Binny's Blog

A medley of sweet, tangy, earthy, and herbal. A bright and vibrant mélange of freshly picked vegetables that also foreshadows some of the comforting richness to come. In a word, succotash. We top this with grilled filets of mahi-mahi, aka dolphin or dorado. It is a firm but flakey fleshed fish that puts an exclamation point on the summery feel of this dish.

This is what the G&T was meant to be from London to Gibraltar to Mumbai to sweltering late summer Chicago; simple to make, complexly layered, ultimately quenching and loaded with character. Mercifully, the colonial era is largely over but may the sun never set on the Gin and Tonic!

The original Americano cocktail is, of course, somewhat bitter being a blend of Campari (Red Amaro), Sweet Vermouth and soda. That is the bitter root of the matter but today we bring the Americanos together in a riff, a combo, an Americano, ‘mericano and as far as we know it was invented right here at Binny’s in the U.S. of A.

This mixologist must confess to enjoying a good Gin Sling every now and then. In fact, in the wake of Roger’s herbal tour de force of a Pimm’s Cup riff, featured on “Barrel to Bottle: The Binny’s Podcast” Savory Cocktails, we were enjoying our own riff on that classic Gin Sling. In addition to the usual suspects, we added diced peach and a bit of savory cherry shrub, among other things. Wow! What a drink that turned out to be. A great and serendipitous riff.

The Tuxedo cocktail is a highfalutin riff on the Martini with Fino Sherry in place of the Vermouth. It’s potent, crisp, and tangy from the Sherry and makes for a fun Martini alternative whether at a black-tie event or a backyard BBQ.

The magnificent Italian Aperitivo, Cocchi Americano, is a delight on the rocks with an orange wheel and serves as the cornerstone of a perfect Corpse Reviver No 2 cocktail. Just like Vermouth, it must be fresh to be at its best alone or in a cocktail. Luckily, 375 ml bottles are now available.

Here is a really simple dish to add to your midsummer grilling repertoire that takes no time and packs in loads of seasonal flavor. Firm, meaty swordfish is grilled over charcoal and smokey rosemary sprigs then dressed up with an explosively flavorful relish of garden-fresh tomatoes and olives.

It’s high time that we acknowledge Hemingway as the Papa of today’s trend toward low-cal, low-carb, (but certainly not low alcohol) drinks. Hemingway liked a stiff drink, so pace yourself as you enjoy this pink cocktail, lest you start seeing pink elephants or counting six blurry toes on your five-toed cat.

Yes, we did it! We married two great Midwestern burger traditions, added a little French savoir faire and came up with this buttery, beefy and cheesy thruple served up on a pillowy bun.

There are few traditional American foods that rival BBQ when it comes to Fourth of July celebrations. What we have here is in that Western North Carolina tradition, referred to as either Piedmont or Lexington style pulled pork. If you have never had it, you are in for a real treat.