[1] Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients (photo © GreaterGoods).

[2] Read the directions carefully before you chop nuts, for example (photo © Good Eggs).

If you pay close attention to recipe ingredients, especially for baked goods, you’ve noted that some recipes give measurements in both ounces/teaspoons and grams/milliliters.

While Americans have grown up with the former (and attempts to convert us to the metric system have failed), if you’re a baker, consider going metric.

That’s because baking is a exact science: mixing reactive ingredients creates a chemical reaction. Hence, the cake rises—or doesn’t.

If your butter is hard versus softened, or vice versa, don’t expect the cookies or pie crust to be perfect.

Unlike stove top cooking, where some extra cream or tomato doesn’t matter much, in baking, the balance between fats, flour, leaveners and liquids is critical.
 
 
GET A KITCHEN SCALE

Over the last decade or so, American bakers have found that measurements by weight are more precise than measuring cups and spoons.

The solution is simple: Get a kitchen scale (photo #1).

They’re not expensive, and they don’t take up much room.

If you don’t want a scale but still want to convert measurements, it’s easy to find a conversion app online. Just type your needs into the browser bar, e.g.

 
 
A TIP ABOUT NUTS

If you took high school chemistry lab, you know that the order in which ingredients are mixed is crucial.

It’s the same in cooking: Pay careful attention to how ingredients are listed in a recipe.

 
You’ll get different measurements depending which sequence you use.

While a bit more or fewer nuts won’t really impact your recipe, discipline yourself so that when it counts, your count will be correct.

If you’ve never had a chocolate tequila cocktail, today’s the day: July 24th is National Tequila Day.

Since the Margarita cocktail has its own holiday (National Margarita Day is February 22nd), celebrate with a different tequila cocktail.

Beyond the Margarita, some of the most popular tequila cocktails are:

 
And now, the Mint Chocolate Black Barrel.
 
 
RECIPE: MINT CHOCOLATE BLACK BARREL COCKTAIL

The Mint Chocolate Black Barrel, developed by Hornitos Tequila, uses Hornitos Black Barrel tequila, a premium aged añejo (here are the different expressions of tequila).

First, the tequila is aged in traditional American Oak barrels for 12 months. Then, it spends four months in deep charred oak barrels (the “black barrels”).

Finally, it spends two more months in specially toasted barrels, which engender more depth and complexity.

All this aging produces a rich, smoky flavor and a golden amber color.

It’s Easy to drink and unforgettably smooth, it is an elegant sipping tequila. So if you don’t feel like chocolate today, just pour the tequila over ice.
 
Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
Preparation

1. LIGHTLY MUDDLE 3-5 mint leaves in a shaker. Add the remaining ingredients except the garnish, and shake vigorously.

2. STRAIN into a martini glass and garnish with a strawberry.

[1] Better for dessert than a pre-dinner drink (photo © Hornitos Tequila).

[2] Hornitos Black Barrel is an elegant sipping tequila (both photos © Beam Suntory).

[3] How about some chocolate-covered strawberries to serve with the cocktail (photo © Balducci’s).

A chocolate cocktail is too sweet to serve as an apéritif. We prefer it as an after-dinner drink.

If you want to pair it with dessert, keep the dessert simple. You don’t want flavors that compete with the cocktail, but flavors that complement it.

If you’re a chocoholic, you can serve it with a simple chocolate dessert, like a bundt. Otherwise, consider:

 
How about a plate with three small bites of different desserts?
 
 
>THE HISTORY OF TEQUILA

>THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEQUILA

[1] Framboise and raspberry club soda with fresh raspberries.

[2] Lemonade and limoncello with fresh lemon and mint (both photos © RawPixel.com | Pexels).

We were trying to clear out a pantry closet filled with alcohol, which included bottles and bottles of things we rarely use.

 
So what do do with half-filled bottles of scotch, unopened bottles of bourbon, and a dozen bottles of never-used liqueurs?

Give them away. Nobody we offered them to turned them down, even when there were just two inches left in the bottle.

But we did hold back a few bottles of liqueur to try out today’s tip: liqueur spritzers.

We had a mix-your-own cocktail party where the ingredients were:

 
We provided rocks glasses, even though these normally would be tall drinks. But in order to see if you like what you’ve mixed, smaller is better.
 
 
THE RESULTS

A good time was had by all.

 
And a party bonus: Everyone went home with one or more bottles of liqueurs and spirits.

Do you have bottles that are sitting around, gathering dust?

Now you have a plan, perfect for idling on the patio or around the pool.