Simple syrups are one of my favorite ways to perk up a cocktail, a glass of iced tea, or even a fruit salad. They are easy to craft (note the name “simple”), so this is a quickie even for the novice cook.

This is what happens when I drink first thing in the morning. We stopped in at the Penderyn Distillery, the only working distillery in Wales, which is working to revive the Welsh Whisky tradition. Keith Tench gives me a lesson in cuddling and properly sniffing whisky, and I get a taste of a VERY [...]

In honor of National Tequila Day, I’m reposting our On the Tequila Trail video series. Cheers! Join Chef Mark and Jennifer as they explore the Amitatan Valley of Jalisco, Mexico to discover the true soul of Tequila, from harvesting agave plants to quizzing people on the streets of NYC about their Tequila knowledge. Main lesson [...]

It’s discovery week on Food Philosophy! Scottish Chef Tom Lewis of Monachyle Mhor Hotel introduces me to tongue (oh, behave) and the joy of Scotch, while Maximilian Riedel changes the world of wine for me in its entirety. Plus I’ve got updates on some new features at CMN, and a whole lotta travel goin’ [...]

Before there was gin, there was genever, and it was a foundational element of the earliest cocktails. Thanks to Bols, genever is now back on the American market, and bartenders everywhere are offering a toast to this fine distilled beverage. Master Distiller Piet van Leijenhorst joins me to talk about the complexities of genever [...]

CMN Video: Cocktail Hour – Basil Mo”Tea”to Lilia Temple from Liption PureLeaf teas joins us to show how to make an interesting twist on the classic Mojito using basil and brewed, lightly sweetened tea. A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

CMN Video: Cocktail Hour – Sazerac Mixologist Jonathan Pogash shows us how to make a classic. The official cocktail of New Orleans: The Sazerac. Using Sazerac Rye Whiskey, Absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters, and simple syrup. It’s a little taste of the past! A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

CMN Video: Cocktail Hour – Absinthe At the coming out party in New York for La Fee Absinthe, we are treated to a Parisienne, the classic way to enjoy Absinthe, and we see the “louche” that develops when water is poured over a sugar cube to release “The Green Fairy”. A production of The Culinary [...]

Are you ready for summer cocktails? We certainly are! If you are in or around NYC, please join us at Union Bar on Friday July 25th from 5-7 PM as we co-host a summer cocktail bash at “Cafe PureLeaf”. This special cafe within Union Bar will be celebrating a new line of bottled PureLeaf brewed [...]

Who doesn’t love a good cocktail? I had the opportunity to meet Ann Rogers, founder of Tales of the Cocktail, last weekend at the NY Times Travel Show. We definitely plan to attend this event in July, as the presentation at the show was phenomenal. I also had the opportunity to get a little bit [...]