There is an old tale about a creature that dwells in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. The Jersey Devil is three and a half feet tall, with hoofed hind legs, claws on its front legs, a horse-like head, and bat wings. Rumored to be born of a witch and Satan himself, the Jersey Devil has been blamed for odd sightings, missing people, and stolen livestock since colonial days. Around the same time the legend was born, the Laird family began distilling apple cider. Perfecting the family recipe for applejack, the Laird & Company Distillery became the first commercial distillery in America and is still in business today. They even weathered Prohibition, selling sweet cider and applesauce until they received a special license to produce “medicinal brandy.” Their two main products are Laird’s Apple Brandy and Laird’s AppleJack. The brandy is a 100-proof spirit distilled solely from apples; the AppleJack is a blended spirit of 35 percent apple brandy and 65 percent whiskey. Our Jersey Devil cocktail artistically uses the 100-percent apple brandy and blends it with a unique ingredient—the English Bishop, which calls for roasting a clove-studded orange in a fire and infusing it with port wine. This drink was one of the first to fall into our “fancy cocktail” category because of the detail in the ingredients. It’s also a killer drink and can be successfully used to bait and tranquilize a Jersey Devil.
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
A savory-hot salsa made with mixed nuts (like the kind dubbed cocktail nuts meant for snacking) gives roast salmon a kaleidoscope of textures and flavors.
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.