J Reilly

Cranberry Juice and Vodka Drink Lab

We’ve chosen the Capescrew and the Classic Cosmopolitan for tonight’s drink lab. The Capescrew is a mash up of a Screwdriver, made with vodka and orange juice, and a Cape Cod, made with vodka and cranberry juice. The Cosmo is classic cocktail made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and a splash of lime.

Cranberry Juice and Rum Drink Lab

For Cranberry Juice and Rum Cocktail Lab, I’ve selected two drinks from Shane Carley’s The Home Bartender – Logan’s Rum and Caribbean Cranberry Twist.

Wednesday Wine Featuring California Merlot

In the movie Sideways, the lead character, Miles, exclaims “…if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any f***ing Merlot!” Why all the hatred for poor Merlot?

Creating New Habits: Wine & Small Plates Wednesday

We’ve unintentionally formed a new habit with wine and small plates on Wednesday that’s both satisfying and reasonably healthy.

Snow Day Baked Ziti Paired With Amarone

While my drinking buddy is snow-blowing the 16 inches of white stuff that was dumped on the northeast coast, I’m feeling hygge (Danish for coziness) inside. Alexa is playing my Amazon playlist as I scurry around the kitchen, readying bowls, pots, casserole dish, and the endless number of ingredients for Rachael Ray’s Two Sauce Baked Ziti.

Bahama Mama Drink Lab

Did you know that Bahama Mama was a real person? Dottie Lee Anderson was a calypso singer and dancer in the 1930s who went by the stage name Bahama Mama. It’s rumored that the cocktail is named for her.

Dry January vs. Dry Two Days A Week

Dry Two Days A Week will never be the trendy, popular catchphrase that Dry January has become but Dry Two Days A Week will net you 104 days of righteous abstinence.

RumChata Drink Lab

For our first drink lab of 2022, we’ll crack open the bottle of RumChata that we got for Christmas. I’ve found two RumChata cocktail recipes to try and compare. First is the Coconut Café au Lait, using Kahlua and Malibu Coconut Rum. The second recipe is a RumChata White Russian made with vodka and Kahlua.

New Year’s Eve With Rombauer Zinfandel

Rombauer Zinfandel was our wine of choice for New Year’s Eve. If I were to describe it in musical terms, I would say that it thrashes around my mouth like a bombastic heavy metal front man on a strobe-lit stage.

Hometown Tourist

This fall turned out to be an opportune time to play the tourist at our local museums. After the summer rush of concerts, festivals, and outdoor activities came to an end, we enjoyed taking time to learn about our local cultural heritage and experience our new hometown like a tourist.