The Urbane Urbanite

With the holidays looming and a brisk chill wafting through the air, ‘tis definitely the season for eating and drinking. While sizzling thirst quenchers like teas, hot chocolates and warm apple ciders will be bought and consumed by the boatloads this winter, what hot beverage options are available for folks looking to get lit - and stay toasted? I commissioned the head bartender at 169 Bar, a down-home dive bar on the lower east side of Manhattan, to concoct five warm, charismatic cocktails perfect for keeping the cold at bay and a buzz on deck this winter. I've tried them all - and they're good!

On a hot summer day, nothing is better than an ice cold fruit smoothie...laced with Bacardi. I got this recipe from my homie, Aliya. But I remixed it by substituting regular ice cream with dairy free SO Delicious instead (I'm lactose intolerant) and adding a "splash" of hooch to give it an extra kick. There are a ton of smoothie recipes out there. But mine is pretty basic compared to others. Here's how you can enjoy an easy to make, semi-healthy, fruit-filled beverage that will hopefully give you a light buzz to boot!

Summer is quickly approaching. And that means one thing: time to get snatched! For all of you who follow me on the Interwebs, you know that I've been putting in a lot of work at the gym. (I checked into The New York Sports Club five days last week! That's a record for me). But the results are slow going. And it's all (well, maybe not all) because of this damn cookbook!

Tired of the same old mimosa? Check out the video below. I show you how to put a spin on the popular brunch beverage by swapping out champagne for sparkling wine and adding a splash of orange-flavored liqueur to give it an extra special kick! You can subscribe to my budding YouTube page here :

Ask any of my drinking partners and they'll tell you I'm a Grey Goose lover through and through. But being the cocktail connoisseur that I am, I always keep my eyes peeled for the next best drink. Lately, all I've been hearing about is the coconut flavored Ciroc. I tasted the original Ciroc at a house party once and was pleasently surprised at how smooth it went down. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, so after work, I went straight to my favorite liquor store to pick some up. Yes, I'm a club member. I gets it in! They didn't have it.  Some talk about it being out of stock and not being able to get any. See. That's what I get for being bourgeois and buying my liquor from a chain store in the suburbs.  I know better. I hopped right into my car, and drove a few miles down the road to a Mom and Pop liquor store in the hood. Not only did they have every flavor of Ciroc known to man on the shelf, but they had economy sizes too. P...

Whenever I throw a function at my house, my homemade sangria always steals the show. There could be a tray full of scrumptious homemade red velvet cupcakes sitting out. Bottles of Grey Goose and Hennessy ready to be poured. A pan of piping hot mac n' cheese waiting to be devoured. And without fail, everyone flocks (and stays very close to) the punchbowl full of my spiked red wine goodness. I even get requests to make it at other people's functions. It's all the rave! Google: "How to make sangria" and you'll find tons of recipes at your fingertips. Except, they ain't mine! After lots of trial and error and many tipsy nights from numerous taste testings, I can say I've finally mastered my sangria recipe. It was my intention to take this recipe with me to the grave. But it ain't no fun if the homies can't have none. What you'll need: A 1 gallon Pitcher 1 jug of Carlos Rossi Sangria Bacardi Rum Cointreau or Triple Sec ...

It was never my intention to make it corn week on The Urbane Urbanite. Although, I could go on and on about that corn chowder soup I had at Butter last weekend. But today, I'd like to talk about a another tasty maize dish, except this time, I'm the one doing the cooking.

Eighty-five miles west of New York City, tucked away in the hills of Bangor, Pennsylvania, just beyond a winding road that runs adjacent to the Delaware River, you'll find the Franklin Hill Vineyard. This secluded gem is home to several prizewinning wines. When I arrived at the wine shop for the tasting, the pleasant women working behind the counter gave me a wine list. I was allowed to make six selections to taste. The list was broken up into four categories: White wines, red wines, rose wines and specialty wines.