Laurel Miller

Laurel Miller is a food, spirits and travel writer and the associate editor of Edible Monterey Bay.

A former cooking teacher, she recently relocated from Austin back to her native California to be closer to the state’s regenerative farms and ranches and the best burritos on earth. She prefers whiskey to wine.

High Concept

“Like Strawberry Quik on Acid”

Fermented strawberry Aperol and koji rice orgeat are the building blocks of a high-concept, low-tech cocktail at Santa Monica’s Rustic Canyon.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Emily Ferretti

Cocktails

Mexico’s Ancestral Drinks Are Now Behind the Bar. Is That a Good Thing?

For some, the growing use of beverages like tejuino, pulque and tepache is crucial to “Mexican mixology.” Others think they should remain south of the border.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Justin Sisson

Cocktails

The Mexican Martini Is Tex-Mex in a Glass

The sweet, sour, slightly savory mashup of the Margarita and the dirty Martini is an ever-evolving Austin staple.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Drew Anthony Smith

Cocktails

Telluride Has Its Very Own Espresso Martini

The Flatliner, a creamy combination of vodka, Baileys, Kahlúa and espresso, has become the ski town’s unofficial drink.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Lizzie Munro

Places

It’s a Mixed Bag of Nuts at Monty’s Log Cabin

Monty McKissock presides over the 86-year-old California dive where all are welcome—even its ghosts.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Clara Mokri

Places

No Bar Keeps It Real Like Donn’s Depot

Equal parts honky-tonk, dance hall and derelict cocktail lounge, the iconic Austin piano bar and its regulars are icons of another era in a rapidly changing city.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Drew Anthony Smith

Beer

Honk for Beer

Once ubiquitous across the Midwest and the South, drive-thru liquor stores face a host of modern challenges. But for a handful of owners, they are a tradition worth preserving.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Drew Anthony Smith

Cocktails

Make Your Freezer Cocktail Work Harder

Turn your freezer Negroni or Martini into a highball, sour and more.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Lizzie Munro

Places

Dennis Loo Makes a Lethal Bloody Mary

The Rosie’s Cafe bartender has been dispatching his hair-of-the-dog formula to Tahoe locals, skiers and tourists for more than 40 years.

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Melina Wallisch

Bouncers

The “Honky Tonk Doctor” Is In

Dianne Scott has spent the last 29 years working the door at Austin's iconic Continental Club as its self-described "social director and grand enforcer."

story: Laurel Miller
photo: Drew Anthony Smith