Repeat after me: ‘tomato juice is not a mixer.’ As a huge proponent of brunch cocktails (and of getting toasted at 1PM), I am often frustrated by society’s narrow focus on bloody marys and mimosas as our only options.

With apples aplenty here in Ithaca and upstate New York, discover new apple cider cocktails that are perfect for both the hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

Most people take their coffee with some form of cream and sugar, whether it’s a thick drizzle of caramel sauce swirled around a plastic Starbucks cup or two ounces of perfect micro-foam to top a cortado. I, on the other hand, have been skipping these accompaniments recently and reaching for the sparkling water instead.