The sweet potato casserole… OLD FASHIONED? Yep, she did it.

Next up on the #FestiveOldFashioned series with @oldforester is the wonderful Jessica Ford (@queenofcoupes) with a riff on the Old Fashioned using one of my favorite sides during any holiday dinner, the sweet potato casserole. Check out her details below.

“As soon as the holiday theme was mentioned, I knew I had to make an old fashioned riff of my favorite holiday side, sweet potato casserole. I chose Old Forester 1910 because the heavy char on the cask used for secondary aging imparts the perfect flavor profile for this riff: sweet caramel and toffee notes, smokey vanilla that’s reminiscent of toasted marshmallow, and well integrated baking spices.”

Ok, apparently I’ve been making this the wrong way? 😒

Wisconsin Old Fashioned… I don’t think I know of any other classic cocktail thats so heavily disputed by an entire region. I’ve been drinking old fashioned’s for a while now and always have preferred them… the old fashioned way (ps. This is how the drink got its name - spirit, bitters, sugar + water). But the last time I made the Wisconsin OF, Wisconsinites slid into the comments section asking telling me I still did it wrong. In their defense, apparently it’s made with brandy and not bourbon (which was apparently the case for the OG old fashioned).

So lets do this the right way, feel free to throw the hate down below, I’m bracing for impact :)

Cheers y’all.

“As soon as the holiday theme was mentioned, I knew I had to make an old fashioned riff of my favorite holiday side, sweet potato casserole. I chose Old Forester 1910 because the heavy char on the cask used for secondary aging imparts the perfect flavor profile for this riff: sweet caramel and toffee notes, smokey vanilla that’s reminiscent of toasted marshmallow, and well integrated baking spices.”

Let’s see if we can make a Margarita from the garden 🍅🍃

Y’all know how much I love trying to incorporate fresh and savory ingredients into a cocktail. Together with my friends at @lalospirits, I was able to make make a margarita using some fresh ingredients from the garden. This recipe is perfect with LALO Tequila Blanco because it highlights its bright/vegetal notes and gets some savory/sweet/sour umami notes from the tomato. This is further enhanced by the vegetal notes from the basil and chile liqueur and a little kick from fresh cracked black pepper. This is the perfect margarita for the Spring/Summer and you need to try it out.

Cheers y’all.

#ad21+ Don’t make a regular Espresso Martini, make this instead…

Together with my friends at @luxardousa, we’re going to #ElevateWithEspresso by making one of my favorite twists on a Espresso Martini using Luxardo’s Espresso Liqueur. Today I’m using a local Rhum Agricole as my base spirit since the tropical flavor profiles pair so well with this espresso liqueur which contains notes of sweet vanilla and chocolate. Luxardo Espresso liqueur features a thirty-day infusion of coffees from Brazil, Columbia, and Kenya. Pair all this with some orange notes, enhanced with saline and you’ve got yourself one of the best espresso martinis you’ve ever had.

Cheers y’all.

Here for the savory martini riffs 🍸🙋🏾‍♂️

#ad 21+ Together with my friends at @finlandiavodka_us, I’m going to show you how to add a bit more savory olive notes into your martinis by a process known as “fat washing”. Fat washing using alcohol (in this case #FinlandiaVodka) to extract the subtle flavors out of fat soluble products. Today we’re going to be infusing our vodka with both extra virgin olive oil and bay leaf. This recipe, paired with this dry vermouth produces an exceptionally savory and delightful martini. A couple drops of EVOO to finish just gives it that silky smooth, rich mouthfeel that just puts this one over the top.

Have you ever tried fat washing? Let me know what you think!

Cheers y’all.

#ad21+ Don’t make a regular Espresso Martini, make this instead…

Together with my friends at @luxardousa, we’re going to #ElevateWithEspresso by making one of my favorite twists on a Espresso Martini using Luxardo’s Espresso Liqueur. Today I’m using a local Rhum Agricole as my base spirit since the tropical flavor profiles pair so well with this espresso liqueur which contains notes of sweet vanilla and chocolate. Luxardo Espresso liqueur features a thirty-day infusion of coffees from Brazil, Columbia, and Kenya. Pair all this with some orange notes, enhanced with saline and you’ve got yourself one of the best espresso martinis you’ve ever had.

Cheers y’all.

Elevate your at-home martini game 🍸

A martini service is my favorite way to serve up a martini for 2. It lets everyone pick and choose their own variation and everyone leaves happy. Feel free to scale this recipe into a bigger batch since this would be great as a freezer door martini as well.

Cheers y’all

FRZN 🥭 SZN.

#ad21+ Together with my friends at @tresagaves, I'm simplifying the way you make frozen margaritas. I figured we'd make something spicy and fruity, and everyone knows how well mangoes and chamoy go together so here we are. I'm simplifying this process by using #TresAgaves Jalapeño Margarita Mix since it already has the lime and agave you'd typically put in a margarita anyway. Combined with Melinda's Habanero + Mango hot sauce, it'll just give it that extra fruity kick. We'll also be using their Blanco, which should contribute to the fruity and bright notes in this cocktail to bring it all together.

I have a feeling you'll be making a batch of these in a blender, so feel free to scale up the recipe as needed.

Cheers y'all!

Let’s put that strawberry syrup to good use! 🍓

Amaro and strawberries are a flavor combo you need to try. The balance of sweet, bitter and fruity is always incredible. I used Cardamaro for this recipe but feel free to use an Amari of your choice. You can’t go wrong.

Cheers y’all.

When life gives you strawberries, make a drink 🍓

I love the Clover Club by the legendary Julie Reiner. I also love using it as a template for fruit forward cocktails. In this case, we recently went strawberry picking over at Legare Farms here in Charleston, SC. You really can't beat vine ripened strawberries, they're incredibly sweet and packed with vitamin C. After making an easy strawberry syrup, I figured the Clover Club would be the perfect template for this cocktail. Egg whites are optional obviously but highly recommended for that frothy, silky texture.

Cheers y'all.

If you add olive brine, does it automatically make it dirty? 🫒

For #WorldPalomaDay, we’re doing exactly that and it’s absolutely wonderful.

Check out the recipe below, cheers y’all.

Have you ever had a Jaffa Cake?

It’s no secret that orange and chocolate go really well together so when I saw this recipe in @nicholas.hamilton’s newly released book, “Sipsy Doozy.” I knew I had to try it. Just happened to be great timing with it being #WorldCocktailDay and all. I’m happy to report that it’s as delicious as it sounds. Huge congrats to Nick for his new book, you can grab it over on his page/bio!

Cheers y’all.

Excerpt from the book and origin story of the cocktail:
“This spicy chocolate orange in liquid form tickles the throat as it soothes the tongue with cocoa-coated citrus. This concoction was invented by my followers and me on a TikTok livestream, a result of brainstorming drink ideas with the viewers in the comments. Once the drink was made, a clever commenter said it must taste like a Jaffa Cake, a popular orange-chocolate biscuit (cookie) from England.

Deciding that that name didnt fully encapsulate the spiciness and savoriness of the cocktail, it was renamed the Jaffa Kick.”

#ad21+ Frozen strawberry + jalapeno margaritas should be on the menu this #CincoDeMayo

Together with my friends at @tequilamicampo, I recreated one of my favorite drinks I had a few weeks ago but added a little kick to it. For this frozen margarita, mix everything up and add a few dashes of jalapeño hot sauce and you’ve got something magical. Tequila Mi Campo Blanco adds a layer of citrus and rich tropical notes derived from resting in French oak barrels to this already incredible cocktail that you should definitely make for Cinco de Mayo.

Check out the link in the bio to find a bottle for yourself!

Cheers y’all

#MiCampoPartner
For 21+

Ok, but seriously, fill up those atomizers…

It’s time to use that mint simple syrup from yesterday, today we’re making an OG mint julep the right way. I’ve heard tell of folks in KY putting some funky Jamaican rum on top o their juleps before. If you know me, you know how much I love funky rum (funky in a ripe banana way, not in a 70’s jazz way - actually maybe both?).

Anyways, it adds a level of complexity, fruitiness and sweetness to an already delicious drink. Try it out this weekend and let me know below how you’re celebrating the @kentuckyderby!

Amaro sours should be the OFFICIAL after-dinner drink of 2025.

Yeah you heard me, if you’re a fan of Amari, you’re going to love using it as the base spirit. Its the perfect balance of sweet, sour and bitter. Bonus points that it’s a digestivo and it’s the perfect cocktail to have after dinner.

Let me know what other amaro base cocktails you’re making in the comments.

Cheers y’all.

If a Spaghett and a Jungle Bird had a baby, it would be this…

Looking for a crushable summer cocktail to sip by the water? I got you, I found this idea scouring reddit for Spaghett variants and was pleasantly surprised by this recipe. Try it out and let me know what y'all think.

Cheers y'all.

It's horchata szn!

Last but certainly not least on our locally-inspired series with @herradurateq is our girl Meagan Cheek (@meaganvision) with her take on a Lowcountry horchata utilizing Carolina Gold Rice and caramelized puffed rice cakes. This was unreal.

“Carolina Gold Rice is a huge staple here in the Lowcountry. I wanted to showcase the grain in a way that added some Latin flair to a southern classic. The already creamy texture of the rice lends itself well to horchata, and the vanilla and cinnamon notes in the rice milk play off of the same velvety vanillin undertones found in Herradura Ultra. Combined with cinnamon infused brandy, raspberry cordial, a touch of lime, and finished with rhubarb bitters, this cocktail will have you ready to face a forgiving southern winter. Garnish with puffed rice brittle and enjoy!

The easiest summer cocktail you can make…

I know the Spaghett has been around for a while but it really is such a great spring/summer cocktail. The best part is it’s only 3 ingredients and it’s absolutely crushable.

Cheers y’all

⛳️🏌🏻 It’s time we make the official drink of @themasters… but better…

The original Azalea recipe calls for lemonade but I wanted to reimagine this drink as a true sour and use some higher end ingredients like maple grenadine and a real maraschino cherry. The key here is to add a bit more dilution to the build so make sure to crack the ice to get more length to the drink itself.

Cheers y’all.

It’s getting a bit chillier and this should warm you right up 🔥