Here in Los Angeles I’ve been downing frozen cocktails with abandon, but there are even those days when I just can’t drag out the blender. So, in steps the two ingredient cocktail.
These “cocktail quickie” recipes migrated over to Instagram a few years back, but now with the influx of users, and that oh-so-annoying algorithm there, recipes get lost in the crowd. Now I’m back to keeping them on both sites. So, if you happen to miss a recipe on Instagram, you can always catch up here on the site.
Today we’re pouring some liquid sunshine with one of my favorite bitter liqueurs, Suze. Suze is a French apéritif flavored with fresh gentian and aromatic herbs. The taste is slightly bitter, very herbaceous (for me, bordering on vegetal), that ends on a sweeter, citrus note. It’s WONDERFUL.
While you could make this a one ingredient drink and have it poured over ice, I like to make this a highball (or lowball depending on the glass type I’m using) by mixing it with soda water over ice. It’s really an any time kinda drink: before going out, after a meal, during your kid’s nap…
Stretching the Suze out with the soda water does mellow out the flavor a lot, which, if you’re not looking to be hit in the face with all the gentian, could be the drink for you. Optionally, if you’d like a little extra sweetness with this, you can add in a 1/4 ounce to 1/2 ounce honey syrup (honey/water 1:1) as I love the way honey works with this liqueur. Enjoy!
Suze and Soda
2 ounces Suze
soda water to top
1/4 – 1/2 ounce honey syrup, optional
Pack a highball (or rocks glass) glass with ice. Build the drink by pouring in Suze, optional honey syrup, and topping with desired amount of soda water.
This post was made in partnership with Vinho Verde Wines. Recipe and ideas are my own.
Picnics sure have changed a lot since I was little, obviously. There’s definitely wine now. However, the bugs are still there in droves. But I get to stay out a lot later so…win!
Today I’ve partnered with 
You can’t have a picnic without some great picnic food too. And if we’re drinking Portuguese wine, we are definitely eating Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese egg tarts). These light, slightly sweetened tarts hold up well outdoors. I have a few bakeries here in Los Angeles that I like to buy mine from, although I’m linking to a solid recipe below if you’d like to bake yours. I do like to dress mine up a bit for the picnic with some wine-candied lemon peels which I DO have a recipe for below using the same wine we’ll make spritzes with.
A picnic should not be a stressful affair. Here’s some tips to help make your day go off without a hitch!
Vinho Verde Spritz (makes one Spritz)
Wine Candied Lemon Peels for Pastéis de Nata (Egg Tarts)
I also found myself a little sad today that the holiday party season is coming to a close. My quota of warm punches and bottled cocktails was definitely not met. BUT! We still have New Years and I’ve been thinking about the perfect cocktail to serve for that, the last of the year’s parties.
The base of the cocktail uses Everclear to start and I infused that with cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, green cardamom and allspice using my favorite quick infusion method (cream whipper I love you). I keep that separate so that I can tinker with the adjustments to make the final cocktail perfectly spiced; it’s just of the ways I’ve used Everclear this season for cocktails. You can check out the myriad of ways Everclear is transforming craft cocktails as part of their 
If all these spices seem like a lot to go and buy, remember you can purchase in bulk online for cheap. I like having the option of whole spices at home for using in recipes or infusions, and when I need ground spices, I can make them fresh and keep some small jars on hand. It’s a little extra legwork up front for better tasting infusions and food down the line.
Spiced Pear Fizz Cocktail (~28 proof)