When there is still a chill in the air, a hot Baileys Irish Coffee is a great alternative to an Espresso Martini. Both can give you a little pick-me-up so you can stay up later with the ones you love. But only the Baileys Irish Coffee will keep you warm. It’s super simple to make with just hot coffee, Baileys, and sugar as your three main ingredients. From there you can get creative with how you make this recipe uniquely yours. For instance, we recommend using our homemade Irish Cream recipe instead of Baileys if you want for an extra creamy, smooth result. Or, add in a pump of your favorite flavored coffee syrup to add some variety to the taste.
Why Is It Called An Irish Coffee?
You may be wondering what’s so Irish about adding alcohol to coffee? Well, this cocktail’s origins are found in Limerick, Ireland back in 1943. Joe Sheridan’s restaurant was located in one of the biggest civilian airports in Europe. After a delayed flight one day, he crafted a hot beverage to warm patrons up and simultaneously keep their tempers down. One particular American patron asked Sheridan if the beverage was Brazilian coffee. His simple response was, “No, that’s Irish Coffee,” and thus this famous cocktail was born.
With the COVID-19 pandemic subsiding over the past few years, and the recent Hollywood strikes fading on the horizon, the film industry has come back around with some bangers. From Palme d’Or winner Anoraand A24 releases like Love Lies Bleedingto huge commercial films like Wicked and Gladiator II, 2024 was a solid year for movies. 2025 Oscar nominees include a diverse range of films, and we have a cocktail for some of the hits. Shake up and sip while watching the Oscars on March 2, 2025.
This cocktail gets its name and its ghoulish color from the liquid Activator that former pilates star Elisabeth Sparkle injects herself with in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror thriller, The Substance. Why does she do this? To obtain eternal youth. Fargeat’s film was one of the most experimental of this year’s Oscar lineup, and won for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
This cocktail inspired by Anora is for the girls that know their worth. Mikey Madison, who stars as the title role, scored a Best Actress nomination this year. While we don’t want to pick favorites, this was my personal favorite of the Oscar films I saw. This cocktail is as glamorous as Ani herself, sweet but with a little bite. Anora won Best Picture and swept the ceremony with Best Acress and Best Original Screenplay.
Nickel Boys, up for Best Picture, is an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name about a brutal reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. This Two Souls cocktail is a darker version of a New York Sour. It gets its name from the close friendship at the center of the film and the ways the two boys help each other find resilience and strength in the face of systemic racism and abuse.
I’m Still Here, a Brazilian political drama with a standout performance by Fernanda Torres starring as dissident activist Eunice Paiva, was up for Best Picture. At the ceremony, it won Best International Feature. The caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil, is still sometimes thought of as a remedy for the common cold, but you can also find it at bars all around the country. Toast to freedom and strong liquor with this drink.
Conclave is one of the year’s most exciting releases. The movie was nominated for Best Picture and won Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s easy to see why with its stark visuals, harrowing plot, and all-star cast with Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, and Ralph Fiennes. Our Conclave Cocktail from bartender Jason Renner of Bar Marco brings to mind the mystery and intrigue of this film and its Italian setting. While you’re at it, try some of our Stanley Tucci recipes to celebrate Tucci’s presence in the movie.
Like Best Picture nominee Emilia Pérez, this michelada is a little spicy and a little bloody. Just kidding! But not really…there is a lot of violence in this controversial movie starring Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofia Gascón. Combining beer with guava and hibiscus can be a bit risky, too. Zoe Saldaña scored Best Supporting Actress.
In The Brutalist, also nominated for Best Picture, architect and refugee László Tóth (Adrien Brody) and wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), sip on Cognac over philosophical conversation in the movie’s first act. Cognac is a key ingredient in a Sidecar, and we thought this illustrated the luxury and dignity of Brody’s performance and the Bauhaus-style buildings his character produces. The Academy agreed, because Brody won Best Actor.
What can’t Timothée Chalamet do? Few actors have a range as broad as iconically macabre chocolatier Willy Wonka in Wonka, swashbuckling and suave yet flawed hero Paul Atreides in Dune, sensual Euro Summer boy-next-door type Elio in Call Me by Your Name, and now Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. This film, nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design proves that Chalamet can do it all. Our cocktail, Like A Rolling Stone, takes inspiration from Dylan’s turn towards electric instrumentations with electrifyingly zesty flavors.
This fall, anyone with eyes has seen Wicked merch. Even if you never see the movie, you can’t avoid it. Theater kids are becoming the dominant force in popular culture, and if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. While Wickedis a gorgeously shot and choreographed movie, brands gravitate towards it because of its clear aesthetic of greens and pinks. Our Defying Gravity absinthe and gin cocktail is more for the Elphabas of the world than the Glindas, because we support the underdogs. At The Oscars, however, Wicked was anything but an underdog, as the film has nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. In the end, it won Best Production Design and Best Costuming!
Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington star in this sequel to 2000’s original Gladiator, which sees Lucius return to Rome to seek revenge. The film was up for Best Costume Design at The 2025 Oscars. Whether you’ve watched the movie or not, who hasn’t felt some level of rage this year? It doesn’t even have to be about the election, no matter who you supported. There’s a lot to be pissed off about! Get some of it out by lighting this spicy cocktail on fire.
If you, like me, often misspell Gladiator II‘s Paul Mescal’s name as “mezcal,” there is now a cocktail for you. The Irish actor is having a killer year, from late 2023’s emotional All of Us Strangers to 2024 SNL appearances and a starring role in Gladiator II. Our Paul Mescal’s Mezcal cocktail uses both Irish whiskey and mezcal to celebrate his achievements. A note for the concerned: his acting achievements have definitely been a conversation topic in our office, totally not his beautiful face. Who said that? Anyways, mezcal, whiskey, and lemon juice combine into a delicious cocktail.
This smoky, refined cocktail takes inspiration from the the mystery and intrigue of Dune’s mystical sisterhood, the Bene Gesserit, and combines bourbon and 1129 Ridge Ave Absinthe Rouge with Amaro Averna and Campari. Dune: Part Two was up for Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.
Story by Emma Riva Photography by Dave Bryce and Cody Baker
Purim is one of the only holidays where drinking is not just a suggested tradition, but a religious mandate. As an old Talmudic saying puts it, “You must drink until you cannot tell the difference between ‘Blessed is Mordechai’ and ‘Cursed is Haman’.” Purim is a holiday of unabashed joy and resilience, celebrating an ancient victory of good over evil. During the month of Adar, in which it takes place, you’re encouraged to focus on joy, celebration, and what you can do to feel happier and more grateful. Drinking a great cocktail is, perhaps, one of those things. So is eating hamantaschen, traditional shortbread pastries shaped like a triangle and full of fruit or poppyseeds.
For this Purim cocktail, I made poppyseed simple syrup to honor my favorite hamantaschen filling, poppyseed paste. The “flip” technique, which uses a whole egg in a cocktail shaker, is meant to mirror the texture of hamantaschen. A touch of Luxardo is a nod to the fruit fillings also popular in hamantaschen — apricot being the most common. The cocktail gets its name from “Shoshanat Yaakov” or “Rose of Jacob,” a song that often finishes off a Purim service. L’chaim to the beauty and joy in the world, even in times of turbulence.
What is the Story of Purim?
On Purim, Jews read the Book of Esther (often called the “Megillah,” meaning scroll), the story of how Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai outwitted the vizier Haman who planned to kill the Jews of Persia. During the reading of the Megillah, every time the reader says Haman’s name, the audience boos or shakes a noisemaker. For kids, it’s a holiday for dressing up in costumes, particularly ones with masks. Synagogues or other Jewish organizations often hold Purim carnivals for everyone to enjoy. It’s one of my favorite Jewish holidays.
I once had a rabbi tell me that people who just went to temple on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were missing out. If they really wanted to play hooky and only come for the fun parts, the real move was to skip the High Holidays and only come on the most joyous holidays, Purim and Simchat Torah. This cocktail is perfect for a Purim party!
Toast to Sean Baker’s Anora‘s Best Picture win and all-around sweep at the 2025 Academy Awards with this “At Least Three Karats” Cosmo. Best Actress winner Mikey Madison stars as the title character, a stripper from Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood with shining tiinsel in her long, black hair, hearts on her gleaming acrylic nails, and stars in her eyes when she meets Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch.
When he comes to the strip club where Ani works, he requests a Russian speaking girl, and once he sees Ani, he falls for her. He pays for her to come on a weeklong partying binge with him and his friends, culminating in an impulsive wedding in Vegas so Vanya can stay in the United States. But the newlywed bliss doesn’t last, because soon Vanya’s oligarch family finds out he’s married an American stripper he’s only known for two weeks.
Mark Eydelshteyn and Mikey Madison in Anora. Courtesy of Anora.
About Our “At Least Three Karats” Anora Cocktail
When Vanya is trying to convince Ani to marry him, she says she will if she gets a ring that’s “at least three karats.” Vanya laughs and says “What about five or six?” Ani gets her ring. If only it stayed that way. This “At Least Three Karats” Cosmo should inspire you to never settle for less than you deserve. It celebrates the feminine strength Ani shows throughout the movie and the glittering symbol of her dreams she wears on her finger.
Mikey Madison as Ani in Anora. Courtesy of NEONPrint
The “At Least Three Karats” Cosmo, A Cocktail for Anora
Inspired by the powerful, emotional story of the OscarsBest Picture Nominee film Nickel Boys, this Two Souls Cocktail showcases what lies beneath the surface. In the Jim Crow South, two Black teenagers are sent to Nickel Academy Reformatory. They find refuge only in each other. You’re going to want something strong: the violence and abuse makes this film a rough one to get through. Mix up our Two Souls Cocktail, a dark version of a New York Sour. This cocktail places a bright orange, yellow mix at the bottom and a sea of red wine overtop, meaning the sweet goodness of life always waits below the bad times. It’s a visual representation of the hardships these two main characters must endure to make it into the light.
What is Nickel Boys About?
Nickel Boys is a film adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. It depicts the experiences of two young Black boys at the Nickel Academy, a brutal reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. The film delves into themes of systemic racism, abuse, and also the resilience of the human spirit. It follows Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse), an idealistic and intelligent young man, whose life plans take a devastating turn. At the school he forms a crucial friendship with Turner (Brandon Wilson), more of a troublemaker and streetwise boy. Together, they navigate the horrors of the academy, confronting the corruption and violence while grappling with their own views on survival and justice.
The Substance is one of this year’s most provocative, visually stimulating releases…now in cocktail form.
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? Younger, more beautiful, more perfect. One single injection unlocks your DNA, starting a new cellular division, that will release another version of yourself. This is the Substance. You are the matrix. Everything comes from you. Everything is you. This is simply a better version of yourself. You just have to share. One week for one and one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each. The one and only thing not to forget: You. Are. One. You can’t escape from yourself.
What is The Substance About?
This monologue from Coralie Fargeat’s 2024 body horror film The Substanceis the selling point for the youth serum Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) injects herself with, whispered over a crackly phone speaker by a sinister unknown presence. We asked Lo Bar Cocktail Services to turn this mind-bending spectacle of a film into a cocktail.
Demi Moore in The Substance.
There are a lot of different aesthetic directions to go—the maroon splotches of the blood spatters, the shimmery, plastic pink of Sparkle’s serum-induced alter ego Sue (Margaret Qualley)’s workout outfits, or but the ladies at Lo Bar leaned into one of the movie’s most poignant symbols: the ghoulish, electric green of The Substance itself.
The Activator as it appears in The Substance.
For the visuals and design choices alone, this movie is a work of art. (Just look at some of the costumes like Elisabeth Sparkle’s yellow coat). But it’s up for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars, one of the most experimental films in 2025’s lineup.
Margaret Qualley as Sue in The Substance.
You have got to try this new cocktail. It changed my life….
Ground beef is one of those ingredients with endless possibilities. Whether it’s the star of the show or part of a rich background, ground beef adds a rich flavor to tacos, empanadas, burgers, meatloaf, and so much more. It’s a core ingredient in many different countries, allowing you to expand your cultural culinary experience further. The recipes below offer various ways to use ground beef in recipes for lunch or dinner (or even breakfast, we won’t judge you having a burger at 9 a.m.!) So venture outside of your average cheeseburger and see what deliciousness ground beef can help make.
The ultimate burger uses four meats instead of just basic ground beef. This Great Gourmet Burger is a mash up of ground beef, bacon, ground turkey, and ground pork. The end product is a juicy patty that’s full of flavor and is only better with your favorite toppings.
You’re probably used to finding many varieties of cheese on top of burgers but what about cream cheese? This Animal Burgh’er is much like the deep-fried goodness of a jalapeño popper. It’s full of thick slices of cream cheese, wheels of jalapeños, fresh basil, and of course tomato slices alongside raw onion.
While you have the choice to use lamb in this recipe, ground beef is a way to admire the tastes working alongside the meat such as the gooey feta cheese inside the patty and the spices that bring a bit of heat with each bite. It also gives you a chance to flourish in the homemade roasted pepper relish. Try adding it to your Balkan Burger for an extra punch of warmth and comfort.
Let’s just be honest, have you ever seen a more perfect looking burger? This Hawaiian Burger substitutes the usual pineapple ring for a pineapple-onion jelly. To contrast this sweetness we add on a mayo-barbeque spread and crispy bacon. There’s nothing better than a stacked burger that you have to unhinge your jaw to get a bite of.
Recipes Beyond the Burgers
Even though ground beef and burgers go hand in hand, there are plenty of other recipes you can make with ground beef instead.
So while this recipe is sort of burger-adjacent, these no-mess hand pies make enjoying a sloppy joe a whole lot easier. Each bite contains a mix of flaky dough, savory ground beef, peppers, onions, and carrots. You can even include a dipping sauce tray so everyone can get creative with their dinner.
This Latin American dish cooks up ground beef with minced vegetables, apple slices, raisins, almonds, and seasonings. Our Picadillo is a warm and savory dish that you can serve over rice, dip chips into, or enjoy all on its own.
Move over empanadas, Turcos play with the balance of sweet and savory flavors in a similar blanket of dough. Hailing from Sephardic Jews of Mexico, these bundles wrap up ground beef, apples, almonds, and onion with a blend of winter seasonings like anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Over in South Africa, Bobotie is a spiced ground meat dish in a savory custard. Our twist to this usual recipe is the inclusion of ground ostrich alongside the ground beef. But don’t worry, if you don’t have ostrich on hand you can use all ground beef instead. We recommend serving it alongside rice and chile jam to compliment the beef.
There’s nothing quite like diving into a bowl of chili on a cold day. Instead of spending your extra dollars at Wendy’s, you can make this Copycat Chili Recipe that uses beef and beans at home. Try dressing the finished product up with cheese, sour cream, or hot sauce and serve with crackers or bread.
The Paper Plane, aka THE cocktail of 2025, is just better when it’s made with small-batch spirits. This recipe from Wyoming Whiskey for the quaff that’s growing in popularity uses Wyoming Whiskey Small Batch Bourbon to form a robust but utterly smooth cocktail. There’s also a brightening mix of Aperol, Amaro, and fresh lemon juice, just like your traditional Paper Plane recipe. So, why not shake up this cocktail and decide for yourself: Is the Paper Plane truly the cocktail of 2025?
What Wyoming Whiskey Adds to the Paper Plane
Wyoming Whiskey Small Batch Bourbon is actually the original flagship product from this first legal distillery in Wyoming. It carries notes of vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon for a touch of sweetness overtop of the malty base. It helps to balance out the other essential elements of the Paper Plane Cocktail while still delivering a bold aftertaste. Needless to say, you will notice the elevated difference between using this small-batch spirit compared to the bigger name brands.
Chicken thighs are what you might call “a flavor savior.” Fat often equals flavor, and chicken thighs have a lot of fat, and therefore a lot of flavors. Most everyday consumers might not think about the meat they eat as being part of a whole animal, but chicken in particular has big differences between each cut. If you’re resolving to cook at home more, learning to use chicken and all its parts is one of the best ways to do it.
Bold, spicy seasoning like barbecue sauce, garlic, rosemary, and thyme all go well with chicken thighs. The thighs have a darker, richer flavor than the rest of the meat. These spices come forward better with darker, richer cuts of chicken. For more spice-heavy cuisine, like Latin American, Indian, or Chinese food, chicken thighs are more common as bases. They can be roasted, grilled, fried, baked, or stewed. These recipes are a few of the ways to use this versatile kitchen staple, with international flavors, fruits, and vegetable combinations.
This green curry chicken thigh recipe uses a woodfired oven to get the maximum tenderness on the meat. Pair this dish with our Charred Green Papaya Salad, also using Southeast Asian spices in a woodfired oven.
Chicken and apricots are savory soulmates, with the fat in chicken thighs pairing with the juices in the stone fruits. This chicken bake is as beautiful to look at as it delicious is to eat.
Once you try this recipe, you’ll never go out and get Kung Pao Chicken again. Though Chinese takeout has its place as a comfort food, it’s always rewarding to make your own version of a favorite dish.
Bengali chef Asma Khan shared this recipe with us, a “unique dish from Bengal, a korma infused with mace and nutmeg that is quite different from the super-sweet raisin-and-nut-filled kormas served in many restaurants.”
Chicken Marbella is a crowd-pleaser some people might remember from dinner parties in the ‘80s. The mixture of brown sugar and white wine makes it a balance of sweet and savory flavors with a touch of Mediterranean flair.
You can use either chicken thighs or chicken legs for this roasted chicken recipe. But the thighs are fattier and will create more flavor. While the legs can be crispy, too, the thighs let the rosemary and thyme shine.
While these aren’t exactly, shawarma, the shawarma-style kabob is easy for a potluck, party, or appetizer. The key is the spices: that’s what ties it to Middle Eastern flavors. The coriander, cumin, paprika, and garlic are the star of the shows here.
This creamy, substantial chowder has a surprisingly complex flavor that lingers on your palate. Because it has cream in it as well as spices, it’s a good choice for a dinner with someone less inclined towards spicy food—the spices are mellowed by the creamy chowder.
The umami flavor of mushrooms pairs well with chicken, and the tarragon and cream keep this from being just plain old roasted chicken. This dish combines a beautiful presentation with mouthwatering flavor—perfect for a date night in to share with someone you care about.
Cookbook writer Lidey Heuck brought us this recipe from her 2024 book, Cooking in Real Life. Cook like a pro with this leeks, mushroom, and chicken combination inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe!
Here’s another take on the honey mustard chicken, this time with a slaw on the side to balance out the meat. The slow sear on this chicken creates a memorably juicy way to enjoy chicken thighs.
Story by Emma Riva Photography by Dave Bryce, Laura Petrilla, and Tara Donne
For mineral water aficionados, hydration isn’t just for sustenance. Each mineral water has a unique flavor profile that brings its own character to the water. We asked our team of tasters to weigh in on the carbonation, acidity, and overall flavor of seven top mineral water brands. And, the kicker, we did it blind, because in the world of mineral water, people do have brand loyalty.
Each taster was asked to rank which water they liked best and remark on its flavor notes. The results varied widely in terms of what the favorite was, and as with many taste tests, one of the things we learned was that everyone has different tastes. But when you’re selecting a mineral water for a refreshing cocktail or a bottle for an al fresco picnic, this taste test can give you some things to consider.
What is Mineral Water vs. Seltzer?
Not all mineral water is sparkling, and not all sparkling water is mineral water. Mineral water is naturally carbonated with salts and sulphurs in the springs it comes from, whereas seltzer is artificially carbonated with carbon dioxide. Think what you get in a SodaStream, or flavored seltzers like LaCroix. There’s nothing wrong with seltzer, but the flavors in mineral water are often much more complex. Just like other epicurean pursuits like wine and cheese, its origin matters. Mineral water has a certain terroir, just like wine. It can bring to mind the sunny effervescence of Italian springs, the earthiness of the Arkansas mountains, or the refreshing relaxation of the Monterrey, Mexico Cerro del Topo Chico springs.
The Qualities of Mineral Water
There are a couple of qualities to look for in mineral waters. Namely, take a look on the label for pH level, purity, and the minerals themselves. You can check for TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) to see what level of minerality you’re getting. San Pellegrino and Gerolsteiner have a much higher TDS than doktorarbeit schreiben lassen. But they hold themselves to high standards of purity to make sure you’re getting minerals you actually want. The minerals are part of what create the taste, which is much less present in ordinary tap water or filtered water.
The German “mineral water sommelier,” Martin Riese, does these taste tests regularly. He’s able to taste TDS the same way that people taste for tannins in wine. While we didn’t get to that level, one thing was clear: not all water is created equal. On to our taste test!
This ubiquitous water was our #1 competitor. An earthy flavor comes through from San Pellegrino. One person helpfully described it as “watery”—given that it is water, I would sure hope so. But that verbiage isn’t entirely wrong. San Pellegrino does have more of a texture to it than other mineral waters. The flavor is vibrant and lands more on the back of the tongue. Some noted that it had less carbonation than they anticipated it would have. But on the whole, San Pellegrino won out with the most #1 rankings among our taste test participants.
This one is technically a seltzer, but we threw it in to diversify the tasting a little and show the true difference between seltzer and mineral water. There’s almost no aftertaste, though it does have a certain flavor to it. Some identified it as “smooth,” others as “musty.” Red Ribbon uses pinpoint carbonation to add bubbles to its seltzer, and some people like bubbly more than flavor. Two tasters who were not frequent mineral water drinkers ranked this blind-taste-test-red-herring first. That’s okay, minerals aren’t for everyone.
This water is one of only two in our lineup originating in America. Mountain Valley sources its water from the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas below the city of Hot Springs. One taster said that it was “like licking a rock.” Other feedback was that it was “simple,” “refreshing,” and “zesty.” Mountain Valley has a light, sharp taste. One taster mentioned that it had a sweet flavor, which lifted it to his number one ranking.
People reacted to notes of citrus in the Trader Joe’s mineral water, which the grocery giant sources from the Val de Meti spring in Italy. This gets to something important in mineral water consumption choice: Don’t immediately cast aside grocery store brands. They often white-label their mineral waters and source them from reputable springs around the world. Trader Joe’s in-house mineral water was a hit with our audiences for its small, fizzy bubbles, overall lighter carbonation, and high amounts of acidity.
The Whole Foods mineral water is another instance of the in-house grocery store brand still being high-quality. Those in the know about mineral water will see on the label that Whole Foods sources its water from Galvanina in Italy. It has a low level of bubble and an overall mild flavor, with hints of a metallic taste. Though the rankings were all over the place, Whole Foods performed consistently well in the mid-range. It was even deemed “a bit juicy.”
Poor Topo Chico. One taster remarked that she thought Topo Chico would be her favorite, because she loves the brand. But, when she tasted it blind in comparison with others, it came out last. But don’t count it out entirely. It got big points for the tingliness of the bubbles, which are large and don’t overwhelm the slight kick of mineral flavor too much. But it didn’t win everyone over.
Who knew a water could be as polarizing as Gerolsteiner? One taster said simply: “really bitter, hated it.” It has a very high minerality that comes through in its unique taste. Its high calcium and magnesium content means drinking it can be beneficial to pregnant women. The same minerality that’s so good for you gives it that strong, intense flabor that turns some people away. Gerolsteiner is a favorite among seasoned mineral water drinkers, but to a novice, it can be overwhelming.
