As autumn sets itself upon us, I find myself enjoying a nice warm drink to take the bite out of the brisk breeze in the evenings. (My friends like to make fun of me for this because I have begun to think that 70 degrees is cold; as a Chicago native, they think I should be better equipped for the cold weather. I like to remind them that I left Chicago for a reason…)

One of my new favorite drinks to make is mulled wine, using Emeril’s Red Red Wine. It is warm and spicy, and fortified with a bit of Kirschwasser (cherry liqueur) to give it some extra berry flavor and sweetness. It also makes a perfect punch-like drink to serve around the holidays!

Here’s my recipe, which is easily tailored to your taste (for instance, if you don’t particularly care for clove, add another cinnamon stick instead!):
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During Tales of the Cocktail last summer, I met the guy who created Q Tonic Water. I finally popped my last bottle the other night and made a classic Gin and Tonic with lemon (I prefer lemon to lime in this drink). Q is made from hand-picked quinine in the Peruvian Andes and sweetened very lightly with Mexican organic agave which results in a tonic that is clean and crisp, without an odd, phony-tasting tangy edge.

If you notice, my rocks glasse are from the New Orleans’ Fairmont Hotel’s Sazerac Bar (R.I.P) - they’re a treasure. Bombay Gin is one of my favorites for its smooth, evergreen-ish flavor that isn’t over-the-top. With the Q Tonic and a squeeze of lemon, we have cocktail perfection.

Just so you know, tonic water’s key ingredient, quinine, was discovered for as a curative when it was isolated from the bark of the Cinchona tree sometime in the 1800s. For years prior, Peruvians treated fever with Cinchona bark, never knowing that quinine was the key.

I’ve spoken of her before, Chef Mary Sonnier (former co-owner and chef at the departed and beloved Gabrielle Restaurant), is as big a food/drink geek as me; come to think of it she may be geekier. We trade cooking tips, finds, cook book info, etc. Yesterday she made me one of the best apperitifs I’ve had in a long, long time - homemade rose syrup and prosecco. Nothing too complicated, I know, but simple and elegant is so nice, and I want to share this drink. Mary’s inspiration for her rose syrup came from an expesive Italian syrup she bought on line and thought she could mimick. We tasted both, hers and the original and man-ho-man is she close. Mary made a 1:1 sugar and water simple syrup (we later decided a 2:1 sugar to water syrup would be better), which she cooled slightly and to which she added 2 cups of fresh, non-sprayed (chemical free) tea rose petals. She let the syrup steep for a couple hours, strained it, and voila, rose syrup. Getting it that rosy color is her secret, but a tiny drop of red food coloring comes close. Someday I’ll yank the secret out of her, but for now she did share one very special ingredient - a rose essence from SIlver Clouds Estates. This rose extract has the most amazing, intense but not perfumey aroma and a distinct but not overpowering flavor - genius. A browse through their site revealed some delectable looking extract flavors - an order is in order.

As for that “Really Nice Kir Royale”…about one ounce of rose syrup in the bottom of the glass, top with a nice Italian Prosecco (bubbly wine) and serve. I love Mary and I love this drink

Thursday night our now famous bartender, Dave Berard, won the “Where Y’at? Magazine and Bacardi Mojito Mix-Off,” and for good reason! His drink, the “Lindsay Mojito Martini,” (named after a guest, of course), is a blend of all things summer and would make a great afternoon porch-sipper, or a lovely evening aperitif.

Now, Dave won’t give up his secret recipe, but I will tell you this: it has champagne, Bacardi light rum, fresh raspberries, lime juice, and simple syrup. There’s some muddling and shaking involved, and its served in a chilled martini glass with a mint-lime sugared rim…

So, you have two choices: stop by Emeril’s Delmonico and have Dave make his special blend just for you (he might even name a new drink after you, too…), or try this at home!

Today is National Rum Day and I couldn’t be happier. I adore rum, so complex and interesting is this liquor. I have to credit a couple of people for helping get me on the rum bandwagon - Wayne Curtis, rum authority and author of “And a Bottle of Rum,” and the genius gang of dedicated rummies at Old New Orleans Rum. These folks are my new BFFs and Old New Orleans Rum is a beautiful spirit, smooth and aromatic with subtle flavors of caramel and vanilla. I also had the pleasure of sipping on a Blueberry Mojito at local hang, St. Joe’s. The cocktail (see pic above) is composed of crushed blueberries, freshly torn leaves of mint and simple syrup, muddled together then topped with a good pour of light rum, a jot of lime juice and a fizzy splash of club soda. This drink goes down a shade too easily, especially in this soul-crushing heat. Mojitos are delicious made classically with lime and mint, but are also excellent for creative expression with fresh watermelon, pineapple or mango, mashed with mint. Happy, happy National Rum Day.

I recently met Allison Evanow who founded Square One Organic Vodka and I had to ask her: why do we need organic spirits? Isn’t it enough to distill a spirit to remove the impurities? She told me that to make a great spirit, you have to start with high quality ingredients; you have to start from “square one.” That said, she made the point that if an average spirit tastes delicious just through the distillation process, imagine what happens if you begin with a perfect , organic grain and what that flavor can become when it winds up as vodka! Square One Vodka is made from organic rye and has a crisp, bold flavor, not too neutral and not so overpowering that the taste takes over the glass. I was surprised how much I liked the vodka straight up, but as the base for a dirty martini it was positively ethereal.

At this year’s Tales of the Cocktail (a 5-day celebration of the cocktail in it’s birthplace, New Orleans), there was lots of Tiki love. Offbeat’s Food Editor Todd A. Price teased us with his great on-line piece, “The King of Tiki” about Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, whose books (Grog Log, Intoxica!, Taboo Table and the latest, Sippin’ Safari) are seminal on the subject of Tiki, recipes included. Jeff led a killer seminar at Tales, covering Tiki drinks and culture, including the legend and lore of famous tiki restaurants, Don The Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s. The drinks he made for sampling were amazing with a special nod to the Nui-Nui, a tart, allspice-laced rum drink that was so delicious, everyone is on the hunt for the intriguing and elusive Pimento Liqueur, to recreate the drink at home. I’m taking a page from cocktail writer Chuck Taggart whose recipe for Pimento Dram is in the current issue of Imbibe Magazine, to make my own. Paul Clarke’s article featuring Chuck’s recipe, also has a make-at-home version of Falernum (another Tiki drink ingredient, with a clove-almond flavor) that is often the “secret” to many a rum drink. A beautiful bottled version of Falernum can be purchased from Fee Brothers, if you don’t want to try your hand at at home-concocting. Of course no proper Tiki drink can be sipped in anything other than a proper Tiki cup. I’m crazy for Emeril’s cobalt blue cups (see picture above). These Kids Tiki Mugs (juice only for the kiddies, if you please) are a wee bit smaller than the adult size, but the TIki grabbing his tush is irresistable and a great Tiki cocktail just tastes better in it’s intended vessel.

I’ve never before had a Michelada, but someone “challenged” me to try this mix of beer, lime, salt and Bloody Mary Mix, and it is quite good - refreshing, bright and just a dash of mouth-heat. Research reveals that this is but one version of the Michelada and mine is a serious cheat, using bottled Zing-Zang Bloody Mary Mix and Miller’s latest release, “Chill,” lime and salt infused beer. According to various sources, the Michelda dates back to the 1940s, when mixing beer with hot sauce or salsa became popular in Mexico.

Lounging around the pool last weekend, a friend from the UK pulled out the makings for a Shandy - a great summer-weather drink. Light and fresh-tasting, a traditional Shandy is a 50/50 mix of beer and lemonade, although there are a number of renditions including the Portugese version which blends draft beer and 7up or Sprite, Chile’s “Fan-schop,” a mixture of beer with Fanta orange soda; Japan’s “Broadway” a blend of beer and cola or the French “Panach√©” which is beer or ale mixed or flavored with “limonade,”lemon-flavored soda water. For our warm weather quencher we poured equal parts canned light beer and Sprite Zero. We’re watching our waistlines, if you please.

With so many Coke products on the market, knowing which versions contain which sweeteners is quite a chore. Here’s a quick primer: Regular Diet Coke and Caffeine Free Diet Coke are sweetened with only aspartame. The flavored Diet Cokes - lemon, lime, cherry - are sweetened with a blend of aspartame and ace K (another calorie-free sweetener). Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda and Coke Zero are both newer to the Coke line-up. The first one is sweetened with a mix of Splenda (sucralose) and ace K, as opposed to aspartame while Coke Zero, a calorie-free version of Coke Classic gets its sweetness from a combination of aspartame and ace K, although it uses less aspartame than Diet Coke. One of the hottest products is Kosher for Passover Coke which sells out as quick as stores get it in. Why? It’s made with cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup (a no-no during Passover because of the corn). Coke made with cane sugar is closer to the original, old school taste of coke. Kosher for Passover Coke is lighter flavored, not as sticky sweet and has almost no aftertaste. One taster found, “It also has smaller bubbles and is less foamy.”