Chris Nordquist
Last weekend in San Francisco our good friend (and Julia’s godmother) Marta hosted a dinner party for our friend John (who, actually, introduced Marta to me many years ago). I assisted. Unsurprisingly, I was in charge of cocktails. Unless there’s a bartender on hand, I almost always make a featured cocktail in quantity and well […]
They don’t look like much. In fact, they’re pretty ugly, even with good lighting and a flattering background. (I did the best I could.) But these wizened little knobs of dried fruit pack amazing flavor. They’re Persian dried limes (or Limoo Omani), common in the cuisine of Iran, Iraq and Northern India, but still rare […]
It’s a pity that this beautifully balanced, sophisticated cocktail seems like it was named by some underage guy who spends too much time watching Torchwood reruns (not that there’s anything wrong with that show). The name and the cocktail go back to the 1890s, though, so it’s probably too late for a change. The drink […]
It can be frustrating. You find a interesting cocktail recipe in, say, the New York Times (or here in this blog), and it calls for Velvet Falernum or Allspice Dram or Creme de Violette –some intriguing ingredient that’s next to impossible to find. Local liquor stores (or, in more hooch-friendly states, supermarkets) tend to cover […]
The Pimm’s Cup is a classic summer cocktail that, I think, has fallen out of fashion, not because of its flavor, but because it’s associated with events like garden parties, horseraces and croquet matches; that is, things that are supposed to be fun, but aren’t. Push the memories of genteel tedium out of your mind, […]
Ok, so this is basically a recipe for a wine cooler, but keep reading. It really isn’t the sort of thing that underage girls drink in 711 parking lots. It’s something you should drink with brunch (in place of the ubiquitous mimosa), or before dinner on a warm evening, or at a festive lunch. The […]
It was over 15 years ago that I had my first Negroni. I was in Rome, on vacation with good friends Tom and Jeannie. A favorite professor of Tom’s from architecture school invited us to dine with her at her wonderful apartment in a Renaissance-era building with medieval origins, built on the ruins of the […]
One of my favorite memories of Morocco is the aroma of orange flower water, which is used to scent sweets, salads and even linens. Here’s a delicious seldom-made cocktail that brings a hint of exotic Morocco to your brunch or lunch table. “I don’t know whether to drink this or dab it behind my ears.” […]
Last Spring, my friend John served us this delicious lavender-hued drink at his home in San Francisco, and we were smitten with its refreshing and unusual flavor. As soon as we got back to New York, I bought the ingredients, and it became a house favorite in Southampton all summer. The interesting thing about this […]
I’ve been tinkering with this drink off and on for over a year now, and I think I’ve got it right. Summer before last, our mixmaster friend Steven stayed with us in Southampton for a long weekend and made Whisky Sours for us every evening. (Yes, this is the same Steven who later brought us […]
