Hi! Welcome! Pull up a bar stool and let’s talk drinks.
My name is Elana and I’ve been writing here on Stir and Strain since 2011. That’s a lot of cocktails! And while styles and types of booze fall in and out of favor, my job is to make sure you have a good drink with a solid recipe. Newbie? Home bartender? Professional? I got you all covered with recipes for all levels. You’ll also find recipes here for food that has been kissed by booze, wine pairing guides, beer cocktails, entertaining posts, gift guides, and low and no ABV drinks.
I’m also a lover of DIY projects and if you are too, you’ll find posts on here from everything on making your own bitters to tinctures to liqueurs and a whole lot more.
And who am I you ask? I’m a veteran creative director with a background in the arts and photography who decided one day to start writing about cocktails full-time and never looked back. I live in Los Angeles with my husband, fur baby, and two real live babies who aren’t really babies anymore. I’m also scared of moths. This post has a few extra weird facts about me too.
Hey! Haven’t I seen that drink before? Stir and Strain has been featured on TheKitchn.com, Bravotv.com, Buzzfeed.com, Imbibe.com, Liquor.com, HuffingtonPost.com, FoodRiot.com, and many others. We’ve also been nominated for a best cocktail blog by Saveur in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. And have contributed to Serious Eats, Dinnerparty Download, DineXDesign.com, and Freutcake.com. Currently you can find Elana contributing drink recipes on SimplyRecipes.com. Our Instagram has also gotten a lot of love, so check us out there too.
Where did your illustrations come from? The header and spot images on the site were created by the super talented Sarah Ferone. Check out her portfolio here!
Wait! Where did the “scratch pad” go?! Longtime readers might notice that we’ve said goodbye to our old tagline, A Cocktail Scratchpad. And as this site has matured, recipes aren’t being tested out in real time anymore. You could say we’ve grown up a bit around here.
Disclosure: Stir and Strain may contain affiliate links, which means commissions received, and sponsored products. Affiliate links help keep the Stir & Strain site up and running. All products given gratis to author are noted. Products promoted are only those that we use and enjoy!