Liquor

What's better than mulled apple cider? Mulled apple cider spiked with bourbon, brandy, or rum.

There are two super smart IKEA hacks in here!

Because you know you have a bottle somewhere in the liquor cabinet.

Cheers to summer — and pretending our front stoop is an Italian piazza.

Mix it with a mini-bottle and crisp ginger ale for an air travel-inspired cocktail.

Mimic vacation vibes with this refreshing sipper.

It's an easy way to re-create vacation vibes.

I recently took a two-part cocktail class where we learned all about bitters, shrubs, and syrups. At the beginning of the class, we were asked to introduce ourselves and mention our liquor of choice. My answer: anything brown. Once the class got going, my vodka-loving tablemate mentioned she’s never understood the difference between whiskey and bourbon. Turns out: it’s really quite simple.

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

Go beyond the margarita.

And it's just 3 ingredients.

In our minds, there are three things that signify the fact that summer is right around the corner: the later sunsets, the thawing temperatures, and the return of Costco’s now-famous vodka pops. And yes, all three have started happening! Our friends over at Costco Deals reported that one of their readers saw these pop up in a store four days ago. Here’s what you need to know about them. 1. They’re just 100 calories each.

One of the most fun rumors to ever come out of Costco is that its generic Kirkland brand vodka is actually the same exact liquor that ends up in Grey Goose bottles. A 1.75-liter bottle of Kirkland vodka costs around $20, while a bottle of Grey Goose costs around $48, meaning if that rumor is true, Costco shoppers are getting a seriously good deal on high-quality vodka.

This is one of our most popular drinks. It has been on the menu at Portland Hunt + Alpine Club since we opened without a break, and it is a drink that we are incredibly proud of. It’s simple yet pleases many different types of guests on multiple levels. First and foremost, it’s so delicious that almost everyone enjoys it. Slightly sweet without being syrupy, it’s a perfect drink to sip while deciding on din­ner.

Just remember this simple ratio.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. It’s Fourth of July week, which means that pretty much everyone you know is in vacation mode. Even if you’re not setting your “out of office” just yet, make these boozy Popsicles to get in the spirit and start your week off right.

Anyone who can make dinner can make killer cocktails — drinks as good as the ones served in fancy bars. You might not have a hand-carved Japanese stirring glass or gleaming crystal-clear ice spears, but you have plenty of tricks up your sleeve (and in your pantry). Writing my first book, The One-Bottle Cocktail: More than 80 Recipes with Fresh Ingredients and a Single Spirit, convinced me of this truth more than ever: It doesn’t take a well-stocked bar to make a great drink.

You get salsa and a cocktail, so basically you win at life.

Fizzy ginger beer gives this refreshing cocktail its fiery bite.

Costco’s store-brand imported vodka has earned an impressive cult following — especially for such a bargain booze. It’s won over spirits aficionados both behind the bar and the byline, as they rave about its clean, silky flavor, and speculate about its origins. Many think Kirkland’s French Vodka is Grey Goose in disguise because it’s made in the same distillery.

Steak tips are a favorite in my household for their budget-friendly price and bold beefiness, and I love playing around with different ways to flavor them. My current favorite is a sweet-and-savory marinade of maple syrup and bourbon. Just a quick stint in this marinade infuses every bite with flavor, and searing them in a hot skillet gives them a gorgeous golden-brown crust.

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

This Galentine’s Day, celebrate with a pitcher cocktail that’s easy to make, sophisticated, and crowd-pleasing. It’s a little sweet, a little fruity, a little bubbly, and a little bitter, which pretty much sums up my thoughts on what this day is all about. It’s not too boozy, either, so it’ll fit in whether you’re in for a girls’ night or up for a lazy brunch.

When Seattle chef duo Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi debated what angle to take on their third restaurant, Trove, they couldn’t ignore what their customers wanted: Korean barbecue. Per usual, though, they didn’t want to make it strictly traditional — which is how Trove became known as the Korean-ish place where you take friends to grill lemongrass-smothered tri-tip, tamarind-tinged duck breast, or za’atar-crusted pork belly on a Korean-style tabletop grill.

A few years ago I visited Tofino, a remote surfing town on the west coast of Vancouver Island. One Sunday morning, I headed to one of the town’s best restaurants. Perched on a bar stool in a packed room, I spotted the bartender assembling the telltale ingredients for a Caesar: Clamato juice, vodka, Worcestershire, hot sauce. As a server took that lone drink to the other end of the room, heads turned. For the next hour, the bartender tended to an assembly line of Caesars.

Nothing says celebration like cocktails and cupcakes, except when you combine the two. These French 75 cupcakes, based on the classic Champagne cocktail, are light and sweet with a distinctly boozy punch. Frosted with a Champagne buttercream and soaked in a lemon, gin, and sparkling wine syrup, these cupcakes are sweeter than a typical cocktail, but boast more booze than a typical boozy cupcake.

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

I’d like to think that I survived two East Coast winters because of my introduction to the Tom & Jerry. Although this drink is popular in the Midwest, I love it so much that I still crave it during mild California winters. For those not familiar with this seasonal hot milk punch, it’s a creamy spiced batter swirled with Cognac, rum, and hot milk. Basically, a Tom & Jerry tastes like a fluffy, sweet, boozy cloud that you’d want to take a nap in.

Dairy-free friends, you now have cause to rejoice: A dairy-free eggnog can be yours for the sipping this holiday season! While it still contains eggs — it is eggnog, after all, and eggs aren’t considered dairy — we’ve found the perfect combination of plant-based milks, holiday spices, and sweetener that come together to be just as rich and satisfying as its traditional counterpart. And the best part?

Basically Christmas sangria.

Really a cocktail disguised as a coffee drink, Irish coffee is just the ticket when you need a warm, potent drink to offset the chill outside. This combination of strong, sweetened coffee and whiskey, all topped with fluffy whipped cream that slowly melts and melds into the drink while you sip, is just as delicious on a leisurely holiday morning as it is after dinner.

Skip the long line at the chain coffee shop when you’re craving an eggnog-flavored latte and settle for the real deal at home instead. With the help of a carton of store-bought eggnog and the slow cooker, you can make a big batch of eggnog lattes for a decadent holiday morning treat, or you can spike it with your favorite alcohol to sip after dinner while relaxing by the fire.

Is there anything the Instant Pot can't do?

Advent calendars are a great way to count down the days until Christmas finally arrives, and while they’re made primarily for kids, we’ve been seeing a lot of advent calendars popping up that are a bit more, ahem, adult (read: advent calendars that are filled with beer or bottles of whiskey!). Talk about holiday cheer.

It's five o'clock somewhere — and you need a gift for your drinking buddy!

Did someone say bourbon?

Orange-cranberry sauce is my go-to side dish for all the potlucks that fall between Halloween and New Year’s Eve. This year I’ve decided to serve those same flavors with a heavy dose of retro kitsch in the form of cranberry-orange jello shots. Jello shots might be a throwback to younger, wilder days, but these bite-sized cocktails are actually the perfect make-ahead treat for a busy holiday season (you can whip them up a week ahead of time).

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.

We get it: You guys love Costco booze! Beyond that, here's what else made the list.

So, you want to stock the home bar with a decent selection of spirits but you don’t want to blow the bank. We hear you. That’s why we’ve gone to experts to find their top picks for American whiskey, tequila, and vodka so you can have a respectable bar — and still have cash left for other important stuff.

If you are way more into it being pumpkin spice season than Halloween, I’m going to show you how to put together a low-key party that celebrates the season more than the actual holiday of Halloween. You can pull it off with a three-ingredient cocktail and a batch of gooey pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats. Here’s how to make it happen. This simple Halloween menu celebrates the season with a honey-bourbon cocktail and a batch of pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats.

So, you want to stock the home bar with a decent selection of spirits but you don’t want to blow the bank. We hear you. That’s why we’ve gone to experts to find their top picks for American whiskey, tequila, and vodka so you can have a respectable bar – and still have cash left for other important stuff. Inexpensive whiskey? That must be too good to be, well, good, right? Not right!

The absolute best bang for your vodka-loving buck, according to the people who oughta know.

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.

Walk into any restaurant with big screens blaring and you are sure to find boneless chicken wings on the menu. Nothing pleases the table quite like nuggets of crispy chicken doused in the sauce of your choosing. While the sauce is a major part of their appeal, without that crispy-crunchy exterior underneath, they’re not really any different than a chicken breast. To achieve that, we’re using a special ingredient usually stashed in the liquor cabinet.

If you like St. Germain, you need to read this story.

Once December 1 arrives, it’s agonizing to wait the 24 days until Christmas. Those little chocolate advent calendars did the trick when we were kids, but boozy Christmas countdowns are making the month a lot more tolerable for us now that we’re grown-ups.

Making bacon jam is the greatest gift you can give to your future self.

This is not a drill.

Sorry, mom and dad, I have a confession: I drank in high school. Not often. But still more often than I was technically (read: legally) supposed to. I wasn’t going to those crazy keg parties like the ones you see in the movies. Instead, a few girlfriends and I would go to one of our friend’s older sister’s nearby apartment and have a sleepover. While we were there, for some reason, we’d drink peach schnapps.

It involves tequila, of course.

This 3-ingredient drink may even convert those who aren't.

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

A glass of cold lemonade never seems to be beyond arm’s reach during some of the very best moments of summer — whether that is lounging on a front porch, running around the backyard, or dipping into your friend’s pool. Enjoying the classic is near perfect, but it doesn’t hurt to make it a little more adult-friendly and fit for 5 o’clock. Spike it with a little white rum and sweeten it with a handful of muddled strawberries and suddenly it is ready for happy hour.

When my now-husband and I were planning our wedding, we had two big goals: save as much money as possible, and still throw a kick-ass party that didn’t feel cheap or chintzy. (So original, right?) With those things in mind, we decided early on what was worth splurging on (like the food and the reception space) and what wasn’t (like paying someone else to stock our bar).

There's a better way to add herbs to your cocktails.

It all starts with your summer secret weapon: homemade limeade concentrate.

Calling all coconut-lovers! If you’re a looking for a special dessert for this weekend’s festivities, this coconut poke cake won’t let you down. With a coconut cake base, homemade coconut pudding (featuring homemade coconut cream!), and shredded coconut over a layer of fluffy white frosting, it’s coconut sweetness through and through.

So you threw your friend a cocktail party for her birthday? That’s so sweet of you! And someone spilled all the booze? Or some of it? That’s not sweet at all! Luckily, you can easily clean it up, as long as you handle the spill smartly, says Donna Smallin Kuper, a certified house cleaning technician and author of The One-Minute Cleaner. Here’s what you should do.

The meaty bite and fatty flavor of flank steak is pretty irresistible all on its own, but add bourbon cream sauce and this simple weeknight meal takes a turn for something far fancier. This quick-cooking sauce, swirled with smoky, sweet bourbon, a splash of stock, and some cream, is a luxe combo that takes your basic pan sauce to a new level — and your steak, too! Best of all, the sauce comes together with just three ingredients.