Saturday, April 30, 2011
Simple Cocktails
1. Strawberry Smasher by Brooke Arthur of Prospect—Obviously, nothing quite says spring like fresh fruit. This custom creation served up at Prospect features one of our favorites--strawberry, combined with mint and other goodies.
For one glass:
1 whole, ripe strawberry
6 mint leaves for cocktail
2 oz Buffalo Trace-Kentucky
Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
1 mint leaf for garnish
How to do it: Muddle the strawberry and mint in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and the remaining ingredients. Shake hard. Strain over crushed ice (preferably in a double rocks glass) and garnish with a mint leaf.
20th Century Cocktail
2. 20th Century Cocktail by Tim Stookey of Presidio Social Club—This delish drink carries with it a bit of a history lesson. Originally created in 1939 to celebrate the debut of the 20th Century Limited Train between New York and Chicago, Stookey’s version features Cocchi Americano, a fragrant white wine aperitif aromatized with herbs and spices, along with a splash of citrus and hints of cocoa and vanilla beans. Yum!
For one glass:
1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz crème de cacao
Lemon peel for garnish
How to do it: Place the gin, Cocchi Americano, lemon juice, and crème de cacao in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, and strain into a martini glass. Serve with a lemon peel. Easy pea-sy.
4. Del Rio by the Bon Vivants—The ingredients in this easy-to-make drink blend together perfectly for a grassy, aromatic effect. Is that summer on the horizon we smell?
For one glass:
1 1/2 oz Tequila Ocho Plata
3/4 oz Hidalgo Fino Sherry (or other similar quality sherry)
3/4 oz St. Germain
3 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
Grapefruit zest and peel for garnish
How to do it: Combine all the ingredients in a mixing beaker. Add ice, and stir until well-chilled and diluted. Strain into a cocktail coupe. Zest the top of the cocktail with a grapefruit peel, rub around the rim of the glass, and drop in. Enjoy!
3. El Médano by Alex Smith of Gitane—Yes, there are a lot of ingredients in this beauty, but the resulting El Médano (“the sand dune” in Spanish) is well worth it. A particular favorite of snow cone and slushy lovers. (Ahem, us!)
For one glass:
1 1/2 oz Arette Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz San Juan del Rio Mezcal
1/2 oz Chinchon Anis
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz orange marmalade
2-3 drops of ginger liqueur
3 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
1-3 dashes of Angostura Bitters on top
How to do it: First, add a few drops of ginger liqueur to the orange marmalade and mix in a small bowl. Then, add the rest of the ingredients along with both crushed and cubed ice into a Collins glass. Add a few Angostura Bitters on top of the crushed ice (like topping a snow-cone), and garnish with a mint sprig. Voilà!
Rihanna's Dress
Rihanna was honored at last night's Fifth Annual DKMS Gala in New York, where she wore a black dress with lace detailing at the bust, a "double" skirt, and a very long train. She accessorized with black heels and Chopard jewelry.
The rules of wearing all Black
# Wear Sky-High Shoes: She wore the same platform peep-toe heels, for good reason. They're super sexy.
# Add Something Unexpected: Because you're sticking to one color, feel free to play with surprising mixes of styles. Julia paired a leather miniskirt with a fringed kimono cape, and the night before, a wrap sweater with a lingerie-inspired skirt. All genius.
# Add a Neutral Bag: We love her choice of contrasting bags; it keeps things exciting.
# Do Keep the Lip Soft: She's known to rock a red lip, but here she keeps the siren color to her nails, and goes for a soft-hued lip so that the entire look doesn't skew vamp.
# Add Something Unexpected: Because you're sticking to one color, feel free to play with surprising mixes of styles. Julia paired a leather miniskirt with a fringed kimono cape, and the night before, a wrap sweater with a lingerie-inspired skirt. All genius.
# Add a Neutral Bag: We love her choice of contrasting bags; it keeps things exciting.
# Do Keep the Lip Soft: She's known to rock a red lip, but here she keeps the siren color to her nails, and goes for a soft-hued lip so that the entire look doesn't skew vamp.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Kates Maid of Honor
Pippa wore a white Alexander McQueen you might remember this dress from a few months ago Cameran Diaz wore it in red either way still a beautiful dress. Do you think it was odd or a new trend for maid of honor to wear white?
Pippa Middelton Party Dress
Kate Middleton's maid of honor, little sister Pippa, dress by Alice Temperley of Temperley London
On to the Party
Princess Catherine's Wedding Dress and Reception Dress were done by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
The Beautiful Bride
I watched the Royal Wedding and Princess Catherine was a knock out.Do you think she was channeling Grace kelly?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Summer Style Tricks
Tip #2: Style your basics using complementary colors; pair with neutral accents. One way to spruce up those boring basics is by pairing contrasting colors together. If you're unsure of what colors are complementary to one another, take a look at a color wheel. The complementary colors fall directly across from one another. A few examples are purple and yellow, blue and orange, and red and green. A neutral bag and shoes will tone the ensemble down a bit, making it easy and wearable.
Tip #3: Try an all white or cream ensemble. Mix up textures to make it pop! A neutral monochromatic color scheme is big this summer, but the look can be a bit dull. To style this trend right, be sure to add textured pieces into the mix, like this silky top with linen shorts. Lace and/or ruffles are also a great combination!
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