Binny's Blog

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.

You may have heard that there's a Champagne shortage going on. First, we all drank too much of it during the early stages of the pandemic. Then supply chain issues caused even more problems. Luckily, Binny's crack team of buyers saw the writing on the wall early and made some big purchases for all of our thirsty customers around the holidays. Alicia has selected five Champagnes today that are available in our stores right now at great prices. Cheers!

The Festival of Lights is upon us! Time for lighting the menorah, gifts and song, dreidel and gelt, and of course, latkes. If you don’t already have a favorite recipe or a family member who makes the world’s greatest latkes, the Demo Kitchen might be a little worried for you. These crispy little potato pancakes are such a delicious Hanukkah tradition that no one should be deprived of their pleasures, so we felt obligated to supply a very classic version, just in case.

Cranberry Ginger Snap sounds like a delightful holiday cookie or maybe a cocktail based on a delightful holiday cookie; but really, it's one of a long line of riffs on the Whiskey Sour.

Try Binny’s Confessions of a Mixologist “Tree of a Perfect Pear” sparkling wine cocktail recipe made with Prosecco, St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur, Cointreau and lemon juice. It’s the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail for kicking off the festivities.