Leigh Kunkel

The holiday season can be totally exhausting. Between the houseguests, parties, an excess of family time, and general merriment overload, it's easy to get overwhelmed. But breathing techniques are only going to take you so far when it comes to…

It's the holiday season, which means that it's also sparkling wine season. Maybe you’re trying to pick out a nice bottle of bubbles to take as a host gift, maybe you’ve just been scarred by a college experience drinking too much Andre, or maybe…

So, you have always considered yourself to be a white wine kind of gal or guy, but these days you are starting to feel limited by drinking only clear-ish liquids. You want to know how to pick a Pinot noir, but where do you begin? If you are just…

Everybody loves Thanksgiving food, but with so many different ingredients and flavors happening, it can be hard to know what to drink. That's why I'm here to show you exactly what Thanksgiving wine pairings you need to know about to make this the…

So, you have been asked to bring a bottle of wine to dinner. You love wine — this should be no big deal, right? Right... until you realize you have no idea how to pick out a Pinot grigio like the expert you have always claimed to be. I totally get…

Everyone loves a holiday that is all about stuffing your face while you get to spend time with your loved ones, but being a vegetarian at the Thanksgiving dinner table can be lonely. That's because finding vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes everyone…

You love wine, and you especially love yourself a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, but you definitely wouldn't call yourself a connoisseur — until now. Learning how to drink Cabernet Sauvignon like a total pro isn't hard, it just requires that you…

Do you need an excuse to drink more cocktails? Of course you do — and Halloween is here for you. We have already brought you one pumpkin cocktail this season, but there are still countless Halloween drink ideas to explore as we creep ever closer to…

I’ll be honest: I didn't always know a ton about how to drink vodka. Vodka has never been my drink, mainly due to an unfortunate experience trying to make Lemon Drops in college. That’s not the case for a lot of people, though. In Eastern Europe,…

This is the time of year when everyone goes watermelon-crazy, which is great if you're a fan of this seasonal fruit. Personally, I love the taste of watermelon, but have a serious aversion to the sometimes-mealy texture it can have. (And if you ever…

August 16 is National Rum Day, meaning it's time to whip up a few rum cocktails. Sure, piña coladas and daiquiris are great, but to celebrate today's very important holiday, we're going to go with something a bit simpler, yet still delicious. That's…

More than any other type of spirit, I think tequila is the one that gives people the most bad memories. It’s the spirit that I most often hear people say, “Oh no, I can’t drink that anymore.” Too many cheap shots and bad margaritas have given…

I've written before about my love for gin, which means that today, June 13th, is a very special day for me: it's World Gin Day. It's a celebration of all things juniper. There are a lot of ways you could celebrate: recipes for gin cocktails are easy…

There are some holidays out there that we don't really need (National Pistol Patent Day, anyone?), and then there are some that are absolutely, 100 percent indispensable. National Doughnut Day, on June 5, is one such day. National Doughnut Day…

Rum is a misunderstood spirit. Often banished to syrupy daiquiris and badly-made mojitos, it's kind of the forgotten cousin of the spirits world — people mainly associate rum drinks with oversized fruity beach beverages, rather than considering rum…

There are a lot of great European things that have, unfortunately, never caught on in the United States. Like four weeks minimum paid vacation time. Original Cadbury chocolate! And let's not forget, aperitifs. But as May 21 has been named National…

When someone tells me they don’t like gin — and by default, gin drinks and recipes — I’m always surprised. The first “real” drink I ever had was a gin and tonic, and I loved it. Ever since then, gin has been my go-to. But my informal survey tells me…