Roasted Carrot Soup
John Berens John Berens

Roasted Carrot Soup

This is an original recipe that brings together a lot of deep, earthy flavors for a rich, warming soup that is perfect for a cold day. Roasting the carrots completely transforms the ingredient and brings those sweet, complex caramelized notes. The earthiness is really accentuated with the dukkah— a Middle Eastern blend of herbs, spices, and nuts (hazelnut, in this case).

Read More
135 Reasons
John Berens John Berens

135 Reasons

One of my favorite things about gin (there are many) is just how diverse the category is, especially with the semi-recent revival of more localized gins showcasing the essence--nay, terroir-- of the area. The more gins I try, the more I appreciate their diversity, as well as the importance of pairing the best gin for the job at hand.

Read More
Green With Envy
John Berens John Berens

Green With Envy

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m sure your feed is filled with Red, Cliches, and references to fat, matchmaking little angels. This post goes out to anyone not feeling all the Love…or maybe even feeling a bit jealous of all the warm fuzzies Hallmark would make you believe you should be feeling. [Full disclosure: I am a Big Softie and I happily married to my forever Valentine🥰].

Read More
The Double Doink
John Berens John Berens

The Double Doink

In football, the infamous Double Doink refers to a (partially blocked) missed field goal attempt by the Chicago Bears that tragically hit the goal post twice before bouncing out. This hilarious event resonates with me today because of the way that this drink played out. Since this post is for the Super Bowl I was very excited to use my football ice mold. I wanted to make the ice football-colored, so I came up with a (surprise) overly complicated recipe that would impart lovely flavors and color.

Read More
Get A Move On
John Berens John Berens

Get A Move On

I don’t like waste. Old fruit? Shrub. Stale bread? Croutons. Several cans of prune juice about to expire (#parenthood)? Sounds like a syrup-itunity to me. The best part is that the syrup is, like, really good— raisiny, rich, a little funky. I can only assume it’s great for my digestive health, too.

Read More
Do You Yuzu?
John Berens John Berens

Do You Yuzu?

I realized that vodka has been noticeably absent from my feed for awhile. I have nothing against vodka, and its neutral canvas is quite useful for infusions, etc. But it’s also great for cocktails where the main flavor might get bullied by other spirits. In the case of this drink, I wanted to go for a really clean, refreshing cocktail that allowed the star flavor, yuzu, to shine.

Read More
Bubbles and Brew
John Berens John Berens

Bubbles and Brew

January is (finally) over, so for some of you that means a return to imbibing; for many, it never stopped. But others may choose not to drink for a variety of reasons, regardless of the month, so it is important to have some good mocktail options. Needless to say, I was excited when @drinkjoyus offered to send me a bottle of their alcohol-removed sparkling wine to try.

Read More
Diamond in the Rough
John Berens John Berens

Diamond in the Rough

Seriously though, I love that scene in Aladdin where the Giant Sand Tiger rumbles on after he gets rudely woken up for nefarious reasons—almost as much as I love these gorgeous glasses from @thewinesavant that I got for Christmas. I wanted to stir up something dark and handsome to show these bad boys off, so here we are. And it’s February so love and diamonds and stuff❤️

Read More
The Cavallino
John Berens John Berens

The Cavallino

Today I’m sharing with you my second of two entries for the @homebarawards finals (includes Fernet; no juice or homemade ingredients; stirred). My first post was Fernet-forward, smooth, dark, and handsome. This one is less Fernet-centric but much louder and bolder and has tiki running through its veins.

Read More
Hidden Vallet
John Berens John Berens

Hidden Vallet

I am excited to share with you my first entry to the @homebarawards finals. This year features stirred cocktails that include a Fernet-style amaro (and no homemade ingredients or juice). This drink features a Mexican Fernet that is by far my favorite. It’s a bit sweeter and less…intense than some others, while still sporting a firm herbal/minty backbone with notes of cinnamon, cloves, and especially (for my palate), cardamom.

Read More