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Adventures in Bitters

The hidden ingredient in your cocktail

 

Enjoy our stories and recipes.

Nose to Tail
Stories Talitha Schroeder Stories Talitha Schroeder

Nose to Tail

There’s a new presence on the front lawn at the Holly Hill Inn, gifted from the adjacent venerable walnut tree, one of many on the grounds still standing tall despite a trunk-splitting lightning strike some years ago. 

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Hecker Family German Potato Salad
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Hecker Family German Potato Salad

Hecker family cookouts always included three non-negotiable dishes – metts and brats and German potato salad.  No steaks or chops or boneless chicken breasts for us.  Just these and a few equally non-negotiable garnishes –  sauerkraut, mustard, dill pickles and Swiss cheese.

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Goetta Taste of Covington
Stories Talitha Schroeder Stories Talitha Schroeder

Goetta Taste of Covington

Covington and the towns in Cincinnati’s southern shadow have a flavor all their own. The vibrant communities known collectively as Northern Kentucky are like nowhere else in the state. Generations of German and Italian immigrants have been joined by newcomers who bring foods like arepas, mochi and mochiko chicken to the table. It’s a delicious smorgasbord of flavor.

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Corn Makes (Bourbon) Whiskey
Stories Talitha Schroeder Stories Talitha Schroeder

Corn Makes (Bourbon) Whiskey

Before there's whiskey, there's corn. We all know that rain makes corn but how does corn get from the field to the still? Nat Henton, one of our former Holly Hill chefs, now grows corn for bourbon on his family farm.

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Cheesy Grits Frits
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Cheesy Grits Frits

Whether you're working from leftover grits or making a batch fresh, these bites are always a good idea. Cheese grits just got even better.

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Ten Years of Smithtown
Stories Talitha Schroeder Stories Talitha Schroeder

Ten Years of Smithtown

Learn what makes Smithtown Seafood so special as we celebrate ten years of great food, good neighbors, rewarding partnerships — and you!

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Plotting a New Path
Stories Talitha Schroeder Stories Talitha Schroeder

Plotting a New Path

Just north of Lexington is a new kind of farm, and a new kind of Kentucky farming. Brandon and Hanna Barnett and Brandon's sister Ally Vallandingham of Stepping Stone Farm are building on the legacy of eight generations.

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Apple Chutney
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Apple Chutney

Savor our sweet and tangy chutney on a cheese or charcuterie board, with a grilled cheese sandwich, and alongside baked ham or roast pork, chicken or winter squash. We even snuck a spoonful onto our apple cornmeal crepe and approved.

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Dried Apple Peels
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Dried Apple Peels

Easy oven-dried apple peels let you get one more treat out of an ingredient that would otherwise be discarded. They’re great for topping cereal, yogurt or a salad; or eating au naturel.

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Apple Cornmeal Crepe
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Apple Cornmeal Crepe

This apple cornmeal crepe makes an excellent base for a green salad dressed with a punchy vinaigrette. It’s neither completely savory nor completely sweet, but always completely right when made with local apples on a crisp autumn day.

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La Pitchoune
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

La Pitchoune

Julia Child’s husband Paul was famous for concocting fanciful cocktails. We created La Pitchoune in homage to Paul and Julia and their home in Provence where they spent many happy holidays and where Julia taught her cooking classes.

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The Sum of Its Parts
Stories Talitha Schroeder Stories Talitha Schroeder

The Sum of Its Parts

When a dish only has a few ingredients, you want them to be the best you can find. Especially when you’re not doing much to them in the process of making it. Our Greased Pig Salad is the perfect example of a dish that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Because each of those parts is so darn good.

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Greased Pig Salad
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Greased Pig Salad

Use this recipe as a guide for flavor, scale it up or down and feel free to use more of a preferred ingredient but don’t skimp on the salt or the toppings!

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Watermelon Marga-Ouita
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Watermelon Marga-Ouita

Holly Hill founder and Chef Ouita Michel loves to relax with a refreshing margarita; we love to create different flavors as summer unfolds! Here’s a watermelon version from Honeywood Bar Manager Leah Craig

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Watermelon Wisdom
Stories Talitha Schroeder Stories Talitha Schroeder

Watermelon Wisdom

We took a trip out to the melon patch at Happy Jack’s Farm. David Jones showed us the lay of the land and shared his watermelon wisdom, including advice on picking out a winner.

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Watermelon Salads
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Watermelon Salads

With so many watermelon salad options out there, we asked three of our chefs how they like to prepare this summertime treat.

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Pickled Watermelon Rind
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Pickled Watermelon Rind

When it’s all said and done and you’ve savored the last of its sweetness, you’re still left with a lot of watermelon rind. Don’t toss it; make these delicious pickles instead and enjoy them after summer’s long gone!

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Okra Fritters
Recipes Talitha Schroeder Recipes Talitha Schroeder

Okra Fritters

Okra was just coming on at the Whitesburg Farmers Market while we were there. For this recipe, seek out the smallest okra you can. And don’t be deterred by okra’s mucilaginous quality; it’s the secret ingredient to successful fritters!

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Growing Home
Stories Donna Hecker Stories Donna Hecker

Growing Home

We spent an afternoon trailing Valerie Ison Horn around her Eastern Kentucky community. Learn how Valerie's advocacy for her neighbors led to a 2023 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award.

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Little District, Big Job
Stories Donna Hecker Stories Donna Hecker

Little District, Big Job

How did tiny Frankfort (Ky.) Independent Schools manage to serve over 45,000 meals in six weeks? Learn what happens when a farmers market and a school district join forces to feed a community.

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