#cocktails

#cocktails

Basil stems, like the stalks of most soft herbs, are entirely edible. While they may be too tough to blend into a smooth pesto sauce or to used as garnish, they still have some of that sweet, peppery basil flavor that can be infused into the syrup. Moreover, turning basil stems into a herby and flavorful syrup is easier than it sounds. Just whip out a pot, add some water, sugar, and, of course, the basil stems, and reduce it into a syrup.

Melted ice cream brings rich flavors and a thick, creamy texture, making it a game-changing cocktail ingredient. It'll add sweetness and body to everything from boozy milkshakes to reimagined classics. Here's a simple rule of thumb to get you started: Whenever a cocktail recipe calls for heavy cream, try swapping in some melted ice cream instead. After all, melted vanilla ice cream is basically a crème anglaise - a combination of heavy cream, vanilla, and egg yolks.

A Sloane Square stylish stalwart since 2008, The Botanist is well-known for its popular cocktail bar and contemporary British restaurant. This summer, the restaurant introduced a great new brunch menu, running between 11 am and 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, with the option to make it bottomless with their Weekend Freeflow' drinks packages, from an extra 27 for the bubbles' prosecco and beer package up to 44 for freeflow champagne and more.

Assaf Tamir had a simple idea: open a bar for the sake of music. It was a bit of a shift for him, business-wise, as he and his sister Naama dabble more in the restaurant sphere, running the long-standing Lighthouse in Williamsburg, as well as , a Mediterranean-meets-Japanese skewer concept in SoHo. But as the two hosted shows inside their Williamsburg restaurant over the years, they figured it was time to a create a space that musicians deserved.

Executive chef and partner Craig Koketsu is behind the wheel, steering a menu that fuses regional Mexican flavors with playful detours through California and Texas. Dishes aren't shy on spectacle: Lobster al pastor arrives slicked with achiote-chili butter and pineapple pico de gallo, while the long-bone short rib quesabirria dares you to build your own tacos with blue corn tortillas and dunk them into consommé poured tableside.

California turned 175 on September 9, which means it's time to celebrate the only way the Golden State knows how: with alcohol that costs more than rent and tastes like optimism mixed with wildfire smoke. A concoction that shakes you up! Forget cake. Forget balloons. This is a state with a history that reads like a fantasy sci-fi novella, with chapters on the Gold Rush, the 1906 earthquake, Charles Manson, Hollywood's Golden Age, Silicon Valley, and the rise of agentic artificial intelligence.

In "The Bear," Richie praises the bar for its early opening hours ("[T]he place opened at like 6:30 in the morning so that when traders, when they lost their a** when the market opened, they could just, you know, they could walk over and just get f****n' hammered in this little f*****g bar.) Indeed, Ceres Cafe currently opens at 7:00 a.m. and remains open until 8:00 p.m., closed on Saturday and Sunday.

This spot's cozy leather booths and plentiful wood trim give its dining room an old-school steakhouse vibe that's perfect for date nights. The menu is all about dressed-up comfort food, like the crispy, spiced-just-right curry fried chicken, or the lightly charred petite filet mignon. Steaks are served with your choice of butter or demiglace-go for the miso-honey butter. The bar program showcases housemade syrups, bitters, and tinctures, which make even the simpler cocktails taste elevated.

Order an array of small plates, like the just-spicy-enough chicken and chorizo empanadas, or the juicy quesabirria.

Whether you're celebrating the end of summer or trying to inject some bright appeal into the colder months, berries are a great tool to utilize. And I'm not just talking about frozen berries or the out-of-season strawberries you pay big bucks for in the middle of December. When you want the sweet taste of summer berries all year long, there's one reliable way to get it that isn't dependent on the season - of course, I'm talking about berry-flavored alcohol.

Free hot dog with any Hornitos cocktail like margaritas, palomas, tequila shots or order the delish "Dying Word" cocktail with coconut fat washed Hornitos, coconut liquor, pineapple gomme syrup, lime, angostura and cardamom bitters. Rye has been in operation since 2006. A pioneer in the cocktail movement, tried to avoid speakeasy style stuff and be an everyman bar. We want the neighborhood people and tourists alike to feel at home.

As a white rum-based cocktail, it's already starting on the right foot, as white rum is quite light bodied. It has a clean and crisp taste that makes it great for mixing as it allows other ingredients to shine. Fresh mint does exactly that in a mojito, while the rum plays a subtle background note. It's the fresh mint leaves that give mojito its signature flavor and make it so smooth to drink.

What's more fun than the novelty of a bright blue drink? I've been experimenting with blue curacao cocktails for years, and I can tell you there's no ingredient quite like this vibrant liqueur for making drinks that taste as incredible as they look. Blue curacao is a sapphire-tinted orange liqueur made in the Caribbean. It has a bright citrusy flavor and a color that makes drinks look like swimming pool water.

There's nothing quite like infusing coconut flavor into cocktails! It brings a creamy body and a tropical vibe to drinks of all kinds. It's a natural to pair with rum, like with the classic pina colada. But you can also try more unique coconut rum cocktails like the Bushwacker, or even a coconut margarita or martini! I've been perfecting coconut cocktails for years,

The true recipe calls for bourbon with water and sugar - or simple syrup - plus bitters (traditionally Angostura). Enhanced by a garnish of an orange slice or peel and a cherry, the finishing flavor profile deftly balances bourbon's subtle boozy heat, woodiness, and sweet, spicy notes of caramel, vanilla, baking spices, and tobacco with a complementary combo of sugar's straightforward sweetness and the spice and bitterness of the Angostura bitters.

Elderflower seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it flavor. It's bright, floral, and somewhat fruity, so it has a distinct profile when compared to other aromatic ingredients. If you're unfamiliar with the flavor, my advice would be to grab a drink featuring elderflower and see if you like it before diving headfirst into the ingredient. If you do like the particularities of elderflower (and you happen to enjoy imbibing on occasion), you're in the right place - we are one and the same,

Fat-washing is one of the best ways to infuse a spirit with a particular flavor. You can attest to this if you've ever had a bacon Old Fashioned, and the best spicy Margarita of all time is made with tequila that's been fat-washed with chili crisp. It's not a difficult technique to master - you just need the proper tools and ingredients.

That doesn't mean the place is stiff. Conversation rides a comfortable murmur with the clink of tongs keeping the backbeat. The cocktail list is fun and creative. A Yuzu Spritzel, for example, is a cocktail that cuts clean and citrusy with yuzu honey, prosecco and bitters. There's a slew of Korean spirits to enjoy alongside Soju and some imported Korean beers. The wine list isn't massive but it features helpful pairing suggestions. If you prefer something softer, there are mocktails and tea.

Absinthe has historically been condemned as dangerous due to misinformation and hoaxes. Recent studies have debunked these myths, showcasing absinthe's safety despite its potency.

The Between the Sheets cocktail is a variation of the classic Sidecar, combining brandy, white rum, orange liqueur, and lemon juice for a refreshing twist.

Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine from Italy, is lively and cheerful yet not sweet, making it a versatile choice for various occasions including brunch.

Lemon is usually bright, smoother than lime. It is fresh and floral. Lime is more intense and has a tangy and bitter finish. Lemon and lime balances our drink without making it taste sour.

Watermelon, which is 92% water, can become a thin, soupy mess in drinks if not handled properly. Freezing it solid first prevents this problem.

The margarita is America's top-selling cocktail, well-balanced, refreshing, and delicious. Its simplicity makes it an ideal canvas for creative twists, including adding spices or botanicals.

To make the cerveza cooler, combine 40ml of good mezcal, 10ml of fresh lime juice, and 10ml of elderflower cordial in a tall glass.

To make a foolproof puree from summer fruits, introduce your chosen fruit and sugar to heat, determining the amount of sugar based on the fruit and its ripeness.

The strawberry watermelon margarita at Dave & Buster's features Espolón Blanco tequila, triple sec, citrus mix, watermelon, and strawberry, making it a vibrant and nostalgic drink.

Aperitivo is the Italian tradition of pre-dinner drinks, typically involving a social drink like an Aperol spritz or Negroni, paired with light snacks.

Drop Shots HTX features an indoor air-conditioned pickleball court and a bar with ten pickleball-themed cocktails, providing a unique venue to enjoy the sport and socialize.

Bermuda has a longstanding reputation for its drinking culture, particularly centered around Gosling's Black Seal rum, first created in the 1850s. This molasses-colored spirit is essential to Bermuda's signature cocktails, notably the dark n' stormy and the rum swizzle, which are staples in every local bar and restaurant.

Brookfield Place has transformed its Waterfront Plaza into a pop-up center court for the 10th annual Brookfield Place Open, in partnership with the Tennis Channel, offering free play.