for “detox” or “cleanse” purposes, but I offer this recipe simply because it’s delicious. Packed with immune-boosting ingredients — like spinach, pear, and ginger — it’s bright and invigorating, yet not teeth-chatteringly cold. In other words: an excellent smoothie for winter. Nutrient-rich spinach forms the base of this smoothie.

Spring is a lovely time of year to be a farmer. Yes, the days are incredibly busy from sunup until sundown, and most of that time is spent hunched over the dirt in a back-breaking position. But on our farm, we’re are never bitter in springtime (which is quite a contrast to the middle of August!). Right now, the unfolding of the summer seems bright and full of promise. Spring is also a great time of year to start eating lighter and healthier meals to fuel our bodies for long days ahead.

April is here, which means that it’s officially been seven months since the sweet, succulent fruits of summer filled my kitchen. I’ve been eating apples since September, citrus season has now faded (farewell, clementines), and the few peaches and plums that recently surfaced in the produce section are most definitely not in season.

You know what’s really good for you? A tropical vacation. Truly. Sunlight on your skin boosts serotonin (the happy hormone), while the gentle brush of waves on seashore and breeze in palm trees relaxes mind and muscle. Unfortunately, most of us live far from seaside paradise. What’s the next best thing to a tropical getaway? A tropical smoothie, obviously.

This light, dairy-free blend packs a punch with the quintessential summer flavor of fresh raspberries, the creamy sweet addition of ripe mango, and the perfect pick-me-up flavor of mint. Not too sweet, not too complicated, and topped with a dash of salt and lime, this is the ultimate lazy afternoon smoothie.

I’ve always thought that kiwis are one of the most beautiful fruits. That gorgeous green, the tiny seeds, the sunburst from the center. So much love. Unfortunately, I usually buy a carton of them, eat a few like apples, and then forget the last two or three in a bowl on the counter, buried beneath a fresh batch of peaches or plums.

This is my favorite smoothie to make in the morning. It’s an easy way to sneak some greens in without eating a salad. I make a bunch of smoothie packets for my freezer in advance – like 14 of them – and then I just dump one of them in the blender in the morning for a breakfast that is quick, filling, and totally delicious. If you want something a little more green, try adding an extra cup of chopped kale.

When you go to an ice cream shop, are you a sundae or a milkshake person? I’ve always ordered a milkshake, but I have to admit, seeing the towering sundaes loaded with toppings has always made me a little jealous. Here’s a smoothie that meets both camps halfway! Fresh banana, a healthy dose of frozen sweet cherries, milk, and a spoonful of sunflower butter (to make this nut-free) get tossed into a blender with some vanilla extract to mimic the flavor of vanilla ice cream.

Here’s the biggest obstacle to making smoothies in my house: It can feel slightly overwhelming to assemble the ingredients into a reliably delicious mixture first thing in the morning. But smoothies can be one of the easiest ways to pack nutrition into a meal for a baby or toddler — especially if you do the prep work ahead of time.

Let’s start with the oldest distillery and one of our forefathers — George Washington. Did you know he made whiskey? And even better, you can visit the same spot where he toiled in colonial times at the gorgeous Mount Vernon in Washington D.C. This unique facility is the only one of its kind — it’s still operating exactly as it did in the 1800’s.

As summer slowly winds down and with only a handful of grilling weekends left, it’s time to savor some hot-weather favorites — like this twist on the classic iced tea. Kick off your Labor Day weekend with a simple and refreshing glass of iced green tea flavored with ginger, mint, and honey. For this batch of homemade iced tea, I chose to steer clear of flavored tea bags and opted for plain green tea sachets instead.

While cool, crisp watermelon gets so much of the love this time of year, cantaloupe casually sits on the sidelines, waiting for someone to call it onto the field. It’s just as sweet and refreshing, but all too often lurks in the shadows of its pink counterpart, who gets blended into cocktails, tossed in salads, and more. Luckily, this smoothie changes that; it puts the orange melon right in the center of the action — exactly where it deserves to be.

An update on classic PB&J, now in the form of your new favorite smoothie.

If you believe the best breakfast smoothies boast a taste of the tropics, this is the smoothie kit you need to keep in your freezer. It comes together with a medley of sweet topical fruits partnered with a pop of pungent fresh ginger and the warm flavor and golden hue of turmeric. This kit comes together with four fruity ingredients, plus a liquid of your choice and a dash of turmeric when it’s time to blend. Here’s what you’ll need.

Who knows why it took me so long to realize I could make V8 juice myself. The original recipe calls for eight vegetables: tomatoes, carrots, spinach, lettuce, watercress, parsley, celery, and beet. Yes, please. This homemade version is delicious, wholesome, and surprisingly versatile. The key to the smooth, rich flavor of V8 juice is steaming or simmering the vegetables before blending. I tried this juice raw and it made for a questionable vegetable smoothie.

Especially when you serve it in a hollowed-out apple!

Sweetly tangy, and satisfyingly robust, fresh-pressed apple cider is springing up in greenmarkets and grocery stores everywhere right now. Equally delicious drunk cold straight from the fridge, or warmed over the stove with a dash of spice, this seasonal treat is something I really look forward to every fall.All this got me thinking: a liquid ingredient this good has got to have some serious cocktail potential.

This may be the easiest of this week’s boxed wine pitcher recipes to craft, as it’s based solely on purchased ingredients. If you have a box of light, fruity, or even sweet red wine, this recipe is the one for you. Basing a cocktail on this style of wine assures a vibrant, deeply hued sangria-like flavor profile. Fruity, fresh, and tart, with a swift kick of ginger — this blackberry and pomegranate cocktail may also be the most crowd-pleasing of the pack.

From a citrus and white wine cocktail to a peppery rosé cocktail, we’ve covered a lot of ground this week, as far as flavor profiles go. We’ve also covered the major boxed wine styles. We’re finishing up our series on boxed wine-based pitcher cocktails with a dark, brooding drink based around a bold, red wine. A fiery touch of bourbon makes this cocktail perfect for both lovers of red sangria and Manhattans.

I love sparkling cider. Love it. It feels just as special now as it did when I was seven and sipping it (carefully…so carefully!) from one of my grandma’s best champagne flutes. I always have a spare bottle stashed away this time of year, just in case the need should present itself. Although lately, those bottles have been plain brown swing-tops and they’ve filled with my homemade version of this bubbly treat.

Sangria isn’t just for summer. Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to stir up a big seasonally-inspired pitcher — perfect for kicking off the holiday season. Since we’re celebrating, I decided to add a little class to the pitcher this week with a bit of VS Cognac and some bubbly wine. The cognac that I chose perfectly compliments the apples with its notes of caramel and vanilla, and it makes your cider into a cocktail suited for the adults at your gathering.

Great sangria can be refreshing, and it's perfect for a summer party.

Throughout the summer, our CSA membership has pushed my culinary prowess to extremes. Finding ways to continually interpret items such as spinach, Swiss chard and summer squash into new and exciting versions has been trying to say the least. Canning and preserving have eased the plethora of said veggies, and incorporating herbs and berries into Happy Hour has been advantageous — not to mention delicious. Here’s the latest: sparkling watermelon sangria. Here’s the story.

I’m not a very frilly hot beverage kind of person. Most of the time it’s coffee with a splash of heavy cream, or a simple cup of hot tea. On occasion, I’ll splurge and get a latte but beyond that, I don’t branch out too far. However, once fall hits, I start craving hot apple cider — usually paired with a freshly made apple doughnut from the local apple orchard. This chai spiced apple cider is a lovely fall splurge and it’s easy to make!

Apples and chai spices are a likely combination and work gloriously, especially when enjoyed in front of a fire. Add 2 tablespoons to a cup 
of boiled water for a drink that warms you. Add 1 tablespoon whiskey for a makeshift hot toddy that also warms you — perhaps even a bit more. Process these jars in a water bath to preserve the goodness for gifting all year.

Watch the video to learn how to make this boxed wine cocktail.

Beer, wine, and cocktail lovers alike unite in their affection for this big batch drink. At first the idea of beer sangria may not appeal to the traditional sangria sippers, but fruity lambics are a game changer. Lambics are the most wine-like beers out there. They are fruity, Belgian wheat beers, often higher in alcohol than other ales. With flavors like raspberry (framboise), cherry (kriek), and peach (pêche) you have plenty to pick from when whipping up your next batch of sangria.

Brunch season is heartily upon us, and what’s a holiday brunch without a festive drink? Here’s a gorgeously simple sangria that isn’t much more work than a pitcher of mimosas, but much prettier. I call this a breakfast sangria for two reasons: Number one, it’s a citrus-driven sangria with all the breakfast fruit you can eat. Oranges and grapefruits make for a pretty pitcher on the breakfast table, clear and colorful. Number two: this is a light drink!

No movie marathon is complete without it.

Sparkling rosé wine is my choice over and over in the spring and summer, for both casual sipping and for sangrias. This week I chose a demi-sec rosé champagne. Demi-sec translates to “half dry,” which is another way of saying “semi-sweet,” so expect a little inherent sweetness here. That touch of sweetness also makes rosé perfect for an icy pitcher drink. When making sangria, you need four things: wine, a spirit, usually sugar, and fruit.

It’s the time of year when farmers market stands are bursting with gorgeous berries and their sweet smells fill the air. Don’t resist. Go ahead grab a pint of each! If you can keep yourself from eating them all before you get home, make yourself a pitcher of this sangria — the first in a series this month of sangrias inspired by the farmers market. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries have this sangria screaming summer!

In my book, summer calls for a spritz, and while this sangria is hot pink and bubbly, don’t be fooled — it’s anything but delicate. It’s loaded with fresh cherries straight from the farmers market, spiked with cherry liqueur, and finished with cherry bitters. This sangria is as pretty on the palate as it is in the pitcher. A dry rosé wine, not a blush or white Zinfandel, is the base here.

Farmers markets offer so much more than just fresh fruits and veggies. These days you can find everything from local cheeses to honey, and this sangria recipe was inspired by all of the above. On a recent trip to my local market, I stopped for chats with a cheesemaker, a farmer, and an apiarist (beekeeper), and left with a bag full of cucumbers, a log of fresh goat cheese, and a jar of local honey.

And you only need 3 ingredients to make it.

Wildwood, New Jersey is famous or infamous for lots of things — their amazing boardwalk that includes amusement parks and a chapel, the song “Wildwood Days” by Bobby Rydell, mile-long beaches, an unflattering appearance on the TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a damn good drink called the Lime Rickey.

Oh, glorious summer peaches! I’ve been greedily and gratefully buying armloads at the farmers’ market, accepting boxes from friends with orchards, and plucking the sun-kissed fruits from neighborhood trees. So, when I was thinking of a drink to serve during our upcoming Olympics viewing party – something refreshing and non-alcoholic – I immediately turned to the pile of peaches on the kitchen counter.

Every summer since I can remember, we drive the back roads to the beach. While the highways are much faster, we’d miss out on one of the best parts of the trip if we took them: pit stops at farm stands. Sampling from the trays to pick the best plums and juiciest peaches is as much a part of our family tradition as our yearly week at the beach together. And now, so is this stone fruit sangria.

With all the fabulous Latin American food this week on The Kitchn I’ve been craving an equally suited cocktail. With a little digging and, I’ll be honest, some taste-testing too, I found a great drink that stays with our Latin American theme and it’s perfect for toasting the end of summer this Labor Day weekend. If you’re into rum, rum drinks, or the history of booze in general you’ll love this sip.

I refuse to believe this summer is coming to an end. So for this week’s taste of happiness in less than 10 minutes, join me in mixing up the perfect coconut-infused, island-inspired pitcher drink for any Labor Day soiree. A Cojito is a simple spin on the classic Mojito. You probably can guess by it’s name that we’re going coconut for this week’s cocktail.

Sangria is one of the oldest forms of cocktails on the planet. We’ve been mixing wine, spirits, and fruit for thousands of years. There’s no wonder sangria has survived this long: it’s delicious. This particular sangria blanca is a twist on the southern Spanish classic, Zurra, a white wine-based sangria mixed with peaches or nectarines. Sangria is nature’s bounty in a glass. It conjures up summertime memories and it’s packed with fruit.

Expect to pour this all wedding season long.

It's the only excuse you need to throw a party.

This is the Halloween cocktail you’ve been searching for. With no smoky special effects from dry ice or creepy eyeball garnishes, this deep, dark red wine sangria comes together without fuss yet feels just as celebratory as those other spooky drinks. It’s an understated take on the holiday — something that fits in at the big costume party but also feels right being sipped with friends from the neighborhood while the kids are out trick-or-treating.

This crisp, bubbly pitcher drink pairs perfectly with potato latkes.

Fish House Punch is a famous tipple dating back to 1732. I first came upon it in Dave Wondrich’s book Punch, and was recently offered a cup at a New Year’s Day celebration. When I asked the bartender what was in it, he replied, “What isn’t in it?” With thoughts of Long Island iced tea whirling through my mind, I hesitantly raised the glass to my lips.

The best cocktails don’t require a whole lot of effort, but win accolades with friends. This is one of those cocktails. It starts as a classic crowd-pleaser — the margarita — and then leans into fall with the help of plenty of tart cranberry juice. If you’re hosting Friendsgiving this year, this is the easy pitcher drink to serve while the turkey is roasting and friends trickle in with stuffing and mashed potatoes and pies.

Sometimes an end-of-summer sunset can feel bittersweet. You know the number of sunsets is dwindling, yet the beauty of it never wears off. Much like those sunsets, this punch brings together bitter and sweet flavors with a combination of Campari and pineapple juice for a big pitcher cocktail that looks and tastes like those bittersweet sunsets themselves.

Nothing says fall and Halloween like classic candy corn. If you are a fan of these fun striped candies, this is the perfect cocktail for you. It pays homage to these delightful little treats with a colorful layered combination of juice, booze, and cream that transforms into a tropical punch when poured. You might be wondering if you have to be a skilled mixologist to create the layers in this colorful punch. Fear not — the secret ingredient is actually gelatin!

The 10-minute happy hour can be as simple or as sophisticated as you like. For me, the fastest and most delicious way to enjoy happy hour is to use what I have on hand — not to go searching for something I don’t. This week blueberries and lavender were at my fingertips, thus resulting in a gorgeous pitcher perfect for the centerpiece of my weekend party, and a fairly impressive happy hour requiring little effort.

Murky, green, and swampy, this punch is sure to conjure up monstrous images of Swamp Thing. If this creepy-looking cocktail has your tastebuds worried, don’t fret — the spooky green coloring comes from tangy lime sherbet, so it’s a hit for ice cream-lovers (basically everyone). This party-friendly punch is spiked with vodka and makes a huge batch to power your fright fest. It only takes a few minutes to toss together, so mix it just as the guests and ghouls start to arrive.

As our wardrobes change from flip flops to socks, fall cocktails typically turn golden brown (just like the leaves!) and pick up some warm spicy notes to keep us toasty. This pretty pitcher drink is a serious sip that captures all of the above. It’s a great choice for any fall gathering and it was a perfect match for the menu we planned for The Kitchn’s Thanksgiving Dinner Outdoors! Sangria and fruity Champagne pours aren’t the only cocktails that can be served in a pitcher!

Thanksgiving is arguably the most highly anticipated culinary day of the year. While some people may resort to beer and football on this day, I personally enjoy leading the charge in the kitchen. I like to ease those pre-dinner jitters and possible family tensions by making a shareable, seasonal punch that gets everyone into the holiday mood. Here’s a fall-inspired cocktail that you can share and enjoy all morning while you’re prepping Thanksgiving dinner.

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. Why not get things started a little early this weekend with a Margarita?A cool, thirst-quenching combination of tart and sweet, accented by the warmth of tequila and the savory piquancy of salt, the Margarita is the perfect drink for a warm evening. But which recipe to choose?I’m going to tell you my absolute favorite way to mix one, but then I want to hear yours….THE STORYThere are many competing stories about how the Margarita came to be.

Nothing brings people together quite like a good cocktail. This holiday season, whether you’re spending time with family, or gathering with old friends to reflect on the past year, mix up something special, like this Spiced Pear Margarita.Typically one thinks of margaritas as a drinking-on-the-beach kind of cocktail; this one gets seasonally appropriate with pear and a medley of spices.

You've been warned: It's dangerously sippable.

Chinatown (1974) is a thirsty film. Private eye Jake “JJ” Gittes (Jack Nicholson) uncovers a water scandal in a drought-stricken 1930s Los Angeles, taking him from parched riverbeds to the lush, green lawns and ornamental fish ponds of a private estate. Evelyn Cross Mulwray (Faye Dunaway, above) is an icy-cool socialite, dressed impeccably in crisp linens and pearls. She serves tea from a silver service with sugar and lemon, and apéritifs in cut crystal glasses.

Citrusy and spicy, with a honeyed texture and the golden color of a summer sunset, Lillet Blanc is the perfect pre-dinner patio drink for a lazy June day.Produced in Bordeaux since 1872, this classic French wine-based aperitif is deliciously refreshing all on its own – either served chilled with a twist of orange, or poured over ice with a splash of club soda. It also pairs nicely with vodka and gin, giving a dash of zesty, bittersweet citrus flavor to summer cocktails.

This week’s 10-Minute Happy Hour is inspired purely by the long overdue dose of gorgeous weather here in the Northeast. My hubby had been outside shoveling mulch into our much-neglected gardens for about 5 hours now, so off I went in search of finding him the perfect cold drink to toast his hard day’s work. A bright orange box that shouted Perfect Margarita was just too hard to pass up. With all this sunshine there was no way we could hold out until Cinco de Mayo for margaritas.

IKEA is known for being intuitive to small space design and budget-minded shoppers. Apparently they are also in tune with the intense feeling of anxiety one experiences when approximately a third of the way through their store, thus requiring a stiff drink upon departure. So I was thrilled to find they offer two fun and cheap mixers along with those Swedish meatballs and dollar soft serves at check out. You see, everyone wins at the end of the IKEA maze.

Waxing poetic about what we love about summer has many of us here at The Kitchn raving about one fruit above all others: ripe summer peaches. From easy peach sorbet and peach pie ice cream to sparkling peach punch and white peach sangria, this food love affair is endless. Here’s one more recipe to add to the list! Peaches wrapped in proscuitto and tossed on the grill for a few minutes may be the easiest, most delicious summertime snack ever.

Every Valentine’s Day, my husband and I celebrate with a bottle of Brachetto d’Acqui, an intoxicating, purply-red sweet sparkling wine from Italy that goes perfectly with a box of chocolates. This year we decided to switch it up and and enjoy our bubbly as an aperitif well before dessert. For that to be a success we needed something on the drier side.

And it's just 3 ingredients.

This is the perfect winter cocktail.

For fans of sweet vermouth, the Fig Leaf cocktail is the kind of drink that ought to be in your regular rotation. Unlike the majority of cocktail recipes, in which the spirit is the most plentiful ingredient, the build of the Fig Leaf is heavy on the aperitif wine rather than the booze (in this case, light rum). This drink falls into the category bartenders often call “reverse cocktails.

Everybody knows that Brooklyn has made a huge comeback in real estate, restaurants and the cocktail scene. It’s only fitting this old school sip, named after the popular New York borough, is also showing face again. Like a Manhattan, the Brooklyn is a whiskey-based drink — preferably made with spicier rye whiskey. However, that’s where the similarities end.