Showing posts with label Cocktail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cocktail. Show all posts

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Cocktail Hour: Bump Up Your Beer

Assuming the rain doesn't cancel it, today is the annual Congressional Baseball game here in Washington, D.C. If you've never heard of this event, Members of Congress get together and put any partisan sqwable aside to fight over what really counts, a win on the baseball diamond. For those of you in DC or if your even remotely political you need to get your butt down to Nationals Park tonight. Tickets are $10 and it's general seating, get them here!

Anyways, since this is a night where the Washington elite kick their feet up and relax, I figured a little cocktail hour is in order? Tell me what goes better with baseball than a cold beer? Besides a hot dog or a little shake shack? Well this cocktail is perfection for summer and the ingredients are pretty darn inexpensive, so you've got to love that!

I actually discovered this drink at PS 7 when it was still open, but alas, the drink lives on with us! 

take me out to the ballgame


Ingredients

  • 5 oz light lager beer (i.e. Bud Light, Miller Light, PBR, etc.)
  • 1 oz Ginger Liqueur
  • 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger thinly sliced (for garnish)
  • Ice

Directions
Simply combine the ginger liqueur, beer and lemon juice in a tall glass. Add the ice and garnish with ginger. Enjoy.


It seriously couldn't be much simpler than that folks? Let me know if you try it! Happy Thursday!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Bar Cart Beauties

With only two months left as a Washingtonian I'm beginning to dream about what life in New Orleans will look like. I'm foreseeing some long nights in the library, lots of warm weather, late nights on Magazine Street, and cocktails on the porch of my new New Orleans abode (that I have yet to find). Sounds pretty good right?

Since I'm planning on living on my own for the first time I'm thrilled to get complete and total control over the decor. Yay!!! So in the coming weeks I want to get y'all's oppinions on a few decor options I'm considering. I've come to learn you folks have the best taste around. 

First up, the ever important bar. I'm not sure what it is about having a "bar" in my house that makes me so happy (beyond the obvious bottle collection), but I just love the sheer decadence and sophistication of devoting a chunk of your living space to pretty glasses, bottles and trays. Whatever it is, I've decided that a bar is a must in my new abode. 

Right now I'm using a massive Ikea bookshelf turned on it's side for storage/ bar wares, but I'm thinking of switching over to a pretty bar cart. 

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I mean, come on. Don't you love them all? While I'm still debating if I want to go for a cart, ooh... or maybe a tray or two on top of a buffet? I'm pulling all of the elements together.

bar cart


What would you put on your bar car?

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Cocktail Hour: Strawberry Lime-arita

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the perfect weather in DC this weekend I decided to whip up a fun frozen cocktail to enjoy. I'm not a huge fan of super syrupy frozen drinks, so I made my own frozen margarita of sorts. Really, it's more of a daiquiri, but I used tequila (you have to celebrate 5/5 right?). This was pretty easy to whip up, and I just threw everything in the old magic bullet. Hope y'all enjoy

Strawberry Lime-arita 


Ingredients
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries (I threw in some very ripe fresh ones too)
  • 3 oz Tequila
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 1 1/5 TBSP simple syrup

Directions

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend. Add ice or additional syrup until you reach your desired consistency/sweetness.  Enjoy.



Now I will tell you this is tangy and delicious, and it creates a pretty big margarita so you could easily share it with a friend.  I garnished with a slice of kiwi because it was pretty. Hope y'all enjoy!


All images are original to Blue Dog Belle unless otherwise noted. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Cocktail Hour: Birthday Cake Martini

Before we get to the main event, I wanted to let y'all know I'm filling in for Christa over at Significance or Nothing today. As a fellow Southern gal trying to make her way through the political craziness that is Capital Hill I kind of love her.  Come visit me!


Now, we all know I love cocktail hour, so when I saw Nicole's is hosting a week long linkup aptly named Cocktail Week (it's a #hashtag so start using it like crazy, go) I knew I'd use it as an excuse to have some playtime at the bar. The one in my house that is.

Probably Polka Dots Cocktail Week



Someone around these parts has a birthday coming up (like tomorrow, eek!) So I wanted to treat myself to something sinfully delicious that I'd normally never touch. My personal drinking rule is I don't drink cocktails if I can't sorta see through it (with a few notable exceptions i.e. red wine and frozen margaritas) Generally all those milky syrupy sinfully sweet cocktails just leave me with a killer headache the next day.

But one every now and again is okay, right? And let me tell you, this is just about the best possible exception to the rule 

Birthday Cake Martini

via

Ingredients
  • 1 oz Amaretto
  • 1.5 oz Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka
  • .5 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqour
  • 1 oz Heavy Cream
  • Sprinkles
  • Frosting
Directions
First rim your fanciest martini glass in frosting. Then dip that deliciousness in a plate full of sprinkles to make the cutest glass you've ever seen. Next up combine all the remaining ingredients. Shake to combine and carefully pour into your fancy glass. 

Seriously, I'm re-evaluating my life for not drinking with this whipped cream vodka sooner. It is SO good. Go get you some right now. Vodka Diet Cokes will never be the same. 

Please go link up your favorite Cocktail with Nicole on Probably Polka Dots. She's one of my blog bff's and just generally awesome so you need to stalk her like I do. 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Cocktail Hour: Cherry Bloom

Guess what? The Cherry Blossoms have finally decided to start blooming! Yay! They should start peaking in a few days, and since I'll have quite a few visitors in town this weekend I'm sure we'll do our best to get out and explore! To celebrate, I'm going to make a few of these concoctions this weekend to celebrate all the pink prettiness around town! 

The Cherry Bloom
via
This couldn't be simpler, and if you like sweet cocktails, this one is right up your alley! Get excited!

Ingredients
  • 2 oz vodka
  • 1 TBSP grenadine (or cherry juice)
  • Club Soda (or try sprite/ginger ale)
  • Mint and Cherry for garnish

Directions
In a tall glass full of ice combine vodka and grenadine syrup. Top with soda, then garnish.

And you're done. It's perfectly pink, and can easily be adjusted to your preferred level of sweetness.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Learning the Bar Part II

Remember when I showed y'all this cool chart about wines last week? Well, I found another one that may be even more helpful. How to choose a bottle of wine. Click through to see the full size image, but this chart is hilarious! 
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I love the "Thanks for playin' get out of my flowchart." Ha.  So what do y'all think? Would you use this to help you pick a bottle of wine?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Learning the Bar

After reading my blog, you may have noticed I'm a girl who enjoys a cocktail. While I've been known to overindulge every now and again, I'm not one to love a sloppy night or the aches that accompany the next morning. 

In 2008, I did a semester in Spain where I was officially introduced to life as a wine-o. While I've strayed away from the beverage lately, I've decided to educate myself on the subject of wine in efforts to grow my love. I found this print on pinterest a while back, and I'm absolutely fascinated. 
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Click through to see full size
How cool is this? I think I'm going to order a full size print for my apartment. Maybe hang it up near the bar? I think yes.

It's interesting to see what wines I already prefer in relation to one another. Apparently I'm a fruity red girl who loves anything with cherry notes. My go-tos are Pinot Noir (california's especially), Cabernet Sauvigon, Tempranillo, and Cotes du Rhone.

If you're not a wine person, sorry for this post, but if you are, what do you think? Do you have a favorite type of wine?

I'm thinking this poster would be great for a tasting dinner party. You could explore fortified wines for a night or even better... sparkling wine.

I love this.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Cocktail Hour: Spiked Peach Tea

Well, In my part of town the #Snowquester was not so much. I'm talking a gross drizzle all day long, but snow... nope. More than anything the dreary weather and slow day at work left me dreaming of summer time. I know that peaches are few and far between this time of year, but good news! All you need is peach tea for this one!


Spiked Peach Tea



Ingredients
  • Two bags (or two TBSP of loose) peach tea
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 jigger of your favorite bourbon
  • Ice

Directions

Basically you're going to heat the water then steep the tea bags until it becomes a deep brown color. Remove bags and return to heat, adding the sugar to create a syrup. You will need to heat the liquid until the sugar fully dissolves and begins to thicken slightly (5 minutes or so). Let the mixture cool. It will create more than enough syrup for your cocktail--- so store the leftovers for a rainy snow day. Once the syrup is cool, combine with ice and bourbon (add water if you need a little less bite), and enjoy your peachy drink in the middle of a "snow storm."

This yummy cocktail was also inspired by my lovely roommate BW who had been enjoying lots of peach tea lately, and the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. LWW who are returning to DC this weekend!  #DCCallie needs to join us! 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Cocktail Hour: Honeyed Ginger

Happy Tuesday y'all! I'm a bit overwhelmed with everyone's responses to my post yesterday. I didn't actually make any decisions about following/unfollowing blogs, but I really appreciated your feedback and support! Sometimes I feel very alone in how overwhelming and time consuming blogging can be. Good to know I'm not.

Do y'all read Kate's blog? She designed my beautiful new blog, but she's also a blogger herself and announced  she's doing a Creative Cleanse this week and I loved the idea! I've decided to get back to basics a bit in attempts to get my blog juices flowing again. I realized it's been far too long since I've done a Friday Cocktail post... in fact I'm willing to bet the majority of you didn't even read this little blog back when I used to do them. I love my Friday Fancies link up too much, so I've decided to bring the Friday Cocktail series back under a new name: "Cocktail Hour." Today's the first installment! Yay! Who doesn't need a mid-week cocktail pick up? I know I sure could (don't worry, I'll at least wait until 6:00).

Last night I was thinking about what to make for this inaugural cocktail post I was flipping through an article about cooking with honey, and thus this delicious baby was born!

via
So, pretty right? I totally stayed up all night making this look pretty. Ha. Fail no... I threw this together in a plastic cup... not worthy of photography so I borrowed this picture from one of my favorite blogs. Calling a fail on myself here. Sorry. Never the less... you can make it pretty! Here's what you need...
Ingredients
  • 1 TBSP fresh grated ginger
  • 1 TBSP honey
  • 1 jigger of gin
  • 3 oz of gingerale
  • lemon peel and 1 wedge for garnish

Directions
Warm the honey for about 30 seconds in the microwave for a thinner consistency. Muddle with the ginger and a lemon peel. Add gin. Strain over ice. Top with ginger-ale. Garnish with lemon. Enjoy

So easy right? So delicious. The spiciness of the ginger is absolutely perfect with the subtle sweetness of the honey. I'm thinking this could also be good with bourbon... If you try this let me know what you think! I promise to get my act together and actually take pictures next time.  

Thursday, January 10, 2013

MNF, Part II

That’s me in the corner. That’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion.

Trying to keep up with you and I don’t know if I can do it.

Oh no. I’ve said too much. I haven’t said enough.

                A whole 2 weeks for Part II (Remember Part I)!  Hope I haven’t lost your interest!  We are in the MIDST of football playoffs, so let's wrap up Monday Night Football... To recap – we’ve left Chinatown’s bat cave and head to the infamous Capitol Lounge on Capitol Hill, a New England Patriots bar (I recently discovered) to catch the Monday Night Football game.  If I were to make a list of the things I love most about DC, near the top would be the fact that DC is an international and domestic hub for individuals from all types of backgrounds.  It’s a skittles commercial-all the colors of the cultural rainbow.  And here we are – a Monday night in our nation’s capital, and this Southerner is surrounded by New England Patriots fans with Mark Wahlberg accents and his reaaally NSFW (unless you're Officer Dignam) The Departed vernacular.

                Capitol Lounge (Cap Lounge as they call it on the street) is located on the strip of Pennsylvania Avenue restaurants down the street from the United States House of Representatives office buildings, nestled between Capitol Hill and Eastern Market in Southeast DC.  It is a Republican-owned (but bipartisan in business) playground for congressional staff, particularly interns and younger twenty-something staff.  The décor is pretty austere, but it is adorned with aged political paraphernalia (the walls are a collection for Reagan and Nixon campaign swag, hung amidst red+white+blue and stars+stripes fabrics/flags/buntings, etc.).  Of bars in DC, with such power-packing patronage, Cap Lounge is the Jenny from the Block version of Jennifer Lopez – the inconspicuous, no frills neighborhood pub, full of fully suited puppeteers for our federal lawmakers.  It is a staple in Capitol Hill so there is no need for inventive concoctions or promotions, although they do offer a few good ones, and I would call it unpretentious for that reason but doing so would only be half-right.  Among the political and patriotic stylings are signs stating, “I don’t care who you work for.”  And, if you show up AFTER the safety hours of happy hour, the place is full of political loose lips and poisoned philosophies, all willing to dive into a debate on House Resolution yadayada, the exact role/size of the federal government, skinterns in the office of Congressman Cat in the Hat, to whom and how much big donors have spent this past campaign cycle, the economics driving the American job market, and of course, how this/that party is screwing over America’s future. 

                The yin to balance the yang, however, is that Cap Lounge will often reserve entire levels for private parties, like it is on this particular night as the main level has been hijacked by a trivia night.  The private party this evening (for what, I’m not quite sure) is closing down, so the staff has been kind enough to let our small group enter the private party for the tail end so that we may catch kick-off while trivia concludes.  Not that there aren’t enough televisions upstairs, but we absolutely take the offer.  The space has mostly cleared, with a few lingering behind, most of whom are vortex’ed into liquored-up conversations, with exception to a small, isolated table which is shared between 3 suited men (much grayer than the usual suspects) who are holding their alcohol much better than the usual suspects as well.  This particular exclusive table is enthralled in a quiet conversation, with a private television, a table of beer, catching the beginning of the game between incognito conversations, all of which is being kept quite private. 

                In the same room, I’m sitting adjacent to 2 fine, young, over-served gentlemen I’m fairly certain wound up here from the Hill, discussing the state of our country and slurring their personal patriotism. “I mean…dude, I rreaaally love the Constah-tution,” divulging very little into any substantial political theory at this point.  Full confession - by the end of the night, I will be guilty of similar crimes myself, bickering with well-informed friends over whether or not the state of Texas will remain red or turn blue in the 2016 presidential election.  #onlyinDC  In my experience, veteran Hill staff tend to turn their noses at the thought of Cap Lounge after work, probably because at one time they’ve done this exact, roll-your-eyes-the-next-morning-in-embarrassment, type of thing.  I label it infamous because by the end of the night, it can be fall-down drunk, the last place that you didn’t need to visit on your way home from the evening’s shenanigans, yet you’re inside ordering another round and plunging money into the computerized jukebox. 

                Around 9:00, the majority of the trivia masses leave the bar, and Cap Lounge releases their Jerry Jones-sizedsuperdome screen (well, for a bar space it is huge) and we head upstairs to the main room.  The crowd has dwindled, but that will change before halftime.  The bar offers great specials for the football game, including $5 pizza which is my favorite from their food menu.  If pub grub is not pleasing your palette, the location is perfect to explore other eatable options-Top Chef’s Spike Mendelsohn offers 2 amazing restaurants: Good Stuff and We the Pizza, located just across the street, perpetually packed with power players including President Obama.  Cap Lounge is now packed with sports enthusiasts at this point, in particular New Englanders from the Hill, small business owners, veterans, lobbyists, and a few 2012 Presidential battleground campaign staff.  After 9:00 on most nights, you are bound to see just as diverse a crowd...



My last call:  great locality, interesting crowd, even more interesting conversations, most of which devolve into superficial matters.  It is the bar for workers of politics to unite, and a spot for the rest of the world to watch the beer-based bipartisan common ground burn up in flames. 

Until Next Time,

xo, Megan

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Allow myself to introduce...myself



She had rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes
And I knew without asking she was into the blues
Hellew, gorgeous!  I’m Megan, fellow SEC-rooting, Southern-raised, single twenty-something living and working in our great country’s capital city.  I have recently partnered up with the amazing, stylish Emily as a contributor to BlueDogBelle, and I am elated to join the blog-o-sphere for the first time!  So what will I be adding to BlueDogBelle, you wonder…

I have a Carrie Bradshaw-level of adoration for my city, Washington, DC.  It is a little big town amidst an atmosphere of heterogeneity.  Any taste of life an individual could desire can be found here:  history, music, passion and activism, thoughtfulness, diverse backgrounds and perspectives, politics/policy/philanthropy, and all balanced out by the finer (literal) tastes of life, with a varied palette of globally-influenced spots to wine and dine.  One of the most surprising discoveries I made as a 22 year-old graduate was just how much of a role this last item plays in the DMV culture.  Restaurants and bars were obviously an area to socialize with friends, but post-college I came to the realization that this particular arena serves as a remote location for professionals from every office level to meet, to play, to network, and to wheel and deal.  We all have heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but in the District this saying transcends romantic strategy and overflows into the business of the city.  Of course, occupational drinks and meals aren’t a concept exclusive to DC - just the particular type of business dealt, and the power of the individuals at the table (or bar counter as the case may be), in these situations is nearly exclusive to DC, namely as the center of American politics.  

Which brings me to Blue Dog Belle!  I’m partnering up with my beloved fellow Southerner to dive into and celebrate DC’s Don Draper-esque scene, where bourbon meets business.  I’ll be bouncing around the District’s watering holes, both high profile and low key local favorites, and will jot down my experiences at each saloon, focusing on the style, the atmosphere, the crowd, the conversation, and naturally the highlights of the heart and barter of these spots - the libations.  Full disclosure, I’m afraid the meat of the true wheelings and dealings, as sexy as that would be to whistle blow, will not be the focus of my entries, as my attention will be on the spaces and the use of these spaces within the District. 

Thank you for visiting, and please stay tuned as I make my first entry this week!





Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Debate Drinking Games

Alright folks. This is coming back.  While we may not agree on politics, we can all agree that drinking games make them more fun right? 
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I had a lot of fun with this last time around, and this time promises to be just as good.  If tonight is anything like the last presidential debate, you are going to need to choose your cocktail of choice wisely. I would suggest making a fall shandy. Not only is it delicious, but it's relatively low in alcohol, so you can sip away all night long. 

My recommendation is a Pumpkin Shandy
via
Ingredients

Directions:

  1. Add Cointreau, lemon juice, pumpkin butter and ice to a mixing glass.
  2. Shake and fine-strain over ice in a highball glass.
  3. Top with beer and garnish with fresh grated nutmeg.
Good luck, and be careful. Don't drink and drive, debate politics with your friends, or over indulge. Pace yourselves please. 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

This is happening...

via
If I wasn't in the home stretch of the LSAT  (2 days folks!), I would be partaking. Don't worry--- I'll remind you a little earlier next time. Happy Debate night!

Friday, August 17, 2012

{Friday Cocktail} Basil Bloody Mary

Can you feel it yet? There's a change in the air. The light looks a little different. Something is coming... Fall. Do you know what the best part of fall is? FOOTBALL SEASON! and football season means lots and lots of day drinking. Morning drinking really. And this girl is not exactly one to pop open a cold beer at 8 am. I am however a big fan of a good Bloody Mary. 

Now, I know there are a lot of people out there who are not really Bloody Mary fans, but I urge you to try again. The great thing about this drink, is it is so customizable. Don't like spicy? Leave out the pepper. Love salt? Throw in more olives. You can go as light or as heavy on the vodka as you please... with out really noticing. 

A while back I got a taste of a basil bloody mary, and I've been dreaming of it ever since. The basil pairs so well the the tomato juice, and really holds up to some spice. Love it! I would definitely recommend adding it to your bloody next time your whipping up a batch.


Ingredients
  • 8 oz. Tomato Juice (any kind is fine)
  • 3 oz Vodka (lets not drink anything that comes in a plastic bottle folks... we need to pace ourselves)
  • Worcestershire 
  • Bitters
  • Tabasco
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Basil (about a handful)
  • Black Pepper
  • Celery
  • Ice
  • Lemon wedges

Directions
In a cocktail shaker muddle the basil (reserve a few leaves for garnish), juice from lemon wedge (start with 1/8 of the lemon, add more if desired), a tsp. of Worcestershire, dash of bitters, pinch of cayenne and black pepper, and vodka. It looks gross, but keep going. Add tomato juice. Shake until your heart is content. Pour over ice. Garnish with celery and a basil leaf or two. Remember to pace yourself. 

* I don't love basil and olives together here... but that's totally my preference. Feel free to throw in a few, and maybe some horseradish, or bacon? mm or cilantro? all good options. Just have fun with it!

Either way, fall is coming, and football is right around the corner. I'm going to apologize in advance, if you're not much of a college football fan, Blue Dog Belle may be going Red and Black in the coming months, so If you get sick of me, come back in January. (Okay, okay... I'll try to keep football mentions on Monday's and Friday's)

Friday, August 10, 2012

{Friday Cocktail} Irish Iced Coffee

I've been drinking a lot of coffee lately. So much that I've started brewing a cup at night, and letting it sit in the microwave so it's ready to go first thing in the morning. I've recently added decaf to my routine. Nights I have LSAT class I make at least 2 maybe even three cups of decaf. I don't know if it's the slight trace of caffeine or the idea of drinking coffee that helps keep me up more... but whatever it is, it's working. 

Obviously I have coffee on the brain. So when I started to brainstorm ideas for this week's Friday cocktail I had to do something coffee based. clearly. This week I have a pretty traditional Irish iced coffee. Nothing fancy, because "we don't got time for dat" *is it lame to still quote that youtube video? I don't care. I'm doing it anyways.
 

Ingredients
  • Lots of ice
  • 6 oz. cold coffee (could be semi warm, just not hot. You are not trying to melt the ice)
  • 3 oz. Irish Cream Liqueur
  • Tbsp. Creamer (I'm obsessed with fat free half and half--- I just discovered its existence)
  • Sugar to taste (whatever sweetener you like is fine), for me there is enough sweetness in the bailey's to cover it.

Directions
 Combine sweetener and your cool coffee until completely dissolved. Then add the Irish Cream Liqueur and Creamer, stir until combined. Pour over ice. Enjoy

This is so easy and so good. All the creaminess makes it a real treat, but if you use the fat free half and half, omit the sugar, etc. It's really not very sinful. You can get fancy and add chocolate or a dash of cinnamon, or try topping it with a heaping dollop of whipped cream. This would be great for the end of a long dinner party, to sip on and chat. Plus other than brewing the coffee there's hardly any work involved.

If you have any questions about this or any other cocktail recipe please send me an email. Also, I'm always looking to make blog friends so if you ever want to guest post your own Friday Cocktail, let me know, I'd be happy to get you on the schedule.

Have a great weekend loves! I'm hopefully going to see these ladies and not spend all weekend with my nose in an lsat book.

Friday, August 3, 2012

{Friday Cocktail} Tinto de Verano

Hi folks.

Did you miss me? I've certainly missed y'all! I can't believe how much blogging has become a part of my life... two days away and I'm itching to come back. I've had a crazy week at work, as we've been hosting a conference, but it's over now! woohoo! So I decided to take a half day yesterday to "take a practice LSAT." Best decision ever. I had gotten 4 hours of sleep the night before, so when I got home at noon I decided to take a quick nap before I started the test. Three hours later I was still asleep and decided to postpone the test until Saturday. OMG. I can't even tell y'all how nice it was to catch up on life. I did a few loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, watched a ton of Olympic coverage ( I'm full on team Phelps), and drank a few alcoholic beverages while cleaning out my Google reader.

Now, on to one of my favorite cocktails. I don't know that I've talked about the fact I studied abroad in Spain in 2008, but I did. and it was AWESOME. I met some of my best friends there, and had the experience of a lifetime. I'm sure y'all are all familiar with Sangria, a Spanish wine punch with fruit and hard liquor. I love Sangria, but it can be really heavy and sweet, and y'all know I don't have time for a hangover. However, I can still get my fruity wine fix,  have you heard of Tinto de Verano? This is a much lighter wine cocktail that they enjoy all over Spain. It's super easy to whip together, and always a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients 
  • Your favorite red wine (try a Tempranillo, Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais Nouveau)
  • Citrus Soda (traditionally Fanta Limon or Gaseosa, but try Fresca or Sprite if you can't anything else)
  • Ice
  • Lemon slice

Directions
Pour 4 oz. Red Wine over ice. Top with soda, add a lemon wedge. Enjoy

Doesn't get much easier than that. You'll thank me later. Have a great weekend ladies!!! I have some fabulous guest posts coming up next week, so be sure to check back!

xoxo, EP

Friday, July 27, 2012

{Friday Cocktail} Pimms Cup

Who's excited for the opening ceremonies tonight? 

ME!!!

I love the Olympics. 

It probably has something to do with growing up in Atlanta, where Olympic fever ran rampant for several years before the 96 games, then left a footprint on the city so we'll never forget how awesome it was. Centennial Olympic Park, Turner Field, the flame? Whenever I see any of those ATL haunts I can't help but think fondly of that summer in 1996. I went to the table tennis finals, gymnastics, swimming, and the closing ceremonies and they were all AWESOME. There's a box in my parents attic filled with my Olympic pins, autographed Olympic paraphernalia,   and countless other Olympic themed trinkets. Needless to say, every time the summer games roll around I'm reminded of a great summer of childhood memories. 

Now I'm all grown up (well, that's slightly debatable... but that's another post), and I can partake in a few games of my own this year... 

DRINKING GAMES. duh. 

I'm heading to an olympic party tonight, so I'm looking forward to serious Olympic fun. Make up your own rules (depending on how much LSAT studying you have to do the next day), but pick a few key words, every time Bob Costas says: 

"world record"

"hard work"

"discipline"

"sacrifice"

"already a winner"

Take a sip your drink.

 Every time the theme song plays... take a sip.

*I will not be held responsible for any lingering hangovers. This is the OLYMPICS PEOPLE. Fight through it, and go for the gold!

Okay... so I probably wont be over indulging tonight... but I will sip on my favorite British Cocktail. The Pimms Cup.



Ingredients
  • 2 oz Pimms (a British gin based spirit )*
  • Lemonade (or try lemon lime soda, or even ginger beer)
  • Sliced Cucumber
  • Sliced Strawberries

Directions

In a high ball glass pour Pimms over ice. Toss in a few slices of cucumber and strawberries, then top with lemonade. Sip and go watch the games.

*In addition to Pimms, another Gin is added, though it is optional. 

Have a great weekend lovelies!!!

Friday, July 20, 2012

{Cocktail Friday}

First off, y'all need to know something about me. I am a girl who loves to sleep. I have a hard time functioning on less that 8 hours, my body just refuses to get up. Well, a surprisingly hectic work week, in combination with this LSAT class has suddenly sucked the hours from the day.
I'm going to be a very busy girl until October 4.
Thursday I woke up at 6:30 (I normally get up at 7:45) was at work by 8. Worked straight through until 6. Came home. Ate dinner while watching 15 minutes of the Kardashians, then did LSAT homework until class started at 7:30. Class finally ended 11:45 or so. This has been 4 days of this now. WTF. I don't know how people do it... though I suppose if I want to go to law school I better figure it out fast.

This story is just telling the tale that I am a). too tired to actually make up a drink for you (Pinterest to the rescue though); and b). in desperate need of several cocktails. Thankfully it's Friday. I plan on stopping by Harris Teeter on my drive home tonight. Picking up a bottle of something alcoholic and bubbly, maybe a redbox movie and probably a frozen pizza. I will then retreat to my couch where I will drink the bubbly beverage (adding in hard liquor of course), eat said pizza and zone out to some crap movie. Then retreat to my bed around 9. Put on the sleeping mask to block all possible light and CRANK UP the noise machine. Seriously. Can't think of a better night after the week I've had. 

Wow... incoherent ranting. I promise I try to avoid these, but I foresee the frequency increasing around these parts in the coming weeks. Bare with me :)

Here are some pretty pictures with links to superior bloggers with wonderful cocktail recipes that you should really try. I'm sure I'll be trying a few myself this weekend.

Raspberry Mint Mojitos
Bada Bing

Cucumber Rosemary Gin and Tonic 

Mint Lemon Sorbet and Champagne

If you want even more pretty yummy cocktails come visit my Pinterest Board: Cocktail Party


Also, I have a fun surprise... Since I'm getting DANGEROUSLY CLOSE to 100 GFC followers, I have a great giveaway starting on Monday. Here a sneak peak 


Have a fabulous and sleep filled weekend y'all!

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