Table of contents for November 2016 in Sunset

YELLOWKNIFE, CANADA The Imax view In the 1930s, prospectors flooded Canada's far-flung Northwest Territories in search of gold. These days, travelers trek to this slice of the Great North for the luminescent greens—and yellows and pinks and reds—of the aurora, which dances in these cold, clear skies nearly every night. For front-row seats, head to Aurora Village, a resort 30 minutes north of Yellowknife, where guides say that, in a three-night visit, stargazers stand a 95 percent chance of seeing the "show." The adventure begins at 9:30 p.m., when a shuttle whisks you from your in-town lodging to a clutch of glowing tipis (your mercifully warm base for the night's viewing) strung along the shore of ultra-deep Great Slave Lake. At a guide's signal, you can step outside, wander the…

"The bit of turf softens the patio but doesn't need a lot of water." JOHANNA SILVER, GARDEN EDITOR GARDEN WE LOVE All-seasons retreat At this oceanfront house in Long Beach, California, homeowners Megan and Jeff Tagliaferri wanted a backyard they could lounge in even when the seaside wind picked up. Working with designer Sarah Robinson (theplantnerd.com), they created an entertaining-ready tiled patio lined with a row of Podocarpus trees. With warmth coming from the extra-tall stucco fireplace and the heated cast-stone seating (galanterandjones.com), the space is cozy enough to use year-round, says Megan: "It's our little haven." PLANT For winter cheer, pot up amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs to display indoors. Leave the top third of the bulbs exposed, set them in a bright location, and water sparingly until you see…

03 OAKLAND SPIRITS CO. —Oakland— IN AN OLD BRICK warehouse in Oakland, Adam Nelson leads me into a snug back room that calls to mind the workplace of a Hogwarts wizard. Shelves of mason jars brim with a rainbow of herbs and spices: Sichuan peppercorns, Turkish rhubarb, Omani lime. Bags of crinkly seaweed sit in the corner. Nelson, in his early 40s, gives me a rundown of their provenance. Some he's foraged in the foothills of southern Nevada. Others have been plucked from East Bay gardens or sniffed out at a local spice shop. They're all fodder for the experimentation he oversees at Oakland Spirits Company, the distillery he cofounded last year. "So much of drinking culture seems to be about nostalgia," says Nelson. "But I don't want to dust…

EDITORS' PICKS You deserve a new apron Hosting friends and family for the holidays is the perfect excuse to trade in your well-worn apron for something that's more ready for prime time. These denim ones, all made in the West, are sturdy enough for, say, grilling a turkey (see page 83), yet stylish enough to segue from kitchen to dining room. Clockwise from top left: The streamlined Porto Alegre apron from GDS Cloth Goods in Oakland features large in-seam pockets ($104; gdsclothgoods.com). Raw Materials Designs near Seattle makes its Demi-Chef apron—shown in Railroad Stripe—with extra-long waist straps and generous three-section pockets ($59; rawmaterialsdesign.com). The Hatfield vintage blue denim apron from BlueCut in L.A. sports a towel ring, a deep kangaroo pocket for recipes or a phone, and a narrow pocket…

BEST BATCH DRINK OF CHOICE RICH CROWDER There are a few things Jessika Tantisook and Jared Oakes (above), co-owners of the Long Beach, Washington, cranberry farm Starvation Alley, tell their customers. First, cranberries don't grow in water. (They grow in fields, or bogs, which are recessed in the ground and flooded for pest control and ease of harvest.) Second, true cranberry juice isn't sweet. Instead, the 100 percent organic, cold-pressed juice the couple makes is "fruity and tart," explains Tantisook. "It's not single-serve. Add an ounce or two to sparkling water, a smoothie, a salad dressing, or a batch of cocktails." The in-demand product—which comes with a hefty price tag, $10 for a 16-oz. bottle—is now a cult ingredient on menus across Seattle and Portland. Product collaborations with Northwest brands…

ULTIMATE DESTINATION POOL The Esperanza raises the bar on luxe with an adults-only infinity pool that tumbles to the Sea of Cortez. Rent a private cabana and sip a basil-cilantro-lime cocktail made to order by the resort's margarita butlers. From $550 U.S.; esperanza. aubergeresorts.com. Perch yourself on the hammock-strewn terrace at Sayulita's Haramara Retreat. The saltwater pool sprouts from the jungle, shaping a scene so enchanting, you might feel compelled to skip your flight home. From $164 U.S.; hara mararetreat.com. CRAFTIEST COCKTAILS The Cape's mixologist-in-residence helps decipher mezcal's smoky allure at guided tastings, and fashions award-winning cocktails with Baja shrubs and his line of Mexican bitters. Sip the refreshing 1940 on the seaside terrace. From $549 U.S.; thompsonhotels.com. Tequila purists flock to Cielo Rojo, a boutique hotel in San Francisco,…

01 ANTICA TERRA —Oregon— 1. The Creek "Would you like a breakfast pastry?" asks Andrew, passing me a brown paper bag of canelés and a mug of hot black coffee. We're sitting on a rock in a creek in the middle of a forest early one spring morning in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The canelés, still warm, possess that perfect texture—caramelized and crusty, with a custardy interior—and the speckled mug in my hand was made by a master craftsman. It's only the beginning of my weekend foraging adventure and already the mood feels slightly enchanted. Andrew Riechers is assistant winemaker at Antica Terra, a Willamette Valley cult producer known for its small-lot releases: sought-after Pinots with names such as Obelin and Botanica, a lush and silky rosé called Angelicall. Head winemaker…

RUTH Bancroft was in her 60s when she planted her garden in Walnut Creek, California, with desert fan palms. Friends asked why she bothered. After all, she might not live long enough to see the palms reach very high. "Who cares if I'm around?" was her response. "Someone will be. And if I don't plant them, then nobody will get to see them." Five decades later, Bancroft, who just celebrated her 108th birthday, has not only lived long enough to be dwarfed by those palms, but has also proven to be ahead of her time. When a horticulturalist discovered her 3-acre home garden in the late 1980s, he was so awestruck that he created The Garden Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving significant gardens, starting with Bancroft's. Today, as the…

GRILLED BUTTERFLIED TURKEY MAKE-AHEAD WHITE WINE GRAVY GRILLED BUTTERFLIED TURKEY SERVES 10 TO 12 / 3¼ HOURS, PLUS 12 HOURS TO BRINE After years of experimenting with different techniques in the Test Kitchen, we've landed on butterflying and grilling as the path to a better bird. Flattened out, the turkey cooks more evenly and quickly, keeping the meat moist, while grilling produces ultra-crisp skin. Plus, your oven is freed up for cooking sides. This recipe is for a gas grill; for charcoal directions, see sunset.com/grilledturkey. EQUIPMENT NOTES For brining, you'll need a 12-qt. or larger stockpot (or a smaller pot to make the brine, plus a brining bag to hold the cooled brine and turkey). You'll also need a 12- by 18-in. foil roasting pan. An inexpensive cable-style thermometer (such…

The RMS Queen Mary, a grand ocean liner that catered to the upper crust in the 1930s, has been a mainstay of Long Beach—and one of its most popular attractions—since it moored here nearly 50 years ago. So when the estimable Queen invites the alt-comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade aboard for a salon series, it's evident that something is stirring in the Pacific. Other signs: new firepits that warm arriving passengers at Long Beach International Airport and an uncontained enthusiasm from surfers who say that this Los Angeles County town may reclaim its moniker as the "Waikiki of the West Coast" if the breakwater comes down. More staggering are a spate of new shops and restaurants; over the past two years, 900 have opened, according to the city. They're setting…

Study in contrasts Use siding to create a two-toned exterior. jameshardie.com. As Sunset's headquarters were relocating to Oakland late last year, a group of designers were a few miles away planning the magazine's 2016 Idea House. Perched in the Claremont Hills bordering Oakland and Berkeley, the home was conceived as a tribute to the Bay Area—its architecture, its quirky character, its spirit of innovation. Facilitated by DFI Properties and Keith Kolker of Landmark Development, architect Robert Nebolon created a five-level, 3,600-square-foot cantilevered home clad in James Hardie siding. To warm up the modern shell, interior designer Lauren Geremia and her team, Emily Ord and Erin O'Brien, mixed ATGStores.com furnishings and paint with vintage items and statement-making pieces by Western artists. The result is a home that feels like a retreat—and…

02 JUNIPER RIDGE —Mt. Tam— WE'RE AN HOUR into our hike on Mt. Tamalpais when Juniper Ridge founder, Hall Newbegin, instructs me to rub tree sap on my neck. "Now this is real perfume," he says, working the sticky substance into his skin as we stumble past a pile of Douglas fir branches. "It'll last eight hours. Chanel doesn't do this!" Unlike the French beauty conglomerate, Juniper Ridge is something of a novelty act: an Oakland-based fragrance company run by self-described "wilderness freaks." Newbegin and his team make perfume from ingredients foraged on hikes like this one. The bundle of Doug fir branches we just passed will eventually get trimmed, chopped, and distilled, along with other hand-collected goodies, into a unisex cologne. Bottles sell at Whole Foods, Barneys, and boutiques…

Sweet-Potato Chips with Crème Fraîche and Caviar Sweet and Savory Shrimp and Grits Ayesha Curry & Amanda Haas are feeding each other sweet-potato chips with caviar and laughing. They're tasting one of the party recipes they've put together and know they have a hit. When Ayesha and Amanda get together in the kitchen, it's like a slumber party, albeit one where the conversation revolves around family and food (and, okay, shopping and tequila). The two met when a mutual friend invited Amanda, culinary director for Williams-Sonoma, to Ayesha's place three years ago. They instantly connected over their shared love of cooking—and basketball: Ayesha is married to NBA megastar Stephen Curry, while Amanda's dad played for University of Kansas. But their essentially joyful attitude is what they most have in common.…

THE BOULEVARDIER NEGRONI MR. BURNS MAPLE OLD-FASHIONED MALT WHISKEY FIZZ A DRINKING TRADITION was born at Sunset at the end of a long week several years ago. Saturated by wine, some of my tasting colleagues decided to shift gears to slide into the weekend. Brown liquor was called for—neat, over ice, and in ever more creative (okay, wild) cocktails. We were a bit ahead of the curve in calling for local ingredients; at the time, the West's small craft distillers were focusing on vodka and gin. Those that had whiskey to offer were mostly starting with bulk product from the South, then finishing it to their liking in barrels. Times have changed! Whiskey is the newest infatuation of the West's master distillers—made from local grain (corn, wheat, barley, rye) and…