Old Fashioned Manhattan

Here's to a good ol' classic!

1.5oz blended whiskey
1.5oz sweet vermouth
maraschino cherry

Mix whiskey and vermouth with cracked ice in a shaker, pour into a chilled glass, garnish with maraschino cherry.

Tequila Comfort

Strong yet summery drink! Don't have a clue where I found this one, but it's a fun drink for an outdoor summer lunch.

1.5oz tequila
1.5oz Southern Comfort
3oz orange juice

Mix all ingredients with cracked ice, strain and pour into a whiskey sour glass.

T.N.T.

This one is so simple... who knew tequila ant tonic!!!

1.5 oz tequila
tonic water

Fill highball glass with ice, pour tequila then fill with tonic, garnish with lemon wedges.

Pink-A-Magik

I love this one, reminds me of summer!

2tblsp of pink powder lemonade
shot of vodka
club soda

Mix ice, vodka & powder lemonade, strain and pour, then fill with club soda. Garnish the rim with powdered lemonade or crushed candy.

Tequila Ghost

This one sounds interesting, never had, but I'm posting it here for a later reference... you know, just in case!  ;)

1.5oz white tequila
3/4oz Pernod
1/2oz lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with cracked ice, strain and pour.

Cosmo Pimp

Yum, yum...

1.5oz vodka infused with oranges, lemons & limes
club soda
.5oz pineapple juice

Mix vodka and pineapple juice with cracked ice, strain, pour into a cocktail glass, fill with club soda, garnish with lemon, lime and orange wedge. Garnish the rim with lemonade powder.

B-52

I've collected some interesting recipes for drinks over the years, this one is a fun that seems to only taste good in winter... but maybe that's just me.  Either way, here it is:

The B-52

1oz Grand Marnier
3/4oz Kahlua
1/2oz Baileys Irish Cream

Mix all ingredients with cracked ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serve.

Friends, Beer, Chemistry - Sounds Like a Party!

Ever find yourself in this situation?  Food is all done and out on the buffet table, the music is playing, the grill is hot, friends are ringing the door bell and oh! you forgot to chill the beverages.  Not to worry, science to the rescue. My favorite TV personalities, the Mythbusters, have demonstrated that getting beer to it's perfect drinking temperature takes only 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. How? you ask...

...by adding a mixture of salt & water to the ice in your cooler. The salt melts the ice and lowers the waters freezing point resulting in water that is as much as 10F colder almost instantly.  Use a generous amount of salt for large coolers, just pour it on. Room temperature beverages will chill to perfection in 5 minutes. 

Cheers!

Belvedere Vodka

For the hostess with the most-ess, drink recipes galore! Na Zdrowie!

Comfy Shoes

Here is an idea that I want to share, because it's that good! Throw a Shoe-Stretching-Party! As soon as all my bridesmaids and I purchase the shoes for the wedding day, we are going to throw ourselves a few. Wearing new, tight shoes for the first time will result in discomfort, pain, and maybe even ... blisters! Hosting a few of these parties will ensure that the shoes are doing their job of accessorizing the perfect dress.

Here's what to do. Grab some of your favorite movies or music, light finger snacks, and some bubbly to celebrate the new purchase. Put the shoes on; the short walks to the kitchen and bathroom and the dancing will help to get the shoes stretched, but just wearing them during a movie can do the trick as well.

Do not wear outside! You want to break the shoes in, not ruin them. Of course, this idea is not reserved for the wedding party, any pair of shoes is a reason to celebrate with your friends. Enjoy!

Need to know how to fold a napkin? Look no more, just click here and here. Enjoy!

Rain drops keep falling on my... bbq...

Here in the New York area it's been raining every day for over a month... tonight my sister and I are hosting a bbq - it will probably rain again. So here is another party planning tip to add to the check list: tents and tarps. Tents if you have the extra $150 for rental, most of us do not, so tarps. Home improvement stores like Home Depot and Loews have semi-clear tarps for around $15. The semi-clear lets enough light so your guest don't have to fell like they're in a cave. To smooth out the crudness of the tarp, conceal the corners & decorate the edges with vine, lanterns, or streamers. :)

4th of July Party Preparations - Part Two

All this party planning for the bbq is coming along nicely... and my latest fun party prop is not for the buffet table, but for you! A super cute "Stars" hair pin. They are made from reclaimed suede and attached to a snap-clip. This is sure to be another party hit!

Available for purchase at etsy:

4th of July Party Preparations - Part One.

My lovely sister and I are putting together a "little" 4th of July celebration party. And since the theme is included in the holiday, we'll keep it with the simple Red, White & Blue.

We decided that the Strawberry Sorbet recipe [from my previous post] would be a great item to serve at the party. So I started looking through my enormous collection of everything for some ideas on how to present it in a festive and inexpensive manner... Here it is:

Ikea has a nice glass pitcher, it's 34oz. and costs $3 [most likely made in china]. We're going to line up three, filled with the home-made sorbet. I'll post photos once we set it up. Stay tuned. :)

Summer Party Themes.

For all of us on the northern east coast [Yay - New York!] the weather finally warmed up, the pollen count is down... so we have the prime setting for an outdoor party or bbq. I hosted two bbq's already and decided that my third is going to have a theme to it.

Theme parties are so much... better! I prepared a little list of outdoor friendly themes:

For the day time:
- Luau - Hawaiian shirts, coconut cups for tropical drinks, very vibrant colors.
- Tea Party - big brimmed hats, flavored iced teas and lemonades, light snacks, pastel colors.

For the evening:
- 007 Bond - fabulous martinis, intricate hoers d'oeuvres, poker tables, rich colors.
- Color Theme - pick a color, any color.
- Vicars & Tarts - a fun fave import.
- Woodstock - hippies, kegs, tye-dye everything, bonfire, classic vinyl music.

Enjoy! :)