May 2026
Some guidelines for making cocktails at home; or you can also just head to the beach
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What Makes a Good Cocktail?
This is something I’ve been asked over the years, and I have definitely revisited my tenets this spring on book tour as well as judge participant for the recent Florence Wine & Food Festival.
So in the “spirit” of warmer weather inviting you to stir and sip in anticipation for a porch or patio sit, here are four foundations of good cocktails:
Balance. This is my #1 tenet for a reason. Balance creates a superbly drinkable cocktail. Too sweet, and it ends up being cloying and making you more thirsty before you started sipping. Too sour, and it can be hard to drink at all.
Fresh juices. Start from scratch. No commercial mixes, even if it has a liquor brand on it. Non-negotiable.
A usable garnish. A garnish should add to the experience of the cocktail (think lemon wedge or stuffed olive). It should not be an appetizer kabob obscuring your bloody mary, or a dehydrated citrus wheel that floats like a flavorless piece of cardboard.
Seasonal. The loosest of the guidelines, but nevertheless pretty jarring if it’s not adhered to. I don’t serve something with baking spices and bourbon on a hot summer night, or something strawberry-centric at Christmas. You get the idea.
These have steered me right as a home bartender; invite some people over for cocktails and you’ll have success if you stick to these (and serve snacks ;) ). And remember to have something besides water for those who’d rather not partake. That’s true hospitality.
Updates
Podcasts
Note: All links below are for Apple Podcasts, but you can find The Southern Fork on almost any platform that streams audio, from YouTube to Spotify and many places in between.
While the podcast is in pre-production for season 11, check out these episodes you might have missed from the archive of more than 380 interviews:
CudaCo is about to open their crudo / wine bar spot next to their original location on James Island, SC, so learn more about Executive Chef Shaun Brian’s passion for sustainable seafood at Caribbean upbringing in this 2024 interview.
If you’re in the mood for a Memorial Day road trip and you’re a music fan, consider this 2023 interview from H&H Restaurant in Macon, GA. This meat-and-three eatery is packed every day with fans of the Allman Brothers who make the pilgrimage for crispy fried chicken and all the fixings to go with it. The band loved Mama Louise’s cooking so much that they even took her along on their 1972 tour, and her recipes are still alive and made every day here.
Articles & Book Signings
Upcoming cocktail fun and book signings:
Friday, May 29, 4-6 p.m. / Hotel Richemont courtyard, Charleston, SC
Can’t make it? Purchase your signed copy here and I will mail it to you.
Isle of Palms, October 2025 / Photo: Stephanie Burt; SC Cocktails event April 16 at South Carolina State Museum / Photo: Thomas Hammond
My second byline for Michelin’s online magazine, “Sweet or Savory? Settling the Great Cornbread Debate” digs in deep to the specifics of cornbread in American South restaurants. My favorite interview from this round up-style article was with Chef Joseph Lenn of J.C. Holdway in Knoxville, TN, who uses a family heirloom pan for his chef’s counter cornbread!
For those of you packing the cooler and applying sunscreen, I wrote Best Beaches of SC for Conde Nast Traveler’s website. To add to the service nature of this web article, we added some nearby lodging suggestions this round, so planning your next visit to my home state will be easier.
Other published media I like right now: Patrick Wensink’s Photo Essay “A Story Behind Every Street” in Oxford American. It’s a well done peek into the backs of houses in Louisville, and I enjoyed Patrick’s artistic eye.
On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a. m. … this month — working with ourselves and not against ourselves. This idea has really helped me over the years, though it first means getting to know yourself a little better. One of the ways I’ve significantly benefitted has been owning what time of day I’m most productive (morning) . Slowly but surely I rescheduled my deep work during those hours and pushed early meetings out the door, and my creative output is benefitting. Now I’m wondering, what else can I calibrate?
Cooking soundtrack album: Live at Parnell’s, Jack McDuff
Best thing I cooked this month: Cocoa Rubbed Roasted Chicken. The rub is rom Matthew Raiford’s Bress ‘N’ Nyam cookbook, and I added a little granulated garlic for fun. Saved the leftover spice mix in a mason jar so will 10/10 make this again.
Until next time,
Steph