Icy Melon Refresher -
Evan Kleiman

    It's hot.  You're miserable.  You have a beautifully ripe market melon that you've been too lazy to eat.  You long for anything that will sate your thirst and cool you down but you want to expend as little energy as possible.  Here's what you do: Peel the melon ...read more

Brigit's Ginger Gold Rush Cocktail
Recipe: Brigit’s Ginger Gold Rush Cocktail -
Evan Kleiman

To cap off a great day of teaching and my last night in Paso Robles, host Brigit Binns made me this perfect cocktail.  Bright with lemon juice, just enough spice from the ginger, strong warmth from the Makers Mark and not too sweet, it was my introduction to Domaine de Canton ...read more

My friend Joe's personal cocktail
Recipe: “The Joey” a Remembrance -
Evan Kleiman

I recently lost a friend.  Joe Attanasio was 89 and led an exceptional life until the end.  The hundreds who attended his funeral mass were the richer for having known him.  Joe was a a lifeforce, a mensch, a legendary kibitzer. That's yiddish for someone who loves to chat and be social.  His ...read more

Making a Vanilla Old Fashioned
Recipe: Vanilla Old Fashioned -
Evan Kleiman

It all started with a Napoleon. And a desire for a cocktail after dinner. The Napoleon, uneaten, and so taken away in a box from a late lunch at Petit Trois was the itch, scratching my brain. It's eggy vanilla aroma permeates the car on the way home and a bottle of ...read more