Ina Garten Made a Super Strong Cognac Cocktail for Hoda: "It's Not Weak in the Knees"
The gals of TODAY loosened up with a toast to Hoda Kotb just 24 hours before her final day on the morning show.
When life gives you lemons... make lemon cocktails! Ina Garten stopped by TODAY to show the co-hosts how to make a special cocktail featuring a flavor Hoda Kotb loves. And this is no brunch bellini.
Why Ina Garten made Hoda Kotb a French 75
As part of TODAY's "Hoda-bration" send-off to beloved co-host Kotb, cookbook author and lifestyle icon Ina Garten stopped by the studio to say hey. Or, to say santé.
"I’d go anywhere for you," Garten said, explaining that she wanted to come with a drink she knew Kotb would like. "I heard that you like lemon, and the first thing I thought about is, it had to be champagne to toast you, and lemon, which is a French 75."
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The trendy cocktail is made with "Cognac, a little sugar syrup, lemon juice, and champagne," and then, per Garten "you shake it up." Along with Carson Daly, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker, the two ladies gave the drink a taste test, clinking their glasses to santé, the French word for health.
"To Hoda, to the best, most fabulous next chapter. Love you," Garten said.
"This is a tasty drink. It’s not weak in the knees," remarked Guthrie.
Hoda Kotb's next chapter
Though Kotb is departing from the role we're accustomed to seeing her in, she's not retiring, but creating more time and space in her schedule for her family. As Garten put it, her trajectory is "So extraordinary. Just extraordinary. What you’ve accomplished is amazing and as you say, by asking for it. A dream and then you ask for it."
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In October, Kotb teased the exciting new venture she's about to embark on. "I have something that I am super excited about that's in its infancy," she revealed. "It's a whole wellness situation, and I got lit up by that just from stuff I've been working on and doing on myself. I've learned to do a bunch of different things with breath works and what not through friends, through Jenna [Bush Hager], through Maria [Shriver], through all these different people, and I've been loving it."
Friday, January 10, 2025 marks Kotb's last day as TODAY co-anchor, after which Craig Melvin will be taking her spot during the main show, while a rotation of co-hosts fill in alongside Bush Hager. The first week will include Taraji P. Henson, Eva Longoria, and Password's Keke Palmer!
