Hot Buttered Rum is my favorite cold-weather cocktail. My friend, the dearly departed Bruce Hildreth, then-chef of Columbus’ beloved Tapatio restaurant, showed me how to make a perfect Hot Buttered Rum sometime in the mid 90s (I was always at his hip back then), and it has been my favorite winter cocktail since. Normally it’s made…

I first had a Coquito on one of multiple trips to San Juan, Puerto Rico in the early 90’s (yes—there was a cute boy involved). It’s like egg nog, but totally different: boozy as all heck and spiced with cinnamon, it fills the same seasonal need…with a little more Caribbean sunniness. (And let’s face it,…

Baked Apples with Churro Ice Cream You might think of baked apples as a très facile dessert for beginners (which would be true), but we prefer to think of baked apples as a legendarily minimalist, classic-American dish. You can serve them with any full-bodied ice cream—our Churro fits the bill. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time:…