Holidays are a time for entertaining and cocktail parties, but not everyone wants alcoholic beverages. Cordials are a great solution. If you’ve never made a cordial, you’ll look at the recipe and say, “Hey, that’s just flavored simple syrup!” You’re right, of course. Now add seltzer (carbonated water) and you can call it a cordial. [...]

Categories: beverage, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: beverage, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have an abundance of cherries, particularly Rainier and Bing cherries. When I saw Rainier cherries for $1.49 per pound, I knew it was time to try making a liqueur. I started with two pounds of Rainier cherries, unpitted, and added 1½ cups of sugar and a fifth of grain [...]

Categories: beverage, dairy-free, pantry
Tagged: beverage, dairy-free, pantry

Grenadine is used in many drinks, but the grenadine you can buy in grocery and liquor stores is, well, nasty. And it might not even have any pomegranate in it, but it may contain some “tasty” corn syrup and bright red dye. Unfortunately, pomegranate juice really isn’t bright red, and grenadine shouldn’t set your teeth on edge with sweetness.

Categories: beverage, condiments, dairy-free, dessert, entertaining, gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: condiments, dairy-free, dessert, entertaining, gluten-free, ingredients, pantry, vegan, vegetarian

I was strolling through a local Whole Foods Market a couple of days ago and saw a big carboard box with Cork ReHarvest on the side. “Hmm,” I thought, “what’s this?”

Categories: beverage, cork, wine
Tagged: cork, vineyard, willamette valley, wine