Top Chef Star Gail Simmons Shares the One Holiday Gift Cooks Will ‘Always Appreciate’

We asked Gail Simmons about her newest cocktail, the Old Brooklyn Spritz, created in partnership with Old Fitzgerald Bourbon. “It’s easy to make, it’s easy to batch. It really is a bourbon that’s great to sip,” she said.

“The Old Brooklyn Spritz is inspired by my beautiful old-world Brooklyn neighborhood,” she explained. “There happens to be an inordinate amount of amazing cocktail bars here, and I just love the vintage feel of this cocktail. I also love that I make it in a coupe, which feels very celebratory.”

The cocktail highlights the flavors that make the holidays feel special. “It calls on the warm spices and brown sugar of the bourbon, that sort of nuttiness and round, warming quality, paired with blood orange juice,” the Top Chef star said. “It’s special, the color is vibrant and beautiful, and the flavor is bright—it just makes for a gorgeous combination.”