4th of July: Fun Events

Tomorrow is Independence Day! If you need some ideas for how to celebrate, check out the list of events below to make your 4th of July spectacular!

Note: Celebration plans are subject to change, especially fireworks displays (many communities around the state have already canceled fireworks over drought concerns and fire risk). Be sure to check websites for the most up-to-date information.

Independence Eve Celebration in Civic Center

Evening:The 4th annual celebration will feature a free concert by the Colorado Symphony, an innovative light show on the City and County building and a fireworks finale. Bring a picnic, plenty of park seating available. July 3, 8 p.m. Free.Civic Center Park at Broadway and Colfax, civiccenterconservancy.org

Independence Day at Elitch Gardens

Day:Ride the roller coasters at Denver's downtown amusment park followed by a fireworks display at dusk. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., see website for ticket prices.Elitch Gardens, 2000 Elitch Circle, 303-595-4386, elitchgardens.com

Independence Day at Coors Field

Day/evening:Watch the Rockies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers during a three-game series, July 2-4. Fireworks following the July 3 and 4 games, see website for tickets prices.Coors Field Stadium at 2001 Blake St., 303-292-0200,colorado.rockies.mlb.com/

Commerce City 4th Fest with the Colorado Rapids

Evening:Community festival, a 7:30 p.m. match between the Rapids and New York Red Bulls, and a fireworks display. 4thFest Family Activity Zone is free, ticket prices for the game vary. 5 p.m.Dick's Sporting Goods Park 6000 Victory Way, Commerce City.coloradorapids.com/4thfestcolorado

Celebrate with the Outlaws at Mile High Sports Authority Field

Evening:Watch Denver's professional lacrosse team the Outlaws versus the New York Lizards. After the game, fireworks and a pyrotechnics show. Ticket prices vary. 7 p.m.,Sports Authority Field at Mile High, 1701 Bryant St., 720-258-3000, denveroutlaws.com

Park Hill 4th of July Parade

Day:The Denver Fire Department kicks things off at 1:30 p.m. with two engines. The Red Sax Trio plays music, the Platinum Divas cheer squad brings the spirit, and the Cupcake Truck and Pie Truck bring the sweets. Route runs down 23rd Ave. from Dexter to Krameria.Info: parkhillparade.com

Chase'n The Dream Concert at Green Valley Ranch

Evening:Chase'n The Dream covers R&B, Motown, dance, reggae, jazz, pop and blues, followed by a fireworks show. 8:00 p.m. Free.Green Valley Ranch Amphitheater, 4890 Argonne Way, 303- 595-8747, mygvr.org/story/oakwood-homes-summer-concert-series-2011

Ralphies Independence Day Blast in Boulder

Evening:Performances by Monarch High School Marching Band, Open Space & Mountain Parks Rangers and Mad Hops. Fireworks. Gates open at 8 p.m. Free.Folsom Field, 2400 Colorado Ave., Boulder, 303-541-1928, boulder4thofjuly.com

Cheesman Park Kids' Bike Parade

Day:Bike decorating, face painting, balloon art, a fire truck and bagpipers at this event, which kicks off at 9 a.m. on the east side of Cheesman Park in Denver.cheesmanparkadvocacygroup.wordpress.com/

Aurora's 4th of July Spectacular

Evening:Family-friendly event with food and more. Fireworks kickoff at 9:30 p.m. with music simulcast on studio 1430 KEZW. Festival starts at 6:30 p.m. Free.Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Pkwy., 303-739-7756, auroragov.org/ThingsToDo/Events/index.htm

Olde Town Arvada Spirit of America 4th of July Festival

Day/evening:DJs and live bands, a kids park with, games and activities, craft booths, a mini classic car show, food and more. Festival begins at 4 p.m. with fireworks after 9 p.m. Free.Stenger Sports Fields at West 58th Ave. and Oak St., 720- 898-7400,arvada.org/arts-and-culture-/fourth-of-july

The Great American Picnic and Fireworks in Broomfield

Evening:Activities include 7th annual Great American Bicycle Parade, pony rides, food and a free concert with FACE and Soul X followed by a fireworks display. 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Free.Commons Park 13200 Sheridan Blvd., Broomfield, 303-464-5530, broomfield.org/index.aspx?NID=611

Thornton's 4th of July

Day/evening:Beer garden and food vendors plus concerts by Syke 96, Thornton Community Band and more. Fireworks display after dark. 4 - 9:30 p.m. Free.Carpenter Park Multipurpose Fields at 108th Ave. and Colorado Blvd., Thornton. 303-538-7282, cityofthornton.net

Golden Lions Club Celebration

Day/evening:Celebration and fireworks at Lion's Park (along Clear Creek). Includes music, food, activities for children, a raffle and more. Starts at noon. Free.1300 10th St., Golden, 720-253-6328, goldenvisitorsbureau.com/events/july_fourth.php

Englewood Fourth of July Family Festival

Day/evening:There will be field games, entertainment, food and children's activities during the day and fireworks after dark. 4-10 p.m. Free.Belleview, Cornerstone and Progress Parks located near the intersection of Belleview Ave. and Windermere St., Englewood, 303-795-3720, englewoodgov.org/englewood-happenings/4th-of-july-festivities

Independence Day with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic

Day/evening:A grand relaunch of Colorado Springs' traditional "Fabulous Fourth" celebrations with live music, food and more. 5 p.m. Free.Memorial Park, 1315 E Pikes Peak Ave, Colorado Springs, csphilharmonic.org/summer/independence/

July 4th Family Festival in Northglenn

Day, evening:Festivities kick off at 6:30 a.m. with a Boy Scout pancake breakfast. Throughout the day there'll be a bkae sale, parades, a car show, live music and more.northglenn.org/july4th/

Fort Collins Independence Day Celebration

Day/evening:Parade in Downtown Ft. Collins and at the Firecracker 5k Race during the day,with live music and fireworks in City Park during the evening. Free. Check web site for times and locations.Downtown Fort Collins and City Park, 1500 W. Mulberry St., fcgov.com/july4th/

The City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department

Day:Family-friendly celebration includes gunny sack races, face painting, hula hoop contest, a bounce house, 5K and one-mile Fun Run, live music and more. Times vary, the reservoir will be open from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.The Boulder Reservoir, 5565 N. 51st St., Boulder, 303-441-3461, bbscrti.com, BoulderRez.

Frontier Fourth Celebration at Bent's Fort

Day:Includes a parade, flag giveaways, speeches, debates, period games, a piñata break and cannon firings (conditions permitting) to show how the holiday was observed at an isolated trading post on the plains, 1:30-4:30 p.m.Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, located eight miles east of La Junta or 13 miles west of Las Animas on Colorado Highway 194, 719-383-5010, nps.gov/beol

Elbert County Museum's Pioneer Fourth

Day:Games, local crafters, live music, pie baking contest and more for all ages, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.Kiowa, ourjourney.info

July 4th in Georgetown

Day/Evening:Festivities include a 5K Fun Run and Stroll at 8 a.m., a parade at 11 a.m., barbecue in City Park at noon, Bucket Brigade Races at 2 p.m. downtown, fireworks at dusk (conditions permitting). Proceeds benefit various local nonprofits.Georgetown, 303-569-2888

4th of July in Lafayette

Day/Evening:Face painting, balloon sculpting, pony rides, food and veer vendors, live music and more, 4-10 p.m. Fireworks begin at dusk.Waneka Lake, 1600 Caria Drive, Lafayette, 303-666-9555, lafayettecolorado.com

Compiled by Nicole Nejad, The Denver Post

Read more:2013 Fourth of July celebrations and events: Colorado highlights - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/theater/ci_23546681/2013-fourth-july-calendar-colorado-highlights#ixzz2Y0uTnJzh
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Recipe: Nutty Arugula Pesto with Penne

This recipe is one of the more unusual ones that we've seen lately, so if you're feeling creative in the kitchen check out "Recipe: Nutty Arugula Pesto with Penne" below!

This past February, I had the extreme good fortune of accompanying my family (or, really, inviting myself) on a vacation to St. Barthes. February in Seattle is one of the darker months, so this was a most welcome break. Since St. Barthes is an island with limited produce deliveries from the mainland, it was a common occurrence that restaurants or grocery stores would be out of a dish or ingredient "until the next boat comes." There was little urgency about it; people just made do. And one of the ways restaurants made do was to swap ingredients in and out, as was the case with this pesto. 

Originally meant to be a more traditional pine nut and basil pesto, the cooks at our favorite beachside cafe had to get creative when they had neither. They whipped up a garlicky arugula pesto instead. I loved it so much I had to replicate it at home. 

This recipe has a good hit of garlic and lemon — the juice and the zest add a brightness and a zip that I find so many pestos lack. The arugula is slightly spicy and the walnuts add an earthy toastiness, so it's extremely well balanced. 

If pasta isn't your thing, spread it on sandwiches instead, dollop it onto morning omelets, or spoon it into warm grains for something interesting and different. 

The nice thing about making pesto at home is that you can adopt the St. Barthes island mentality — use the quantities below, but reach for ingredients you have on hand. I've made pesto with walnuts, hazelnuts and pine nuts alike. I've made amazing spinach and kale pestos, too. Each are different, to be sure, but wonderful in their own way. So feel free to experiment with the greens and the nuts as you see fit — or as needs be depending on what you have at home. 

I made this pesto this afternoon for lunch — the second time I'd made it since being home from St. Barthes and I'd forgotten how good it was. I'm not sure if it simply conjures up memories of lazy beach days or if there's something about the bright lemon and zip of garlic that somehow brings me back there. Regardless, it made for one fine lunch. 

Nutty Arugula Pesto with Penne and Parmesan

Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 cups arugula
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about about 2 tablespoons juice)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to salt pasta water
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
Freshly ground black pepper, to season
1 pound penne pasta

In the bowl of a food processor, blend arugula, basil, toasted walnuts, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt and a few grinds of pepper until well combined and smooth. Feel free to add extra olive oil if the pesto feels too thick or chunky.

Place a large pot of salted water over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add pasta  and to cook to al dente. Drain and place back in pot.  Fold in pesto. Serve hot in your favorite bowls with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan over the top of each bowl. 

(Images: Megan Gordon)

Original Article Here: http://bit.ly/18gcDNf

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Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes

Doesn't that look delicious? These little bakes can fit right in your hand (careful, they'll be hot!) and take less time than you might think. Check out "Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes" below!

Cooking while traveling can be a tough endeavor. You lose most of the control you usually have at home: who knows how the oven will work, who knows where the local grocery store is... and on. And on. These egg bakes are a good solution to a healthy, delicious breakfast while traveling. The ingredients are basic and easy to track down, and they're infinitely adaptable so you can toss in a little of whatever vegetables or cheese you have on hand. 

One of the reasons I love this recipe is that it's essentially a cheater's soufflé. I don't often make real soufflés at home because they always feel a bit fussy to me. There's the proper beating technique and incorporating just the right amount of air — and then the risk of the whole thing falling in on itself. But with this cheater's recipe, the eggs puff up in the oven and become light and fluffy, giving them many of the characteristics I love about a soufflé without much work. 

When traveling, it's generally easy to come upon eggs, milk and some good melting cheese. For these egg bakes, I used a pretty standard recipe and a chopped ham steak from the store. The chives are in season now in Seattle, but obviously you could leave them out altogether if need be and use dried herbs instead. I've tried this recipe with leeks and corn instead of the ham and it's a wonderful vegetarian option. Obviously while on the road, ramekins aren't as easy to come by. But when staying with friends — as many of us are likely to do— this is a great go-to breakfast to make for hosts and visitors. They'll appreciate the gesture; you'll appreciate the simplicity. 

In short: this is a simple, delicious, and pretty breakfast that looks more time-consuming than it really is, and it's easy to bake up if you're at home — or visiting friends on the road.

Ham, Cheddar and Chive Egg Bakes

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion (from 1/2 medium onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces cooked ham steak, coarsely diced into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1-2 tablespoons butter, to grease ramekins
6 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, optional
3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes, taking care not to let it brown or burn. Fold the chopped ham into the saucepan and stir to combine.

Thoroughly butter six 8-ounce ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet so they’ll be easier to move to and from the oven.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, herbs and salt.  Fold the cooked onion mixture, chopped ham, and cheese into the mixture. Divide the mixture evenly into the ramekins. The cheese sometimes clumps up, so try to be sure it’s evenly distributed.

Place in the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops are golden and have puffed slightly. Enjoy warm; cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days. 

Recipe Notes

• The basil is optional here; we had some in the garden that I chopped and used but I'd hate for you to buy a whole package just for a tablespoon in this recipe. The chives are the important part; the basil's an added bonus. 
• If you don't have access to ramekins, feel free to make these in full-size muffin tins instead. Just be sure to grease the pan adequately so they don't stick. 

(Images: Megan Gordon)

Original Article Here: http://bit.ly/190b5Ig

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Blueberry Bundt Cake & Chicken Kebabs

Summer is the perfect time to make all kinds of delicious fresh dishes, so we've found some for you. Try any and all of these recipes below and enjoy them with a refreshing drink while the weather is so nice!

Buttermilk ranch, shrimp crostini, and blueberry bundt cake — all very tasty...

• Buttermilk Ranch in a Jar - Food52.
  
• Blueberry Bundt Cake - Bakers Royale.
  
• Mustard-Glazed Shrimp Crostini with Bacon-Peach-Bourbon Jam - Life As a Strawberry.
  
• Tavuk Kebabi (Mint & Aleppo Pepper Marinated Chicken Kebabs) - Saveur. 

Original Article Here: http://bit.ly/16d5PMV

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Summer Cocktail Recipe: Sweet & Sour Cherry Sparkler

Sometimes in summer you just need to find yourself in the sun with a fruity drink. If that sometime is now, then we've got something for you! Check out "Summer Cocktail Recipe: Sweet & Sour Cherry Sparkler" below!

Sweet & Sour Cherry Sparkler

Serves 1

2 ounces vodka
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce room temperature cherry simple syrup (Recipe below)
Club soda
Fresh basil for garnish

In a small jam jar filled with ice, add the vodka, lemon juice and cherry simple syrup. Place the lid on tightly and shake. Remove the lid and fill with club soda.

Garnish with fresh cherries and basil, and enjoy.

Cherry Simple Syrup

1 cup water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup ripe cherries, pitted

In a small saucepan heat the water, sugar, and cherries until the sugar has completely melted.  Using a potato masher, smash the cherries.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer and cool over an ice bath.

Recipe Notes

• If you are a flavored vodka drinker you may substitute vanilla, cherry, or whipped cream vodka in place of the traditional for a slightly sweeter cocktail.

(Images: Maureen Petrosky)

Original Article Here: http://bit.ly/19rACrK

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Soda Recipe: Homemade Ginger Ale

If you're a fan of ginger ale, then this article is for you! Make your own tasty soda with whatever ingredients tickle your fancy. Check out the tips and recipes in "Soda Recipe: Homemade Ginger Ale" below!

I have been so very excited to share my new homebrewing book, True Brews, with you this week. Yesterday we gave you a little peek into the book, and today here's one more tidbit to spark your homebrewing daydreams! I have many favorites from the book — the Peach Iced Tea Kombucha, the Mocha Stout, the Chai-Spiced Mead — but this ginger ale is The One. It's like all your wildest ginger ale dreams come true: snappy and fresh, sweet and a little spicy, and perfect for these early summer days. Even better, you can start a batch tonight and be sipping your first glass of homebrewed soda by tomorrow.

This ginger ale is a great place to start if you've never brewed anything before. All you need is a recycled plastic soda bottle. Just fill it with the sweet gingery soda base, add a pinch of yeast, and screw on the cap. Check the bottle every so often — when it's rock-solid to the touch with almost no give, stick it in the fridge for a few hours. Once chilled, you're ready to rock and roll.

I love using champagne yeast to brew sodas because I feel that it has a cleaner taste and makes a fizzier soda. You can pick up little packets of this yeast at homebrewing supply stores and some Whole Foods stores, or you can order them online from places like Norther Brewer. You only need a pinch to make your soda, so wrap up the leftover yeast and store it in the fridge until the next soda-making urge strikes. 

→ Find It! Champagne Yeast from Northern Brewer

But if you're eager to make soda and can't get your hands on champagne yeast right away, you can also use regular active-dry yeast — the same used for bread baking. You might find that your soda has a bit of a yeasty aftertaste with this baker's yeast, but it does a fine job in a pinch!

Ready to get your soda on? Here you go!

→ True Brews is out now! Find Emma's book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: True Brews: How to Craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Mead, Kefir, and Kombucha at Home by Emma Christensen

→ Read more about True Brews at Emma's personal blog: emmaelizabethchristensen. blogspot.com

Ginger Ale

Makes about 8 cups 
(enough to fill a 2-liter plastic soda bottle)

2-inch piece fresh gingerroot

1 cup water, plus more to fill the bottles

9 tablespoons / 4 ounces white granulated sugar, plus more if needed 

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons), plus more if needed

1/8 teaspoon dry champagne yeast

Peel and finely grate the ginger (I use a Microplane). You should have about 2 tablespoons of grated gingerroot.

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan on the stove top or in the microwave. Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and salt and stir to dissolve. Add the ginger and let stand until cool. Stir in the lemon juice.

Pour the ginger water into a clean 2-liter bottle using a funnel. Do not strain out the ginger. Top off the bottle with water, leaving at least 1 inch of headspace. Give it a taste and add more lemon juice or sugar if desired. The extra sugar will dissolve on its own.

Add the yeast. Screw on the cap and shake the bottle to dissolve and distribute the yeast. Let the bottle sit at room temperature out of direct sunlight until carbonated, typically 12 to 48 hours, depending on the temperature of the room. Check the bottle periodically; when it feels rock solid with very little give, it’s ready.

Refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 weeks. Open very slowly over a sink to release the pressure gradually and avoid bubble-ups. Pour the soda through a small fine-mesh strainer to catch the ginger as you pour.

Recipe Notes

• Bottling in Glass Bottles: Sodas can also be bottled in glass or swing-top bottles, but it's more difficult to tell when the sodas have fully carbonated. Therefore, with every batch you bottle, also fill one small plastic soda bottle to use as an indicator for when the sodas have finished carbonating. Refrigerate all of the bottles as soon as the plastic bottle is carbonated; never leave the glass bottles at room temperature once carbonated.
  
• Sugar-Free Soda: Use 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar per 8 cups of soda to carbonate, but beyond that, you can sweeten to taste with another sweetener of your choosing. The sugar will be almost entirely consumed during fermentation.
  
• Alcohol in Homebrewed Sodas: As long as yeast is being used to carbonate beverages, alcohol will be made as a by-product. However, the short fermentation time limits the amount of alcohol produced in sodas, and it typically comes out to less than 1 percent.
  
• How to Avoid Gushing, Exploding, Overcarbonated Sodas: Sodas can overcarbonate very easily. This can cause geysers when you first open them or bursting bottles if left unrefrigerated for too long. Refrigeration suspends fermentation (and therefore carbonation), but it will start again when the bottles are removed from refrigeration.
  
  It's best to bottle sodas in used (cleaned!) plastic soda bottles since it's easy to gauge carbonation just by pressing the side. Always open sodas over a sink or outside, and unscrew the cap extremely slowly to allow pressure to release gradually.

(Images: Paige Green for Ten Speed Press/True Brews)

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What Drink Do You Order at a Bad Bar? 25 Food Writers Share Their Safety Drinks

If you've frequented bars in your day, then you've probably encountered something many people across the world have: a bad drink. If you suspect that the staff at the watering hole you're at aren't really going to come through with a solid beverage for you, then check out "What Drink Do You Order at a Bad Bar? 25 Food Writers Share Their Safety Drinks" below!

What do you drink at a bad bar? It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, I know, but we've all been there: stuck in a tired airport lounge, or at a restaurant hundreds of miles away from an artisanal cocktail menu, eyeing a bartender who doesn't look old enough to drink. What do you order when you just don't trust the bar (or the bartender)? What's your safety drink? I asked 25 food writer friends what they go to when they want a drink but don't trust the bar.

My own personal "safety drink" is a Godfather, a venerable old classic involving 2 parts (or 3 parts) Scotch to 1 part amaretto, stirred over ice. It's really satisfying and somehow exceeds the sum of its parts — and more the point, nearly everyone knows it, and there isn't even a garnish to screw up.

Read on for 25 professional food-lovers' own safety drinks. And while this may sound like a menu born from desperate times, these drinks are also really terrific inspiration for those of us who want a quick cocktail in the evenings but aren't up for, you know, brewing our own bitters. These picks are great reminders of how simple and yes, foolproof, a good drink can be.

What's Your Safety Drink?

• If I'm unsure, I just stick to beer. Someone else has already done the work there and as long as the bartender can pour a draft, I'm good with that. - Casey Barber,Good. Food. Stories.
• A good vodka shaken straight up with a twist and nothing else - no vermouth. 95% of the time I'm safe. Although last Friday I ordered it at the Irish Bank in SF and got my Belvedere swimming in vermouth, sent it back and received a Tanqueray with a vermouth float. I gave up and drank my husband's rye on the rocks and switched to beer. - Robin Carpenter of Hunt and Gather Girl
• Gin and tonic. With enough lime, I can tolerate a bad one. - Sheri Castle,cookbook author
• My safety drink is to ask the bartender to make me something he or she likes. Even an inexperienced bartender will have at least one drink that they know and love. I'll take that one! - Emma Christensen of The Kitchn and Emma Elizabeth Christensen
• Usually something simple — Wild Turkey bourbon on the rocks. Or a beer. -Melissa Clark, cookbook author and columnist at The New York Times
• Vodka on the rocks. I've had many a bad vodka + tonic. - Karen Covey ofGourmet Recipes for One
• Gin, grapefruit juice and bitters..though a recent trip through the South rattled my expectation that every bar has bitters. - Brenda Crow of FoodShed
• Jack & Coke. The more I drink, the less I care. - Tara Mataraza Desmond ofCrumbs on My Keyboard, Almost Meatless
• Vodka tonic but I think it can be messed up - in a bad bar the tonic's often flat or off. Maybe for now on... Scotch on the rocks? - Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
• Vodka iced — straight up! - Judy Witts Francini of Divina Cucina
• If they have good beer I ask for that with a ton of limes. If there's decent gin I'll ask for a gin and tonic - again, lots of limes. They can't screw that up. Right? -Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan of The Kitchn
• Campari and soda. With lime. But not all bars have it! - Kathy Gunst of Kathy Gunst.com
• I say, "No, please, really, make me the drink that is the truest expression of your creative self." - Francis Lam of Gilt Taste
• I go for vodka tonic. - Andrea Lynn of Andrea Lynn Food Writer.com
• I order based on the look of the bartender. If he/she is older than dirt, I'll get an Old Fashioned or a Gimlet. If he/she is under 30, I get bourbon with ONE ICE CUBE. - Ivy Manning, cookbook author
• Sweet vermouth (red, like Lillet) on the rocks with a twist. Or Campari in the same way. - Domenica Marchetti of Domenica Cooks
• When in doubt: 1) Draft beer 2) Club soda. - Nancie McDermott, cookbook author
• Bourbon on the rocks - I mean how can you mess up one ingredient? Or a bottle of beer... always leery of dirty taps....yuck! - Maureen Petrosky of The Kitchn andMaureenPetrosky.com
• I used to think gin and tonic, until a very suspect bartender gave me one that tasted like flat 7-Up. So now I'll order an Americano (1:1 Campari and vermouth, club soda), or if things are really grim, bourbon on the rocks. Or a beer. - Anjali Prasertong of The Kitchn and Eat Your Greens
• Gin and tonic is an easy solution, I mean the worst they can do is forget the tonic and that wouldn't be all bad. Sometimes I do venture to a shaken dirty martini, but in that you sometimes get bartenders who either assume vodka (I'm a gin man myself) or add way too much olive juice (olive juice with a splash of gin anyone?). - Adam Salomone of Harvard Common Press
• If I really don't trust the bartender? Simple, just give me the best beer on the menu, of course I would pick. Or the wine of my choice. If I had to pick spirits, bourbon, with a splash of soda. I could live with any, although Maker's Mark is hard to beat. - Bruce Shaw of Harvard Common Press
• Gin and tonic with a splash of cranberry and a lime. I like it because I'll drink it weak or strong, because it still makes a conversation piece at a party, and because when I've had enough, I can switch to soda with cran and everyone thinks I'm still drinking. - Jess Thomson of Hogwash and Pike Place Market Recipes
• A Greyhound has never failed me (yet!). - Tara Austen Weaver of Tea and Cookies
• I have sent back so many G&Ts because they use the tonic from the gun and 9 times out of 10 it is flat and syrupy. I only order Gin and tonics from places that use bottled/canned tonic water and sadly very few places do. - Bethia Woolf ofColumbus Food Adventures
• I think you can't mess up a gin and tonic too badly. - Grace Young, Grace Young.com

What's your safety drink — out, or at home? And why?

(Image: Peter Kim/Shutterstock; Nancy Mitchell)

Original Article Here: http://bit.ly/LeuE0m

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