Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

Honeybell Orange Brandy Apertif Picture this . . . it’s a strangely dark night, fog blankets the ground near “area 51” (that’s my house number). Strange gurgling burps followed by violent hisses erupt from tiny colorful vials filled with strange liquids. That’s a “teeny” exaggeration. It’s really a little more mundane than that and the test tubes are really dirty dishes waiting on my my husband. I’m just settin’ a little mood, here! Creating recipes and cocktails is one of my great passions. I am often asked how the process begins and I never have a quick answer. I can get pretty excited when I talk about things I love. (See picture) To tell the story I have to share my history. Way back before I ever hosted Home At Last! I was a bartender in New Orleans. My experience and knowledge of cocktails helped land me some pretty cool high-paying jobs in the best places frequented by locals. My enthusiasm for the art of making and developing cocktails recipes has expanded over the years to...

Flying over NYC, recently, I decided that when the occasion called for it - I was only going to order Chocolate Martinis. With plans for an upcoming episode on the history of cocktails I wanted do a little research. I know how that must sound . . . but, wait . . . listen! I was dedicating myself to the research [for ya'll] and quite frankly, I came back pretty well informed! For the life of me, though, I don't know what I did with my notes. My research began at the lounge at the Renaissance Hotel in White Plains, New York. You know . . . now that I'm thinking about it, my research actually began with two Bloody Marys on the plane trip up! And even though this blog isn't about tomatoes this might be a good time to share news about another new blog, Tomato Patty. . . http://www.tomatopatty.blogspot.com/ . Do ya'll mind if I take a break here? I'm going to go mix up a batch of Chocolate Martinis. Ok, I'm back. . . anyway, as we sat there in the glow of the can...