Best known as a finalist on Top Chef: Kentucky and current host of Alex vs. America, we love seeing Chef Eric Adjepong on our favorite shows. Alongside his TV experience, the chef owns the D.C.-based catering company “Pinch and Plate” with his wife and released his first children’s book Sankofa: A Culinary Story of Resilience and Belonging this October and has an M.P.H. in international public health nutrition. It’s safe to say that Adjepong combines his culinary experience with his nutrition expertise to make flavorful and healthy dishes. Yet, he doesn’t shy away from a delicious cocktail, especially if it’s made with gin, his favorite spirit!  

Through a new partnership with Tanqueray gin, Adjepong is stepping out of the screen and returning home to New York City, giving you and two guests a chance to win a trip to the Big Apple to experience a “Damn Fancy Dinner” curated and prepared by none other than Adjepong, himself. 

We talked to Adjepong himself to learn all about this incredible giveaway and his simple-ingredient gin-based cocktail recipes for the holiday season—you can find all of the recipes below! Plus, the chef dished on his least favorite ingredient, his #1 tip for holiday hosting and more in this exclusive interview.

EatingWell: Do you have any advice for those who may be hosting and serving a holiday dinner this year?

Adjepong: It can be nerve-wracking for sure, but I think when you prepare as much as possible, it kind of helps to shake the nerves off. Number one, you have to go in knowing that it’s not going to be perfect. Something’s gonna go awry, and you have to almost accept that. And once you do and submit your will to it, so to speak, you’re not as worried, you’re not as stressed out. I think that’s the space that you want to be in. 

Also, do things that are going to be communal and get people engaged and interacted. I am thinking about a cocktail garnishing station. You can have lemon wedges and olives, grapefruit slices and some herbs and just fun things that people can kind of mix and match and play with their own cocktails. Something like that helps set the mood but then also gets people involved, whether it’s family that you haven’t seen in some time or friends. And keep it simple as much as possible. Always make that turkey a few days ahead, not the day of, and try to get everyone involved. When everybody can have their own little task in the kitchen—then it’s not so stressful for one person.

EatingWell: Are there any specific dishes or drinks you’re most looking forward to serving this holiday season?

Adjepong: I’m thinking of things that just highlight this time of year but then also things that have that intrinsic, unique flavor. A beet salad, something that’s definitely moody for fall and winter, and then adding in a bunch of citrus: grapefruit, maybe a little lemon as well and using that [combination] of flavors. I think something like that would be so delicious with a lobster or a butternut squash bisque. I’m looking forward to doing that and then to keep up with the “damn fancy” theme.

EatingWell: What are your top three ingredients that you always need to have on hand for easy meals?

Adjepong: I would say citrus; I love lemons, grapefruit, lime and oranges. They add so much complexity, sweetness, sourness and sometimes bitterness to so many things, obviously savory dishes, but even drinks and cocktails. So, I love having citrus on deck. I always have a bowl of just random fruits. Garlic, I’d say, is number two. It’s super important to have garlic on hand. You can roast it, you can eat it fresh, you can fry it, you can blend it into different things. There are so many things that you can do with that, and it adds so many different complexities. And then, I have to say potatoes. They’re versatile. I can do French fries and I can mash it—I might sound like Forrest Gump if I just list all the things you can do with potatoes, but I would have to probably say that!

EatingWell: Favorite potato dish?

Adjepong: I’m going to have to say French fries. I mean, baked potatoes are pretty good. I love mash, but I think French fries are king.

EatingWell: What’s your least favorite food?

Adjepong: I hate to say this out loud, but bananas. I like them baked if it’s baked in bread or if they’re caramelized, a Bananas Foster maybe, but raw banana or in a smoothie, I can’t do it. I try to stay away from that as much as possible.

EatingWell: Let’s talk about your partnership with Tanqueray! What inspired you to partner with the brand, and what should our readers know about the menu that you curated?

Adjepong: Number one, I’m a huge gin fan. I love gin, so much so that my daughter’s middle name is Juniper. I really, really love the spirit, just the flavor profile, and with Tanqueray specifically, they have such a unique and intrinsic profile of gin. I find it super inspiring and so delicious. So when the opportunity came up to partner, it was really a no-brainer. We came up with the “Damn Fancy” menu, and as I say, I feel it, too. You say, “damn fancy,” and you perk up a little bit! We’re adding a special touch, thinking about something like a tangy dirty martini and adding an olive to it, or just taking a little bit of extra time to make something special. To me, that’s what “damn fancy” means, and that’s what we’re going to deliver. We’re doing a sweepstakes, and we want to bring a winner and two guests over [to New York City] and do a dinner—a damn fancy dinner—for them. 

EatingWell: What does “eating well” mean to you?

Adjepong: I think eating well goes far past the actual moment that the plate is on your table; I think eating well is more holistic. I think it’s like the anticipation of a good meal. When it’s Thanksgiving, super early in the day, and you’re thinking about that meal, I think that adds on to the eating. Obviously a great, well-constructed meal that’s cooked well and has flavor and seasoned properly is always going to be out of the park. But then also the company that you’re with, the communal aspect of eating, I’ve never had a good meal by myself or at least I don’t remember it. I always had it with someone near me, a partner, a family member or a group of people. So those are the experiences that I think add to eating well, not just the plate but everything that holistically goes with food.

Eric Adjepong’s Top 3 Cocktails for the Holidays

Looking for some classic sips? Chef Adjepong has got you covered with these three simple cocktails that are perfect for holiday entertaining. These cocktails make one serving, take less than 5 minutes to prepare and feature Tanqueray gin, but your preferred gin with a similar flavor profile will work well in these recipes.

Dirty Martini

Ingredients:

• 2.5 ounces Tanqueray London Dry
• 0.5 ounces olive brine
• 2.5 ounces dry vermouth
• 3 skewered olives, for garnish

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin.

2. Shake and fine strain into chilled martini glass.

3. Garnish with skewered olives.

French 75

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Tanqueray London Dry
• 0.5 ounces fresh lemon juice
• 0.5 ounces simple syrup
• 3 ounces sparkling wine
• Manicured lemon peel, for garnish

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except sparkling wine to the cocktail tin.

2. Shake and strain into a coupe or flute.

3. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with an expressed lemon twist.

Sevilla Negroni

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Tanqueray Sevilla Orange
• 0.75 ounces red bitter liqueur
• 0.75 ounces sweet vermouth
• Orange wheel, for garnish

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to the mixing glass.
2. Stir and strain into rocks glass filled with ice.
3. Garnish with orange wheel.