Binny's Blog

Binny’s Home Bartender has holiday magic in a glass – The Sorel of the Story is a recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving cocktail.

The Black Velvet is sophisticated St. Patrick’s Day cocktail recipe. This simple, luxurious blend of Guinness and Champagne is the perfect way to cap off your extended Celtic carousing.

New Year’s Eve is usually the perfect time to host an elegant cocktail party. This year it looks like we might all be better off keeping gatherings small and maybe a little less formal. Eating and drinking well will still be a must, however, so here is a little jumpstart for your menu planning.  

Our resident Mixologist put together an original Champagne punch, fit for a New Year’s Eve. Punch, in some form, has been around for centuries. Punch’s long history has allowed for endless variations to arise, making it a diverse and many splendored thing that can be alcoholic or not, hot or cold, simple or complex, but no matter the iteration it must always be festive.

A crispy skinned roast goose is a long-standing Christmas tradition that has, sadly, gone by the wayside in the U.S. It’s a real pity since the succulent dark fleshed goose meat, coupled with the crunch of deeply browned skin remain as delicious as they have always been. Add a decadent Port sauce, amazingly savory goose fat roasted potatoes and a fruity, sweet, tart and spicy compote and you have a truly memorable meal. 

Binny’s Confessions of a Mixologist brings you the best wassail recipe. Our version of this ancient drink features, hard cider, English ale, Madeira and roasted apples combined with exotic spices and even eggs if you choose.

Whether you spend Christmas Eve indulging in the Italian American tradition of The Feast of the Seven Fishes or you are just looking for a seemingly extravagant dish to wow guests, cioppino is for you. In San Francisco, Italian immigrants from Liguria modified the fish stews of their homeland to incorporate the glorious seafood the Pacific Ocean provided, birthing cioppino.

A holiday bonus from our resident mixologist: two cocktail recipes this week. The Saratoga is a pre-Prohibition classic that's a cross between the Manhattan and the Metropolitan. The Laird's A-Leaping is a riff that uses Laird's Apple Brandy.

Last year on our Batch Cocktails episode, Pat and Chris made big batches of eggnog and aged them for 12 months. Now it's time to try them and hopefully not get sick. Additionally, Roger has cooked up a really easy cranberry simple syrup and has three cocktails to try out.

Even during Prohibition, Chicagoans could find a stiff drink if they knew how to ask for it. The Chicago Cocktail is not your typical Champagne cocktail. Brandy takes the lead in this big-shouldered Prohibition-era favorite.