Porco Lounge & Tiki Room in Cleveland - Painkiller Recipe!

Are you ready for happy hour? Me, too! Today we're visiting Cleveland's fabulous Porco Lounge & Tiki Room for their delicious Painkiller! The title is apt - any pain you're feeling will evaporate after a couple of these little miracles. Cheers!

A Christmas Story House! Road Trip with Recipes, Cocktail Included!

In today's episode we visit Cleveland's fabulous A Christmas Story House! Fans of the movie, you'd lose your mind there! The house itself is interactive, so you can sit at the kitchen table, crawl into Randy's cabinet and even taste Lifebuoy soap if you're so inclined. The museum is chock full of props, costumes and more and the gift shop has everything you need to create your own holiday wonderland. Don't miss it the next time you visit Cleveland!

Mocktail Monday: Virtuous Eggnog

Wow, this Monday is really falling into the cliche of Mondays. EVERYTHING is going wrong! I'd love some booze right now, but I'll sip this festive, non-alcoholic eggnog variation instead. I'll thank myself later.

Thanksgiving Happy Hour

Happy Thanksgiving! Join us for some impromptu Thanksgiving drinks, which will be just as delicious and necessary on Black Friday. Cheers!

Thankful for Wine - Thanksgiving Recipes with Glendora

Your favorite cousin is back and full of Thanksgiving gratitude! Wine is, of course, on the menu, along with copious amounts of cheese. Grab a drink and count your blessings!

Mocktail Monday: Apple-Vanilla Toddy

It's Mocktail Monday and today we have a warm drink that's perfect for Thanksgiving! Enjoy it instead of or between rounds of cocktails. You know which I'll be doing. Cheers!

Make Your Own Strawberry Bitters

I suddenly decided a couple of weeks ago for no real reason that we needed strawberry cocktail bitters. I'm sure such a thing exists commercially, but I haven't seen it, so I decided to make my own. It's really easy to make your own bitters - the most labor intensive part is sourcing the ingredients - but it takes a couple of weeks to get a finished product, so it's not something you want to leave until cocktail time. If you start now you'll be replete with bitters for holiday gatherings!

Strawberry Cocktail Bitters

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 1/2 cups overproof rum (I used Cockspur 130 proof)

1/2 cup chopped ginger

1 1/2 tsp gentian root

3 tsp whole cloves

4 1/2 tsp cardamom pods

4 1/2 whole star anise

5 sticks cinnamon

1 cup high quality strawberry liqueur

Combine all ingredients except the strawberry liqueur in an airtight container. Shake daily for two weeks. I removed the strawberries after one week.

Two weeks later: strain mixture and boil solids with one cup of water for 30 minutes. Be sure to keep the fluid, since you’ll be adding to it.

You might need to add a little water occasionally to keep the fluid level up while boiling. Cool, strain and add new fluid to existing fluid.

Add one cup of high quality strawberry liqueur, shake and you’ve got strawberry bitters! It may not look like much, but you only use a few drops at a time, so a little goes a long way. Cheers!

Road Trip to Tiki Underground in Akron - Mai Tai on the Menu!

Are you ready for a happy hour cocktail? Me, too! Today I'm enjoying the fabulous Mai Tai from Tiki Underground in Akron, Ohio. The recipe is in the video and highly (no pun intended) recommended. Be sure to drop in when you're driving through Ohio. Their decor is beautiful, their food is great and their drinks are spot on!

(Night Before) Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving hosts: Have you ever had the experience of working for days and even weeks on Thanksgiving dinner, only to remember at the last minute that, oops, your guests are arriving on Wednesday?! It is easy to be so focused on the big meal that dinner the evening before gets forgotten but, as my mother-in-law once said in a different context "You can't starve these people!" This would be an ideal time to order some pizzas, but if you want to spare yourself those calories the night before the biggest meal of the year, or maybe you'd like a retro cooking challenge that's still pretty easy, Better Homes & Gardens Best Buffets (1963) has some options with shrimp. At the very least they'll get the conversational ball rolling!

I'll bet they didn't see that meal coming! Be sure to pick up some extra wine for the imbibers. You don't want to consume all the wine you meant for Thanksgiving dinner the night before!

Kate's Lazy Meadow - Road Trip with Cocktails!

Joining us for a visit to Kate's Lazy Meadow, in Mt. Tremper, New York! We have a cocktail inspired by lazy meadows and a 1958 appetizer so easy you could assemble it blind drunk. Who knows? It could come in handy someday. 😏 Enjoy!

Mocktail Monday: Winter Fruits

It's Mocktail Monday and today we have a super easy drink that's perfect for the non-drinkers at your holiday parties! Only two ingredients, but extremely festive!

Happy Hour Cocktail: Fire Eating Mermaid

We're very excited to share the cocktail we created for our favorite mermaid, MeduSirena, the Fire Eating Mermaid! Be sure to catch her shows at the Wreck Bar the next time you're in Fort Lauderdale!

Hidden Harbor Pittsburgh Tiki Bar - Road Trip!

Today we're excited to bring you along on our recent to Hidden Harbor, Pittsburgh's fabulous tiki hot spot! Head bartender Max Stein makes three drinks, all of which are delicious, and their decor and ambiance are to die for! I wish I was there right now!

Thanksgiving Kitsch

Thanksgiving is not the easiest holiday to decorate for. It's like the forgotten child between Halloween and Christmas, both of which I love, but Thanksgiving is the holiday we get to host, so I want to make it count! I'm very pleased with my display, especially since I spent a total of $2 in new items to pull it together. It has a slight "poultry" theme, since I happened to have the Miss Chicken Big mug and Foghorn Leghorn glass already. I definitely use what I have!

Mocktail Monday: Toasted Coconut & Maple

It's Mocktail Monday and I have to say today's drink is especially delicious! I hardly even miss the booze! Perfect for Thanksgiving and autumn days. Have a fabulous week!

Cocktail Recipe with Tequila AND Mezcal

Can't choose between tequila and mezcal this happy hour? Choose both! Our lovely libation pairs them perfectly!