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1 month ago | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
I knew I’d like Tyler Zielinski’s new book, Tiny Cocktails, from the jump. It’s always been clear to me that the first sip of a drink is the greatest one, and the excitement dims from there. Some nights, I want to hop from cocktail to cocktail, sampling a whole menu; other nights I just don’t desire a whole glass full of booze.
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2 months ago | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
It appears that a bunch of you made your way here via my recent story for The Washington Post(gift link), which shared recommendations for a case of wine to get you through the rest of winter. There’s some really delicious—and well-priced—stuff on the list, which is focused on smaller producers, many of whom work with organic grapes. Welcome, new friends, to What to Drink.
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Jan 22, 2025 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
There was a time when I couldn’t come up with a non-alcoholic wine to recommend to anyone who doesn’t drink or isn’t drinking right now. I’ve had a much better batting rate with certain brands of NA beer; I love an NA aperitif mixed with tonic. And it’s still true that a lot of NA wines on the market are thin and sour or simply odd-tasting; making something without alcohol that tastes like good wine is a hard trick to pull off.
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Dec 20, 2024 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
Season’s greetings from my cluttered desk, where I’m editing a pile of podcast episodes (you’re subscribed over here, right?), whipping up highlight reels, wrapping presents, plotting holiday menus, and eagerly anticipating a little quiet. I hope you’re all arriving at the end of the year with some fun celebrations and a moment of rest. Some folks reach for hot drinks when the going gets cold (I highly recommend mixing hot apple cider and amaro) and others opt for creamy ones.
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Nov 21, 2024 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
Welcome to the first annual WHAT TO DRINK holiday gift guide. Below, you’ll find stocking stuffers and little trinkets, investment-worthy glassware, coffee gear, and a few bottles I recommend. It probably goes without saying, but this guide is for the 21-and-over set, and please, as they say, drink responsibly. Some of the links below are affiliate links; I may earn a (small) commission with your purchase.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
I recently tried a French 75 recipe from the new Vedge Bar Book. (They’re kind enough to let me share it below.) It didn’t veer extremely far from the classic combo of bubbly, spirit (sometimes cognac, sometimes gin), lemon, and sugar, but it offered a template for tinkering. Instead of your standard Eureka lemon, they use fragrant Meyer lemons, which seem to be a bit more widely available these days. Instead of making a basic simple syrup, they take the time to infuse the sugar with bay leaves.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Sonja Overhiser |Alex Overhiser |Maggie Hoffman
Welcome to this week’s edition of What to Drink. More cocktail recipes and drink recommendations are available in the archives—as well as in my books, Batch Cocktails and The One-Bottle Cocktail. This newsletter contains some affiliate links, but the best thing you can do to support my work is purchase those books and listen to the latest episode of my cooking podcast, which features Emily Weinstein, editor in chief of New York Times food and cooking.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Alice Lascelles |Maggie Hoffman
The martini is a personal thing. We can all agree that it should be cold, but the one you love is the one you love, and I’m not here to convince you otherwise. Sometimes, though, a martini crosses your glass that you haven’t tasted before, and that can be a delight. I was visiting friends who served a 50-50 version made with Veso’s sadly sold-out tomato vermouth. It was the ultimate pizza-in-the-garden cocktail; fragrant and crisp and juicy without the fuss of extracting liquid from fresh tomatoes.
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Oct 3, 2024 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
What are you drinking right now? Did you already make a batched Concord Negroni or an easy blackberry jam margarita or an amaretto sour with apple brandy? Maybe it’s time for a Tipperary or a Penicillin. (Should you make one with blue cheese liqueur? I dunno. But the pun is right there.)Last week I launched two episodes of my new cooking podcast—there are so many fun tips and dinner ideas from cookbook author Betty Liu in this conversation and from Caro Chambers in the second show.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
whattodrink.substack.com | Maggie Hoffman
Before we begin: I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my free cooking newsletter, The Dinner Plan, and the upcoming podcast by the same name. If coming up with dinner ideas feels like a lot sometimes and you need real-life inspiration, please subscribe. And now, let’s fill your glass. Here’s an unfortunate truth: The thing about cocktails is you have to make them from something.