Manse

Although I believe that even the most magnificent mocktail can always be improved with a splash of something distilled, fermented or fizzy---on most occasions you’ll find me with a glass of champagne---I was at last tempted to join in the toast to Dry January. The month-long soberfest has gained so much traction as an annual tradition that even Martha Stewart got into the act. In a video that went viral, she found a dozen household uses for Tito’s Tequila—everything but drinking it!

Successful luxury real estate transactions are like great recipes---each ingredient contributes harmoniously and the result makes everyone happy. From bedroom to butler’s pantry, from garden to glassware, an exquisite home is a reflection of its owner. And so colorful and well-crafted have mocktails become that increasingly they serve as delicieux design objects, decorating dinner parties in the most stylish homes. In this edition of The Luxury Space, inspired by Kerry Benson & Diana Licalzi’s rather addictive recipe book Mocktail Party, we imagine some of these wholesome libations being served in our favorite properties.

A Pickled Mary, a virginal take on the classic Bloody Mary, is the perfect pick-meup for brunch in a red-cedar contemporary near Saratoga. Seeking a drink with antiinflammatory benefits? Shake yourself a Cherry Sour after an invigorating hike ‘round the 173 acres of your Pietro Cicognani-designed farmstead near Millbrook. Perhaps you prefer curling up by one of Killearn’s fireplaces with a copy of Dante and an Aperol-less Spritz, a liqueur-free version of the dolce-vita inspired aperitif. (I can certify: Aperol was Killearn’s previous owner’s favorite!)

Haute entertaining without the hangover can be appropriate any time of year, of course, although I might suggest boosting that mocktail with a Baccarat goblet.

Tony Cutugno Senior Vice-President Private Brokerage