One Less Problem Without You

A very relaxing, magical tisane blend sure to bring peace of mind to even the most troubled soul.

Place all herbs in a teapot, cup, or jar and carefully pour the water over them. Steep for fifteen minutes, then strain and serve hot or cold.

Let Him Eat Humble Pie

A spiked soda with a boozy layer of orange on the bottom. Make the blood orange reduction by simmering blood orange juice down to a thick syrup. Alternatively, use orange vodka, like Amsterdam or Skyy blood orange.

1 ounce vodka

1 ounce Aperol

1 dash triple sec

¼ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ ounce blood orange reduction

3 ounces club soda

Garnish: slice of lemon

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add vodka, Aperol, triple sec, lemon juice, and blood orange reduction. Shake and pour into an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice.

Top with club soda and garnish with lemon.

ONE DRINK

Marry Me Mimosa

The key to a great mimosa is to use freshly squeezed orange juice. Cheap sparkling wine is okay, though a good brut champagne is best. Top with a dash of Grand Marnier if you like it sweet.

This is not a breakfast drink only. Enjoy it and celebrate all day.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

2 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice

½ teaspoon grenadine

dash orange bitters

4 ounces sparkling wine

dash Grand Marnier, optional

Garnish: orange slice

Pour orange juice, grenadine, and bitters into a chilled champagne flute and top with sparkling wine. Add a dash of Grand Marnier, if you like, and garnish with a slice of orange.

ONE DRINK

Lavender Lemon Balm Tisane for Nerves

This is a soothing, cheering tisane, excellent iced or hot, and will lift even the dullest of spirits.

6 sprigs lavender

6 sprigs lemon balm

4 cups boiling water

1 ounce gin, optional (preferably a more floral gin like Nolet’s)

Garnish: sprig of mint

Place lavender and lemon balm in a teapot, cup, or jar and carefully pour the water over them. Steep for fifteen minutes, then strain into a pitcher. Add gin, if you like, and mint. Serve warm or chilled.

FOUR DRINKS

Black Satin Sheets

This is a simple, sexy cocktail, much more sophisticated than it seems. It’s traditionally served in a Collins glass, but it’s never wrong to use a champagne flute.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

1 part nitro stout

2 parts brut champagne

Fill a chilled flute three-quarters full with champagne. Sink nitro into the bottom.

For additional chill, use iced whiskey rocks or wine beads, but not ice cubes as they will melt into unwanted water.

ONE DRINK

Old-fashioned Girl

There’s nothing wrong with being old-fashioned. Some of the world’s most desirable men have been won over by a good old-fashioned girl: Prince Rainier of Monaco got Grace Kelly; Prince William got Kate Middleton. Prince Charles, whose desirability is decidedly questionable, won over Diana Spencer.

This drink got its start as a morning cocktail—what better start to the day?

1 lime wheel

1 orange wheel

1 dash agave nectar

3 dashes Angostura bitters

2 ounces añejo tequila

1 ounce sparkling mineral water

Drop fruit wheels into an Old Fashioned glass, then drizzle with agave nectar. Add bitters. Muddle until sufficiently blended.

Hold the glass up and rotate it until the contents cover the bottom and climb the sides of the glass.

Add ice (this is a great time to use a single king-sized cube or ball) and top with tequila. Stir. Top with mineral water.

ONE DRINK

Maple-Rosemary Remember-Me Tisane

A spicy warm concoction, perfect for fall. The ultimate nightcap.

2 sprigs rosemary

4 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place rosemary in a teapot, cup, or jar and carefully pour the water over it. Steep for ten minutes. Strain into a pitcher and add maple syrup, then cool and add lemon juice. Serve cool or warm up, if you prefer.

FOUR DRINKS

Sour Grapes

The traditional whiskey sour calls for a garnish of lemon or a cherry, but why not use both? Sweet and sour is always a good combo, and visually it’s beautiful!

2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ ounce lemon simple syrup (see below)

2 ounces good bourbon

Garnish: Maraschino cherry or lemon wedge

To make lemon simple syrup, melt 3 ounces sugar with 3 ounces water, squeeze an entire lemon into the mixture (discarding rinds) and stir. Let sit overnight.

Add the lemon juice, simple syrup, and bourbon to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice.

Shake until well chilled, then strain into a glass over ice.

Garnish with a cherry and/or a fresh lemon slice.

ONE DRINK

Magic Lemonade

You can spike this with vodka if you want to, but it’s a perfect virgin refresher as is. And sometimes we all need a virgin refresher.

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate, preferably pink (if you like pink)

1 2-liter bottle club soda

1 handful fresh mint

Make lemonade using club soda rather than plain water, add mint, and stir.

Serve over ice.

EIGHT DRINKS

Bug-Off Barbotage

This is a variation of a mimosa, only with more kick from the fresh lemon juice, grenadine, and cognac. For more kick and fewer bubbles—and therefore more “bug off!” attitude—double or triple the cognac.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

½ ounce cognac

½ teaspoon grenadine

½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 ounces brut sparkling wine

1 teaspoon Combier Liqueur d’Orange (the original triple sec; you can use another brand or Grand Marnier, but Combier is lighter and less sugary so is preferred)

Pour cognac, grenadine, lemon juice, and Combier into a chilled champagne flute, then top off with sparkling wine.

ONE DRINK

Damn Him Daiquiri Citrus Cocktail

The inexperienced will think of a daiquiri as the frozen fruity concoction served on the Lido Deck of the Love Boat. And that’s totally legit; that’s a great drink! But sometimes you need something a bit stronger—more sting to take away the sting. That’s where this comes in.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

2 ounces light vanilla rum

1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

½ ounce lime simple syrup (see below)

To make lime simple syrup, melt 3 ounces sugar with 3 ounces water, squeeze in an entire lime, then cut the lime into slices and add them to the mixture and stir. Let sit overnight.

Put ice into a cocktail shaker and add rum, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake until cold. Pour into a chilled glass and serve.

ONE DRINK

Hawaiian Honeymoon

This drink is as sweet and old-fashioned as a Hawaiian honeymoon. The Blur is optional, but it adds a few antioxidants and makes the beverage a lovely pink.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

2 ounces golden rum

½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

3 drops Blur, optional (this is a hibiscus extract that adds color, not flavor)

1 teaspoon honey

5 ounces brut sparkling wine

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add rum, lime juice, Blur, and honey. Shake thoroughly and pour into a chilled lowball glass.

Gently pour in sparkling wine, stir, and serve.

ONE DRINK

Honeymoon Stinging Nettle Tisane

Sometimes it happens to all of us—“honeymoon cystitis,” or an uncomfortable UTI. Stinging nettle is traditionally used to settle that discomfort. Rosemary helps relieve cramps. This tea is a woman’s best friend sometimes.

When handling stinging nettles, wear plastic gloves. They do sting! It’s not always easy being a witch!

1 cup chopped nettles, loosely packed

4 sprigs rosemary, plus more for garnish

4 cups boiling water

Place nettles and rosemary in a teapot, cup, or jar and carefully pour the water over them. Steep for fifteen minutes, then strain into a pitcher and serve warm or cold.

FOUR DRINKS

Champagne Punch

Most of my recipes are for single drinks, but this is for when you need all your girls to come over and cry with you. Or celebrate with you.

1 ounce brandy

2 ounces Cointreau

5 ounces strawberries, cored

1 orange, sliced thin

5 slices pineapple, cored

1 bunch mint, cleaned and leaves torn off (discard stems)

1 bottle brut sparkling wine

1 liter club soda

Combine brandy, Cointreau, fruit, and mint carefully in a large punch bowl, stirring gently. Ladle into glasses (about half full) and top off each one with equal parts of the bubbly sparkling wine and club soda.

TEN DRINKS

Russian Tea

No Tang, no powdered iced tea mix, just a good old familiar flavor and some nourishing vitamin C for a cold.

1 cup orange juice

½ cup lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick

10 whole cloves

2 tablespoons honey

4 cups water

4 bags black tea

Combine everything but the tea bags in a saucepan and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep for three minutes, strain, and serve hot or iced.

FOUR DRINKS

Atomic Orgasm

Here’s a favorite—lots of kick, lots of bloom in the cheeks afterward.

2 ounces vodka

1 ounce sweet brandy

2 teaspoons cream sherry

3 ounces brut sparkling wine

Put vodka, brandy, and sherry into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Pour into a glass or champagne flute and top with sparkling wine. Serve.

ONE DRINK

The Oracle

As you might predict, this name was too enticing to resist. Have enough and you’ll see the future moving toward you in slow motion.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

1 ounce rye whiskey

1 ounce jasmine liqueur

½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

½ ounce ginger brandy

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Fill a shaker with ice and add all the ingredients. Shake well to chill thoroughly, then strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Serve.

ONE DRINK

Mint and Maple Tisane

This strange mix of summer and autumn transcends the seasons, letting you drift through space and time …

1 ounce mint leaves

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 cups boiling water

1 ounce gin, optional (preferably one heavier on the juniper than the floral notes—try Bombay Sapphire East)

Place mint in a teapot, cup, or jar and carefully pour the water over it. Steep for ten minutes. Strain into a pitcher and add maple syrup and lemon juice. Add gin, if you like. Serve warm or cool.

FOUR DRINKS

French 69

Okay, this is basically a French 75 champagne cocktail, and granted I’m using a cheap-joke name. But there’s nothing funny about this delicious confection.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

2 ounces floral gin, such as Nolet’s

1 teaspoon superfine sugar

2 dashes rose water

½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 ounces brut sparkling wine

Garnish: strawberries

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the gin, sugar, rose water, and lemon juice. Give it a few quick shakes to chill, then strain the liquid into a chilled champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and add strawberry garnish. Serve.

ONE DRINK

Sidecar Sally

Oh, there’s always that girl who feels like she’s kept on the side, isn’t there? Poor Sally. She needs to stand up for herself more.

This ought to help her self-esteem!

Rim your glass with superfine sugar by putting the sugar in a plate, running a slice of lemon along the rim of the glass, and dipping the rim in the sugar.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill the sugar-rimmed glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

2 ounces cognac

1 ounce Combier Liqueur d’Orange

1 ounce fresh lemon juice (or to taste)

Superfine sugar for rim of glass

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add cognac, Combier, and lemon juice. Shake until chilled thoroughly, then strain into a chilled glass rimmed with sugar. Serve.

ONE DRINK

Rouge with Envy

There’s no better cure for envy than to be the one everyone is envious of. With this adult smoothie in hand, you will be the envy of all.

2 ounces vodka

2 ounces frozen raspberries

juice of ½ lemon

½ ounce simple syrup

1 cup ice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth, then pour into a tall glass.

ONE DRINK

“He Makes Me Sick” Ginger Tisane

Ginger is excellent for whatever ails your stomach, be it anger, hurt, flu, hangover, or morning sickness. To make this tisane into a ginger ale, boil down to a cup of liquid, add sugar (to taste), and top with club soda.

1 large (thumb-size) knob of ginger, peeled and chopped

¾ ounce Angostura bitters

4 cups water

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, then cool and strain the ginger out. Drink tepid for nausea.

TWO DRINKS

Rebound Tom Collins

Poor Tom. Always a groomsman, never a groom. But he’s quite amusing and can be an excellent distraction while you nurse your broken heart.

2 ounces dry gin

juice of ½ lemon

1 ounce rose water

1 teaspoon superfine sugar

4 ounces club soda or seltzer water

Put gin, lemon juice, rose water, and sugar into a classic Collins glass. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Fill the glass with ice and add club soda or seltzer water. Serve.

ONE DRINK

Broke and Boozy

You can’t buy happiness, but usually you can buy booze, no matter how ill-advised that might be. When things are low enough, it helps!

1 ounce white rum

½ ounce rye whiskey

½ ounce brandy

½ ounce grenadine

½ lemon, freshly squeezed

Garnish: lemon slice

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all the ingredients. Shake until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a chilled glass, garnish with lemon slice, and serve.

ONE DRINK

Give That Diamondback

This is serious.

Chartreuse is known as a digestive, and, as such, it has miraculous effects on an upset stomach and jangled nerves. And if you’ve got to give that diamond back, there’s no doubt your stomach is upset and your nerves are jangled.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

1½ ounces rye whiskey

¾ ounce applejack

¾ ounce yellow Chartreuse

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass and fill the glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

ONE DRINK

Violet Femme

Strength is the word here. As in this elixir brings strength! Look at the protein in here! Why, it’s a meal in and of itself!

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

1 egg white

2 ounces dry gin

1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ounce crème de violette

Shake the egg white briskly in a cocktail shaker for forty-five seconds, add ice, then remaining ingredients, and shake another ten seconds. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass and serve.

ONE DRINK

What Ails You Cardamom Chai

This is a comforting warm chai to quell an upset tummy or cheer a chilling heart. You may use milk or any milk substitute you like. Cashew milk works particularly well.

Crush the cardamom pods with the bottom of a juice glass; they need to be cracked, not pulverized.

6 cracked cardamom pods

2 whole cloves

¼ teaspoon cracked pepper

½ teaspoon peeled and chopped ginger root

2 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon honey

Milk or milk substitute, to taste

Place cardamom, cloves, cracked pepper, and ginger in a teapot, cup, or jar and carefully pour the water over them. Steep for fifteen minutes. Strain; add honey, then add milk if desired—and enjoy.

TWO DRINKS

Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Absinthe today is not quite the same as the famous absinthe of old, yet people still do report a certain heady high from it. Also, like Chartreuse, it’s a digestive that eases symptoms of tension.

1 ounce absinthe

½ ounce lemon juice

1 sugar cube, preferably raw sugar

2 ounces water

Pour absinthe into a glass. Balance a spoon across the rim and put the sugar cube on it.

Mix 1 ounce water with lemon juice and pour it slowly over the sugar cube, so the liquid saturates the cube. Then pour another ounce of water, allowing the contents of the spoon to spill into the absinthe, creating a cloudy mix.

Serve.

ONE DRINK

Lemon Sage Tisane

Another nerve tonic; this one goes way back to ancient times. Smells delicious and is extremely refreshing when iced.

½ ounce fresh sage leaves

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (avoid the bitter white rind)

4 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons sugar

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

Place sage and lemon peel in a teapot, cup, or jar and carefully pour the water over them. Steep for fifteen minutes, then add sugar, stir, and cool. Strain the mixture into a pitcher, add lemon juice, and serve.

FOUR DRINKS

Last Word

Sometimes everyone needs the last word.

Since this is a drink that requires no ice, chill your glass in the freezer—or by filling with crushed ice that you pour out—before serving.

1 ounce dry gin

1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

1 ounce maraschino liqueur

1 ounce yellow Chartreuse

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass and serve.

ONE DRINK