I would have assumed this drink came from the ’20s or ’30s—I don’t know, it just sounds like a code name used by men in long coats during Prohibition. The fact that penicillin itself wasn’t invented until 1928 doesn’t really sway my belief here. It still feels like it should be ordered under one’s breath with some sort of continental accent. But in fact, as far as cocktails go, this is a really new cocktail. Like, so new that if this cocktail were a person, it still couldn’t legally order a cocktail in America.


Thanks to the single malt splash, this cocktail announces itself before you’ve even taken a sip. It’s serious and it's strong. But that’s misleading—once your nose has calmed down and you’re actually sipping this drink, it’s actually quite fresh and tart with a warming sweetness. And it’s incredibly well named, as almost everything in it is something that would remedy the common cold. Ginger? Check. Honey? Check. Lemon? Yup. Scotch? I mean, to some people, for sure. So once again, here I am offering you an essential health aid in the form of a cocktail. You’re welcome.

Both Sides of the Glass: Paired Cocktails and Mocktails to Toast Any Taste

penicillin cocktail from Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka's cocktail and mocktail book, both sides of the glass

Discover this tart Penicillin cocktail with ginger, honey, lemon, and Scotch. From NPH and David Burtka's book, Both Sides of the Glass.

Neil's Penicillin

After trying a wildflower honey cake at a bakery, Tess Gigone couldn’t get it out of her head—so she recreated it for an episode of It’s Fine. Turns out, it was a Russian honey cake (also called Medovik), an eight-layer dessert made with thin, toasty cake layers, burnt honey, and a light whipped cream icing. Despite how impressive it looks, it’s not hard to make—just a little tedious layering and chilling. The result? A light, summery cake with subtle floral sweetness, no heavy buttercream, and a beautiful crumb-coated finish. Decorate with fresh wildflowers for an easy, elegant party centerpiece.



Russian Honey Cake

This sweet and savory recipe makes a quick and easy summer appetizer or snack. The combination of creamy goat cheese, sweet macerated raspberries, and spicy hot honey roasted with thyme is a great match when spread on top of rustic sourdough bread. You can also customize this recipe by using different types of cheese like feta or brie or by using other fresh herbs like rosemary.

Use fresh and high-quality ingredients, especially the raspberries and goat cheese. (I love Vermont Creamery.) 

Don't overbake the raspberries—they should still be slightly liquidy after the first 15 to 20 minutes. If you overcook them they will become too jammy.

Experiment with different types of honey, such as truffle or manuka.

Baked Goat Cheese with Raspberries

Ditch the ice cream maker and still enjoy creamy, homemade ice cream. For this recipe, I use a simple two-ingredient base made of sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream, and swirl in homemade apricot jam and honey. The sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream take the place of the custard base in typical ice cream recipes, which helps to create a rich, smooth and fluffy texture similar to store-bought. 

If you have a hard time finding apricots, substitute with peaches or nectarines instead. 

Don’t skip the salt! It will help bring the other flavors out and personally, I love a bit of saltiness in my sweet treats. 

Freezing the ice cream for four hours should be enough if you want to enjoy it the same day, but if you have time, I recommend making it ahead and freezing it at least overnight. 

Turn the ice cream into popsicles by pouring the mixture into a popsicle mold instead of a loaf pan. 

If stored properly, homemade ice cream can last for up to a month, although I recommend eating it within two weeks for ultimate freshness. 

Make sure to wrap it well in plastic wrap and place it in a large freezer bag for extra protection.

No-Churn Apricot & Honey Ice Cream

I love farro for its nutty texture, and it has the same nutritional benefits as brown rice but cooks in half the time. Rather than simply cook it in water, I added some garlic, onion and parsley to the pan to infuse extra flavor. This recipe started with the Mr. asking me to cook something for his office potluck, so I decided to focus on a salad that could easily double as a side or main course for any vegetarians hoping to take part in the potluck. Studded with tiny bits of fresh mozzarella, chopped olives, onions and grape tomatoes, it's now my new favorite summer salad. The dressing is also a very versatile vinaigrette you can toss with any mixed greens for a homemade option to bottled dressings.

Summer Farro Salad

Galettes are one of the best ways to highlight gorgeous summer fruit, and peaches shine in this version. These mini galettes are layered with a swoop of Vermont Creamery Fresh Goat Cheese, juicy peaches, and a hint of vanilla and cardamom. Then, it’s all tucked into a buttery crust made with Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter. The velvety, tangy goat cheese is an ideal foil to sweet summer peaches and the smaller size of these makes them ideal for a dinner party. 

If you have the time and inclination, you can peel the peaches for these galettes, but you can also keep it easy and leave the peels on—galettes *are* meant to be fun and casual. You can make the dough for the galettes up to two days in advance to save yourself some time on the day you plan to bake these summery treats. 

Mini Peach Galettes With Cardamom and Goat Cheese

As I’ve gotten older, the traditional fruit danish strikes me as a bit too sweet. However, the pairing of cheese and fruit is—and will forever be—a timeless flavor combo. These cheesy blackberry turnovers combine the sweet, juicy punch of fresh (or frozen!) blackberries with rich, creamy BelGioioso Crescenza-Stracchino. The fruit gently highlights the lightly sweet notes of the fresh cheese, while the milkiness of the cheese tames the tartness of the berries. 

These turnovers are the ultimate weekend bake. Store-bought puff pastry is the perfect buttery vessel for thick slabs of Crescenza-Stracchino that’s topped with ripe blackberries before, then folded over and sealed for the perfect envelope of cheesy, fruity goodness. If you’d like, make them ahead of time up until the baking step, then wrap tightly and keep in the fridge for up to three days until you’re ready to bake.


Sweet & Savory Cheesy Blackberry Turnovers

This recipe is inspired by an appetizer dish offered at the Ecco restaurant in Atlanta, GA. I work for Fifth Group Restaurants (owners of Ecco) and (with the help of Ecco's culinary team), we have pared this recipe down for the home cook to enjoy. This delicious appetizer combines the distinct flavors of honey, goat cheese, and cracked black pepper. 

Goat Cheese Beignets

This is the crowd-pleasing skillet dip I make when I’m having a big gathering and can’t be bothered with anything fussier. It draws inspiration from baked cheeses everywhere—hi, hello honey-baked brie, queso fundido, and broiled feta. It's super cheesy (like, three kinds of cheesy), surprisingly nuanced (thank you onions and enoki mushrooms), and comes together in about 10 minutes. And it's endlessly customizable: swap in any alliums or mushrooms, sub in your favorite melty cheese, and top with whatever you please (tomato jam! hot sauce! spicy breadcrumbs!). Thanks to the scientifically proven fact that hot cheese is delicious, your guests will love it no matter what.

Easiest, Cheesiest Skillet Dip

If you’re a doughnut - or fried dough - lover, you’ve likely tasted the epic fruit-studded favorite that is the apple fritter. A fairly popular doughnut at shops, county fairs, and fall festivals, it combines fluffy, soft doughnut dough with pieces of spiced, lightly sweetened apples. As much as I love these fritters, I always wondered - where was the summer version? These peach fritters deliver exactly that - and I believe them to be truly, totally perfect. They are fun to shape, because they are made in a super rustic way - by cutting squares of biscuit dough and pressing them together with diced peaches. This may seem haphazard at first, but as the doughnut dough rises prior to frying, the dough will puff up, helping to encase the peaches you’ve trapped inside. While the doughnuts are fresh from the fryer, they get a drizzle, dip, or dunk of a simple glaze sweetened with honey. The flavor perfectly complements the natural flavor of the peaches - and is one of my favorite parts of the recipe…so don’t be tempted to skip it! This recipe works best with the best summer fruit - the good stuff, the juiciest stuff! Make a trip to your favorite farmstand, pick your own orchard, or farmer’s market, and snag the best peaches you can. You can use other stone fruit as well - nectarines and apricots both work beautifully. Come fall, you can keep this recipe, but swap those peaches out for apples and keep the fruity doughnut goodness carrying on as the temperatures drop.

Peach Fritters

For me, the Jewish holidays are all about food. I appreciate the rituals and traditions, but let’s be honest, I’m here to eat. For Rosh Hashanah, honey symbolizes our excitement for a sweet new year. However, traditional honey cake isn't exactly the go-to dessert of my dreams. Anyone you ask will tell you the same: The classic version is dry, and it’s basically a Jewish version of Christmas fruitcake. My Grandma Fanny's recipe was no different, yet my family continued to make it. Truth be told, there’s still something compelling about honey cake. Maybe it’s the coziness the cake exudes, or our ancient, instinctual love of honey? Maybe it’s the allure of a family recipe? Whatever the pull, I wanted to find out how good it could be. To my family’s original recipe, I added oranges, olive oil, and whole-wheat flour, and found Fanny’s recipe transformed. Crispy edged, fruity, slightly salty, and fluffy-crumbed, it’s a truly great dessert. 

Rosh Hashanah is a fall holiday, so my mother always served Fanny’s cake with apple sauce and poached pears. I tried a few garnish swaps and found just how dynamic this sweet little dessert could be. In winter, I pair it with red wine-poached prunes and mascarpone. For spring, kumquat jam and candied fennel. In summer, roasted peaches and whipped cream. Or, keep it simple and eat it with a dollop of crème fraîche and a cup of tea or coffee. 

I treat the eggs and olive oil in this cake similarly to how you would make mayonnaise—beat the eggs until they’re light and fluffy, then slowly drizzle in the oil to create an emulsification. This cake can be a cozy snack or the upscale finale to a festive meal. 

Grandma Fanny’s Honey Cake

This zippy, bourbon-forward spin on the Penicillin is the perfect match for a crisp spring day. Maker’s Mark 46® replaces the traditional Scotch, while the smoky element is reincorporated via a lapsang souchong-steeped honey syrup. The smoked Chinese black tea infuses the cocktail with even more of those soothing toddy vibes. Bright lemon juice rounds out the drink, which is topped with a lemon peel for an additional touch of brightness.

Smoked Honey Penicillin

You can use any type of carrot for this dish: perfect bunching carrots in midsummer, Touchons in fall, or large carrots to feed livestock in the winter. Use anything but the dreary, bagged mini carrots carved from larger, less valuable specimens (they have more in common with sea monkeys than food). Simply, if the carrots look terrible that day, buy spinach. If not, cook them up like this.

Honey-Glazed Carrots With Thyme & Pecorino

When I was growing up, my family never used the oven. The oven mostly served as a glorified pot holder—its real function a complete mystery to me and my grandma. It wasn’t until we watched Ina Garten pull a golden-brown roast chicken out of her 'pot holder' that we understood an oven’s true purpose. Watching Ina’s Food Network show 

 became our ritual. Her otherworldly cooking in the fairy-tale setting of the Hamptons was a fantasy my grandma and I could bond over. This recipe invokes yet another fantasy—a world where Ina Garten and my grandma get to cook together. A whole roasted chicken stuffed with aromatics absorbs my grandma’s flavors of chili crisp, scallion, and ginger through a rich glaze poured over its crisp skin. —

 First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home 

Chili Crisp & Honey Roasted Chicken From Frankie Gaw

This drink was initially inspired by the Garibaldi, a simple brunch-ready cocktail made with freshly squeezed orange juice and Campari. In this recipe, I use a bitter Italian soda called Stappi to draw out the woody, cardamom notes of Seedlip Spice 94. Orange and lemon juice bring a bright punch to this non-alcoholic bev, and the honey-hibiscus syrup rounds everything out while simultaneously highlighting the floral notes of the cocktail. 

When finishing the drink with the Stappi, you can either pour it down the length of an inverted bar spoon to float it over the drink or pour it hard (straight down into the drink) from an inch or two above to see a bit more of a foamy head. Try it both ways and see which you like best.

Non-Alcoholic Hibiscus Garibaldi

If you’re a fan of Hawaiian pizza (aka pizza topped with ham and pineapple), or just downright curious about it, then I’ve got a treat for you. This easy quick bread is studded with juicy, delicious Dole® Canned Pineapple Chunks and bits of salty bacon. After baking for just under an hour, you’ll brush the loaf with spicy-hot honey that’s flavored with chili peppers to cut the sweetness of the pineapple while simultaneously amplifying it. A thick still-warm slice slathered with softened salted butter and drizzled with additional hot honey is basically my gift to those on the fence about Hawaiian pizza, as well as those with an existing love for it. Bonus: This recipe is a one-bowl situation, which makes it even easier to whip up.

Pineapple-Bacon Loaf with Hot Honey Glaze

The holidays are a time for celebration, and nothing is more festive than a sparkly beverage served in a fancy coupe garnished with turbinado sugar and a citrus twist. This sparkling mocktail pairs bubbly LaCroix Black Razzberry with blackberry-honey syrup and subtle hints of chamomile from freshly brewed iced tea to create a nice balance of floral and tart berry flavors. Toast to the holidays with this effervescent, non-alcoholic sip.

Blackberry & Chamomile Sparkler

Although I consider making blintzes my birthright, I had never actually made—or even eaten!—a blintz until I worked on this book. Blintzes, for the uninitiated, are a Jewish dessert made of an eggy crepe-like pancake that’s filled with a sweetened mixture of cream cheese and farmer cheese and pan-fried until the pancake is golden brown. My mom used to help her mother, my Nanny, make blintzes when she was a child. Nanny would stand at the stove manning two skillets, cooking the pancakes two at a time. She’d bang them out onto the counter, which was lined with brown paper bags, fill and fold them up, and then pack the blintzes into a shoebox lined with wax paper and freeze them. 

Nanny didn’t use a recipe, so when I started testing blintzes for the book, my mom provided the taste memory and guidance to make sure I wasn’t far off. It was a fun project, and I learned that Nanny’s blintzes are mildly sweet and therefore perfect for breakfast or dessert served with any kind of jam or preserves(a fruit topping or sauce is traditional). That said, I like them with this lemony apricot compote and a drizzle of honey. —Excerpted from “What’s For Dessert?” Copyright © 2022 by Claire Saffitz. Photographs copyright © 2022 by Jenny Huang. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.

Claire Saffitz's Sweet Cheese Blintzes With Lemony Apricot Compote

Croquettes are easy to make and great to have in the freezer as they defrost really quickly. My grandchildren love chicken croquettes with mashed potatoes or white Basmati rice. They are also very nice made in a smaller size as finger food with the sauce as a dip.

Chicken Mustard Croquettes

We do many variations of this burger once summer hits.  The key is a nice balance of sweet, spicy & citrus flavors and a charcoal grill.  

Burger With Sweet And Spicy Slaw

Ranch is a buttermilk-and-mayonnaise based dressing named after the ranch in Hidden Valley, California where it was first served almost 60 years ago. My homemade dressing isn’t trying to emulate the stuff that comes in a bottle, because if that’s what you’re craving, then I honestly believe only the original will do. Instead, what I was aiming for was a tangy rendition, packed with herbs, with enough body to coat greens and vegetables, but not overpower. In this recipe there’s some yogurt to lighten the mix, and basil brings extra fragrance and sweetness, while the paprika lends a smoky note. It’s my variation on a classic, and a favourite in its own right.

Basil Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

I've been cooking for a long time, but I have to say that there is really nothing that brings out the hunger in a person like a good fried chicken nugget. It is quite remarkable the reactions they get. What is it, really? The texture, flavor, the fun round of sauces to sample? Such a small nugget holds a lot of power. Definitely not to be underestimated!

After toying around with a few different flours and flavors, this became my go-to fried chicken and nugget coating. I craved a texture for the crust that would remain in the illusion of always being crispy no matter what temperature the nuggets would be (cold midnight snack, anyone??), and they also would remain somewhat light and not too bready. Sure enough, the best laid plans for a coating that could provide both was in a fantastic savory and fragrant combination of smoky and sweet seasonings to the marriage of rolled oats and rice flour. Delicious for any time of day!

This recipe is twofold: for regular chicken nuggets and spicy chicken nuggets. That kimchi bacon ranch dip, though—I'd recommend serving that with either.

Chicken Nuggets with Warm Kimchi-Bacon Ranch Dip

This wonderful sandwich comes from a little grocers right down the street from where I live called City Feed.  For a long time I didn't try it because it didn't sound terribly interesting, but boy was I wrong!  I finally got it one day and became immediately obsessed.  Of course, you can't spend $8 for a sandwich everyday, so this is my remake of it for home lunch packing purposes.  It is a simple sandwich packed with wonderful flavor that comes from choosing really high quality ingredients. - fiveandspice

The Farmer's (Brown Bag) Lunch

Shredded parmesan cheese and minced garlic make this burger extra juicy. Lightly sautéing the vine-ripened tomatoes marinated in red wine vinegar, honey and basil infuses the sweet and tangy flavors of the simple vinaigrette. Salty prosciutto grilled crisp and melted mozzarella give Italian flavor to an American favorite. - Kiss the Cook

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