May 24th is National Cocktail Day; May 13th is World Cocktail Day.

Each year, Drinks International, founder of the International Spirits Challenge, polls bartenders worldwide to determine the world’s most popular cocktails.

The 2020 Top 10 follow.

You can see the Top 50 by paging through the results, here.

In a normal (i.e., non-pandemic) year, we’d split these Top 10 into two parts. We’d invite friends to a cocktail party featuring five of them for National Cocktail day, and the next five for World Cocktail Day.

More easily, you can head to your favorite cocktail lounge with a few friends, order five at a time, and pass them around to decide which you like best.

Alas, this year it’s a very small celebration at home.

So we offer these to you to plan ahead for 2022 when hopefully, we’ll have a big reason to celebrate.
 
 
1. OLD FASHIONED COCKTAIL

For the fifth consecutive year, the Old Fashioned has rated the top spot. While this American whiskey classic dates to the 1880s, it proves that something old can still be new. Bourbon-based and served in a rocks glass, it includes sugar, bitters, and an orange slice garnish.

Here’s the history of the Old Fashioned and the recipe.

National Old Fashioned Day is June 14th,
 
 
2. NEGRONI COCKTAIL

When Italian Count Camillio Negroni requested a stronger Americano cocktail*, bartender Fosco Scarselli replaced soda water with gin. The Negroni has held second place for five years running. The name originated with late 19th-century bar patrons, to distinguish cocktails made the “old-fashioned” way from newer, more complex cocktails.

Here’s more history, and the recipe.

National Negroni Week is the second week in September.
 
 
3. WHISKEY SOUR COCKTAIL

This cocktail has taken third place for the second year in a row. The first known publication of the Whiskey Sour recipe was in Jerry Thomas’ book, The Bon Vivant’s Companion, in 1862.

National Whiskey Sour Day is August 25th.
 
 
4. DAIQUIRI COCKTAIL

The Daiquiri was created in Cuba, but by an American mining engineer. It’s the most popular rum cocktail on the list. A favorite of Ernest Hemingway, it moved up one place over the 2019 rankings.

Here’s the history of the Daiquiri, the original recipe, and a popular variation.

National Daiquiri Day is July 19th.
 
 
5. MANHATTAN COCKTAIL

This classic whiskey cocktail, dating to the 1870s, is made with bourbon or rye and sweet vermouth, served in a rocks glass, and garnished with a maraschino cherry. It is said to have been a popular drink after deep-sea fishing trips to Manhattan.

Here’s the history of the Manhattan and the recipe.

There is currently no Manhattan cocktail holiday.
 
 
6. DRY MARTINI COCKTAIL

This combination of gin and dry vermouth is garnished with an olive or lemon twist garnish. The less vermouth, the drier the Martini. People who wanted to drink straight gin could ask for just a splash of it.

It’s the only cocktail in the Top 10 that isn’t sweet (from early times, people used sugar to mitigate the hard edge of the alcohol). With the rise of vodka as a popular beverage in the 1970s, the Vodka Martini was born.

The Martini has a longer history than most cocktails. Check it out, along with the original and subsequent recipes.

National Martini Day is June 19th.
 
 
7. ESPRESSO MARTINI COCKTAIL

Who knew that the Espresso Martini would become a modern classic among consumers? It was originally called the Vodka Espresso, invented by Dick Bradsell in 1983 in London (the history).

This combination of vodka and espresso shows how some people can’t get enough coffee, in any form. Here’s the recipe.

There is currently no Espresso Martini holiday, but join in on National Martini Day, June 19th.

Other opportunities: February 27th is National Kahlúa Day, and November 23rd is National Espresso Day.
 
 
8. MARGARITA COCKTAIL

The Margarita has dropped two places since last year, but it is still the top tequila drink on the list.

It was invented by a Dallas socialite, while at her vacation home in Acapulco, Mexico. Here’s the history of the Margarita, plus recipes.

National Margarita Day is February 22nd.
 
 
9. APEROL SPRITZ COCKTAIL

The Aperol Spritz, popular in the 1950s, is popular again. Up two places since 2019, it made it into the Top 10 for the first time. Created by the Barbieri Brothers (makers of Aperol) in the 1900s, the combination of Aperol, prosecco, and a splash of soda was created as a lighter pre-dinner cocktail.

Here’s the recipe and the history of the Aperol Spritz.

National Aperol Spritz Day is August 13th.
 
 
10. MOSCOW MULE COCKTAIL

Dropping from number 8 to number 10, this vodka and ginger beer classic was developed by Smirnoff executives trying to move more vodka. Traditionally served in a copper-clad mug, has its own food holiday: March 3rd.

Here’s the recipe and more history of the drink.

National Moscow Mule Day is March 3rd.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF COCKTAILS

[1] The Old Fashioned is the world’s most popular cocktail (photo © Cottonbro | Pexels).

[2] The Negroni is the world’s #2 favorite cocktail (photo © Taralucci e Vino | NYC).

[3] The Whiskey Sour, #3, features that love-it-or-hate-it garnish, the maraschino cherry (photo © Lognetic | Fotolia).

[4] The Daiquiri was created in Cuba by an American engineer who wanted something more (photo © Tempered Spirits).

[5] The Manhattan, the #5 cocktail, shares a maraschino cherry garnish with #3, the Whiskey Sour (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse).

[6] The Dry Martini, #6, in an elegant presentation at Dante restaurant in New York City (photo © Dante Restaurant).

*The Americano cocktail is made from Campari, sweet vermouth, and for the sparkling version, club soda; and garnished with a slice of lemon. The cocktail was first served in its creator Gaspare Campari’s bar, Caffè Campari, in the 1860s.

[1] This is comfort food at its best (all photos © World Famous House Of Mac).

[2] A double favorite: Pizza Mac & Cheese has turkey pepperoni and chicken sausage.

[3] Your mac and cheese comes in individual pizza-type boxes. Just stick a bow on top to give them as gifts.

[4] Five-cheese truffle is the “basic” mac and cheese and World Famous House of Mac. But there are 11 more varieties!

[5] Got cheese? Heat it in the oven and watch it melt.

[6] Don’t forget to add lemonade to your order. There are 6 flavors; here, mango lemonade.

Recently we were introduced to Derrick “Chef Teach” Turton and his World Famous House of Mac.

Beginning as a food truck and evolving to three free-standing restaurants in Miami, the World-Famous House of Mac is now shipping its mac and cheese nationwide…

much to our delight! This is truly great mac and cheese. We can’t imagine better.

Chef Teach’s restaurant menu offers treats beyond mac and cheese (burgers, pasta, pizza).

But macaroni and cheese is easy to ship frozen—and just as delicious when it’s heated at home.

The only challenge is deciding which of the dozen flavors to order first.
 
 
12 FLAVORS OF MACARONI & CHEESE

Beef & Chicken Mac & Cheese

 
Seafood

 
Vegan & Vegetarian

 
Load up: The mac arrives frozen and we can’t think of a better use of freezer space.

The tins of mac and cheese are about 7 inches in diameter and weigh an average of 1 pound, 13 ounces.

They’re enough for two normal adults, or one of us—we ate the whole thing for dinner.
 
 
LEMONADE

Chef Teach also makes a mean lemonade: just sweet enough without going full-on sugar.

Based on our sampling of World Famous Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, next time we’re ordering more flavors.

In addition to regular Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, there are Fruit Punch Lemonade, Mango Lemonade, Mixed Berry Lemonade, Peach Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade.
 
 
ABOUT CHEF TEACH

Chef Teach attended culinary school, but began his professional career in the music industry. He managed the rapper Pitbull for more than 15 years.

He often found himself cooking for his industry friends.

Influenced by his roots in Trinidad, Chef Teach created his own brand of Caribbean soul food, with dishes like buffalo chicken mac and cheese made with five different kinds of cheese, fried chicken wings, and chicken and waffles.

His friends—“names” in the music industry—encouraged him to “take the cooking thing more seriously.”

After the death of his father, Chef Teach decided to make the switch to cooking.

His fame was fanned by celebrities, and a high point was catering at the Venus and Serena Williams Invitational.

In just five years, he went from one food truck in Miami to three standing brick and mortar locations.

Chef Teach has his eyes set towards a nationwide expansion.

But for now, we couldn’t be happier having our macaroni and cheese shipped from The Magic City to the Big Apple.
 
 
GET YOUR MAC & CHEESE

Here’s a direct link to ordering.

For the main website, go to HouseOfMac.com.

Need to give a gift? Each dish of mac and cheese comes boxed (photo #6), appropriate for gifting.

When your mac arrives, for best flavor, store it in the fridge for 3 days. Or stash it in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

You can heat the tin in the oven, thawed or frozen.

We used the microwave, and the results were splendid (although without the crusty top you can get from an oven).
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF MACARONI & CHEESE
 
> THE HISTORY OF PASTA

Asparagus is a harbinger of spring; and like most vegetables, it’s very versatile.

 
We’ve got lots of asparagus recipes for you below, for every meal of the day.

A tip from asparagus growers: squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice on top, or use lemon zest.
 
 
> How to buy and cook asparagus.
 
 
> The history of asparagus.
 
 
GREEN, PURPLE & WHITE ASPARAGUS

Green asparagus is the norm. But you may come across purple asparagus, and the more rare white asparagus.

White asparagus (photo #2) is a special treatment of conventional asparagus, grown for its color. They’re less herbaceous and fibrous than green asparagus—more delicate.

The spears must be grown under a layer of topsoil or in the dark without exposure to sunlight.

Light would engender photosynthesis and the development of green chlorophyll. The growing technique was developed in France in the mid-1600s.

If you come across fresh white asparagus and want to see if the extra cost is worth it, steam them with a bit of salt and taste their nuances before adding butter or another ingredient.

You may or may not find a difference worth the money.

Never buy bland, canned white asparagus.

Here’s more about white asparagus as well as purple asparagus, a breed that is larger, sweeter and tastier than the conventional green types of asparagus.

Purple asparagus (photo #2) was originally developed in Italy by farmers in the Albenga region of the Italian Riviera.

It was first commercialized under the variety name Violetto d’Albenga.

Purple asparagus retains its color if cooked briefly (blanching, quick sautéing), or used raw (crudités, salads) or pickled.

But it reverts to green with prolonged cooking.
 

30 ASPARAGUS RECIPES

Enjoy asparagus every meal of the day!
 
Breakfast & Brunch

 
 
Lunch

 
 
Dinner

 
 
First Courses & Sides

 
 
Snacks

[1] Spring is asparagus season. Dig in: they’re delicious, nutritious, and very low in calories (photo © Good Eggs).

[2] There are three colors of asparagus: green, white and purple (photo © Australian Asparagus Growers).

[3] Asparagus for lunch, with burrata, prosciutto and crostini (photo © Barbuto | NYC).

[4] Asparagus on your pizza, here with spring peas and grana padano cheese (photo © Oath Pizza).

[5] For brunch or lunch, an asparagus and bacon frittata (photo © Fresh Planet Flavor).

[6] Linguine With Asparagus & Parma Ham (photo © C.C.I.A.A. Di Parma).

[1] La Pivón red vermouth and the Valencia Reverse Old Fashioned. Here’s the recipe (all photos © La Pivón).

[2] La Pivón red vermouth on the rocks. You can drink it in a rocks glass, but doesn’t it look great in a stemmed glass?

[3] After work, have a glass with some nibbles. Here, cheese and sausage skewers, olives, salted nuts and charred shishito peppers.

[4] The Merit Badge cocktail mixes vermouth with rum and bitters (all the cocktail recipes are on this page).

March 21st is National Vermouth Day.

In the U.S., that largely means dry [white] vermouth, in a Martini.

But don’t mix that Martini just yet. Or a Manhattan, the other prominent American cocktail that has red vermouth in the recipe.

There are a number of different vermouth styles: sweet and dry, red and white, amaro (with added bitters), chinato with added chinchona (quinine) and often gentian (a root), alla vaniglia with vanilla, and others.

Vermouth houses typically make a variety of styles.

Today for brunch*, we had a sweet red vermouth from Spanish producer La Pivón, along with a delicious (and easy to prepare) tapas brunch.

In fact, red vermouth is very popular among the fashionable people of Madrid.

It’s enjoyed during “La Hora de Vermut,” (“vermouth hour”—read more about it here).

That’s before lunch with tapas.

Madrileños (residents of Madrid) typically consume it over ice with a splash of sparkling water and an orange slice garnish.
 
 
WHAT IS VERMOUTH

Vermouth is a fortified wine that is flavored and aromatized with a proprietary blend of botanicals.

The botanicals are a mix of barks, flowers, herbs, roots, seeds, and spices. The specific botanicals and the amounts used are proprietary to each producer.

Red vermouth is made from red wine; white vermouth has a base of white wine.

The botanicals are macerated in the wine for aroma and flavor; then, the wine is often fortified with distilled alcohol (La Pivón has no distilled alcohol).

Check out the history of vermouth.
 
 
LA PIVÓN TRADITIONAL DE ESPAÑA

La Pivón is a vermouth crafted in Madrid in the traditional Spanish style. In Spanish, the “h” is dropped: It’s vermout.

Also in Spanish, La Pivón is slang for a very attractive person. When you give a bottle as a gift, make this fact known.

La Pivón is the only vermouth producer in Madrid. It makes a sweet rojo (red) and a dry blanco (white).

Because it has no added distilled alcohol, it’s a refreshing drink with a low A.B.V. (alcohol by volume; double it for the proof).

The only alcohol is from the wine.
 
 
MAKING LA PIVÓN VERMOUTH

 
Versatile, La Pivón can be enjoyed on the rocks (that’s how we like it—photo #2) or any number of cocktail recipes.

Wonderfully aromatic, the herbal flavors are joined by spicy notes: cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. You may also find vanilla on the finish, from the French oak barrels.

If refrigerated properly, the vermouth should keep anywhere from four to six weeks after opening.
 
________________

*TRIVIA: In English, “brunch” is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. In Spain, however, there’s no portmanteau. What we’d call brunch, they call el desayuno almuerzo, breakfast-lunch.

Here’s a fun Easter gift for a tea lover:

Jello Bello tea blend from Fava Teas.

It’s an herbal tea blended with actual jelly beans.

(We’re not sure that “Jello” is so helpful in explaining the tea. It contains no Jell-O).

The fruity, caffeine-free tea is blended with apple, blackberry leaves, coconut, hibiscus, rose hip, orange peel, strawberry…

…and jelly beans.

The tea has a juicy flavor, balanced with the floral flavor of hibiscus and strawberry.

And sweetness of the jelly beans!

The fun, kid-friendly, refreshing tea can be enjoyed hot or iced.
 
 
GET YOURS

The tea is a limited edition seasonal offering, so don’t tarry.

Head to FavaTea.com.

Or…you can try blending your own!

If you have fruity teas (apple, berry, etc.), try your hand at blending in some jelly beans, dried fruit (apples, coconut, orange peel), etc. for your own signature Easter tea.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA

[1] Jello Bello Easter tea with jelly beans (photo © Fava Tea).

[2] Try blending your own. Add some jelly beans to your favorite fruity tea (photo © Williams Sonoma).