Flavorful Fig Syrup

Eating a fresh fig straight from the tree is one of life's singular pleasures, but getting that amazing fig flavor into drinks is a bit of a challenge. The solution is to infuse a combination of slightly juicy oven-dried figs and store-bought dried figs into a simple syrup.

Roasted Fig Cocktail

During one of my inaugural fall baking sprees, I went for something super simple—roasted figs in balsamic vinegar. They're a real no-brainer—figs cut in half and drizzled with balsamic, but the flavor is out of this world.

Natural Cola Soda

With its herbal citrus notes, this Natural Cola is far more nuanced and delicate than today's Coke, and it lacks that certain tooth-aching sugariness.

Strawberry Soda Recipe with Basil - Striped Spatula

Turn fresh fruit and herbs into refreshing, easy-to-make strawberry soda! It's the perfect pick-me-up on a hot day. You can also turn it into a cocktail for the adults - recipe inspo in the article!

DIY Grape Soda

You can use all-natural ingredients and still get a grape soda that's bold in both color and flavor.

Fig, Black Pepper, and Goat Cheese Milkshake

This shake has a generous amount of goat cheese, layers of flavor, and is topped off with a few big turns of freshly ground black pepper for a perfect savory finish.

Barrel-Aged Cherry Soda

If you can barrel-age cocktails, why not barrel-age a mocktail?

Homemade Ginger-Cardamom Soda With Lime

Although this recipe for Ginger Soda makes a fine quaff, I'd like to urge you to think of it as a template for creating other non-alcoholic drinks for party guests. The basic idea is simple: you create a flavored syrup,...

Buena Vista Fizz

You wouldn't think that citrus and coffee would go together, but we absolutely love this cocktail from Tradition in San Francisco, which brings together Jameson and chicory-infused rye whiskey.

Balsamic Strawberry Smash

Always looking for ways to bring seasonal finds into my cocktails, I started tinkering with some of my favorite strawberry flavor combinations. The result is a summery take on the classic whiskey smash. Strawberries are muddled with lemon to create a juicy base, then a little strawberry syrup is added for a bit of sweetness and to balance the tartness of the lemon. The balsamic acts as bitters, and then of course a hefty pour of bourbon is added, because what's a smash without the bourbon?