Binny's Blog

In the pre-prohibition era, Brandy was a go to spirit for cocktails. In fact, many of the Whiskey-based cocktails you know and love were once made with Brandy, usually Cognac. While this mixologist readily confesses to the penchant modern barkeeps and imbibers have for fetishizing pre-prohibition recipes, excellent Brandy cocktails still languish in comparison to their Whiskey-based counterparts.

It is the beginning of summer and the long-awaited return of strawberry season in the Midwest, which is reason enough to celebrate. If you feel the need for another excuse to make this perfectly rustic summer dessert, June 14 is National Strawberry Shortcake Day. But who needs excuses when it comes to strawberry shortcake? It is THE dessert you should be serving to put an exclamation point on every June cookout and picnic you host.

This fruity, floral, and fizzy delight is the intersection of a French 75, a Kir Royale and an elderflower spritz. It is, seemingly, tailormade for Mother’s Day. So, if you usually bring your mom flowers, why not mix up this liquid bouquet instead.

The times we live in make it more important than ever that we show those most important to us how much they really mean. Here is an extra simple three course Valentine’s dinner for two, designed to bring that fancy restaurant feel home with minimal effort.

There's no need to break the bank this Valentine's Day. Treat yourself to more than one bottle of wine for your special celebration.

Aphrodite's Apple is a tall glass of apple pie, cinnamon, ginger, and citrus goodness we all want. This cocktail has the perfect amount of sweet and savory flavors, leaving you with a fantastic dessert cocktail.

Greet your guests with something different this holiday season. This fizzy cocktail is festively enjoyable with a variety of flavors that mix perfectly with Pinot Noir. Additionally, try freezing pomegranate seeds in ice cubes to add a bit of flare to your Pinot Punch.

Sauternes has the unfortunate distinction of being a wine everyone loves, but few people actually drink. It suffers from the perception that wine must be dry to be fine.

“Americans are allergic to bad vintages,” observed one person in Bordeaux during a recent trip. I couldn’t disagree. The view here is often absolute: a vintage is either good or bad. And people don’t want to drink “bad” vintages.

As we gear up to focus on Bordeaux for the month of September it seems fitting to recap the annual Binny's en premier trip.