Lesley Jacobs Solmonson

Yes, bartenders, the glove law is upon us. Grab a garnish, be it something as simple as a lemon twist, and you must don the plastic. And then take them off to serve the drink, and then wash your hands, and then make another drink, and then - you know......

Bar None is part of a part of an ongoing series that explores local bartenders' favorite ingredients, familiar haunts, tipple of choice and "scientific" methods.  Ask Chi Lin/RivaBella bar manager Aaron Alvarez what his top drink spot is in town and he doesn't skip a beat.  It's the Roger Room. As Alvarez......

This column is part of a new series called Wine of the Week, in which we highlight a particular wine we love that week. (Just what it sounds like, right?) As it's still January and we're still feeling that New Year's spirit, it makes sense that our first Wine of...

Nordic and Viking lore tells of how two races of gods created the wise and wonderful Kvasir, who was then murdered by two dwarfs. It gets better. The dwarfs filled three drinking containers with Kvasir's blood, mixed it with honey and created a drink that  offered wisdom and poetry to...

This is part of an ongoing series entitled Bar None, which explores local bartenders' favorite ingredients, familiar haunts, tipple of choice and "scientific" methods. Each week, a topic will be featured, rotating throughout the month. When bartender Matthew Biancaniello, known for his commitment to using market-fresh and sometimes surprising (truffles,...

When it comes to cocktails, the saying "American as apple pie"  might  well be changed to "American as apple brandy." When our enthusiastically bibulous forefathers set foot on the soil of the New World, they brought apple seeds with them; the first apple brandy was made with apples harvested from trees ...

It may be the first day of the new year, but it's also, perhaps fittingly, National Bloody Mary Day. Instead of the usual spirit-fortified Mary, which typically follows a night of thorough intoxication, why not try something a bit more detoxifying? Matthew Kenney, owner of M.A.K.E., the "living foods restaurant"......

This year, celebrate New Year's Eve with all-American verve by offering a twist on the classic French 75 -- made with Apple Brandy, or Apple Jack, America's first spirit. This recipe comes to us by way of Justin Pike, bartender extraordinaire of The Tasting Kitchen in Venice. What makes it......

With only a day to go before Santa arrives, here are a few last-minute ideas for the booze lover in your life. From serious gifting to stocking stuffers, these selections are sure to please even the most picky cocktailian in your life......

They didn't call Mesopotamia the Fertile Crescent for nothing. Around 6,000 years ago, records suggest that the Tigris-Euphrates river valley was full of party animals -- party animals whose libation of choice was beer. The Babylonians also exported beer to Egypt, making some of us wonder whether it was beer......