Ever wonder where tonic water gets its name? Here's the fascinating medical history of a bar standard!

Anti-Gravity Cocktail

Daniel Kohler · November 11, 2016

Making a cocktail for our intergalactic guests was a dream come true. The cast of Star Trek: TNG visited us and I was able to teach a quick lesson on density while putting together a colorful drink.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Summer, Video

Home & Family: Strawberry Shrub

Daniel Kohler · August 4, 2015

Trust me on this one, drinking vinegar is great for you. A shrub is a vinegary preserved, fruit syrup that will keep you satisfied all Summer long. Stir some into soda water or shake it with a cocktail!

Dairy Free, Drink, Summer

Plum Basil Shrub

Daniel Kohler · July 31, 2015

Once you've graduated from the Strawberry Shrub, it's time to incorporate fresh herbs. A noseful of basil pairs well with most fruits and I am partial to swooning over its combination with fresh plums. Indeed, on the road to this shrub I ate fistfuls of torn green leaves wrapped around slices of bleeding plums.

Dairy Free, Dinner, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Summer

Summer Crush Cocktail

Daniel Kohler · July 29, 2015

We all have one. Sometimes it's the ringmaster of that traveling circus with ice-blue eyes, sometimes it's the lifeguard sitting perched atop a lookout, clad only in red. Wherever you may be in life, it is never too late for a summer crush. While I'm pining for that man in the top hat I will make do with this blush colored cocktail. A mix of tequila and my strawberry shrub, this couldn't be easier to assemble. Wow your guests with a non-margarita tequila drink and fall in love with this sweet sip.

Drink, Summer

Strawberry Piloncillo Shrub

Daniel Kohler · July 28, 2015

A shrub is nothing more than fruit preserved in both sugar and vinegar. The resulting brew is a bracing syrup, at once sweet and sour. Stir this into sparkling water all summer or shake it up with a cocktail and startle your palate. Vinegar has remarkable health benefits, but let us forget those in favor of its obvious flavor strength. Brew once and let this jar of power support you in the coming months.

Drink, Home & Family

Lemon Lime Syrup

Daniel Kohler · May 13, 2015

Simple syrup isn't rocket science. Quite literally, in fact. When you mix equal parts water and sugar, you have a perfect solution for crying flavors of all sorts. Boil a few vanilla beans or some sliced ginger in the mixture and you'll be set for cocktails and soda alike.

Drink

PINEAPPLE SHRUB

Daniel Kohler · August 20, 2014

Shrubs represent one slice in the enormous tradition of preserving food around the world. Originally intended to make fruit last through the winter, the process of soaking foreign gems in vinegar and sugar had an unintended side-benefit. The sweet, fruit flavored vinegar was perfect for mixing into cocktails and seltzer water! Try this one with rum, lime, and a splash of vermouth.

INGREDIENTS

600 grams Pineapple
400 grams Palm Sugar
1/4 cup Black Peppercorns, toasted
2 cups White Wine Vinegar

Mix pineapple and sugar in a large bowl and allow to macerate overnight.
The following day, strain the liquid from the solids, you should have about 2 cups of syrup.
Toast the peppercorns until dancing and popping in pan, then add them to your strained syrup.
Add vinegar to the syrup, stir in a large jar, and allow to mellow in the fridge. IT will keep indefinitely.