Tag Archives: new years

Booze Resolutions

Featured Story / January 10, 2016 / No Comments.

By now, you’ve probably already dropped the ball on that New Year’s resolution. Don’t feel bad, it happens to the best of us. But instead of admitting defeat, why not tweak it just a little bit so that it’s more achievable. If you said you were going to work out every day, change it to working out every day that starts with an M. If you said you were going to eat healthy, change it to eating healthy when the pizza place is closed. If you said you were going to drink less, change it to one of these:

Learn More About Alcohol: Wine, liquor, beer – whatever interests you. There’s more to what you’re drinking than how much money it is. Educate yourself and you just might find you’re

Buy Local: Support small businesses and expand your portfolio of flavors by purchasing something other than Miller Lite. You just might find a new favorite.

Don’t Waste: If wine went bad or that new tequila didn’t quite taste the way you wanted it to, don’t just throw it down the drain. Find new ways to use it or improve it.

Now that you have a 2016 goal in view, you can really change your life for the better.

Photo

The Stages of New Year’s Eve

Our Stories / December 31, 2015 / No Comments.

Every year we leave our homes and countdown to the new year with family and friends. No matter how many New Year’s Eve parties you have under your belt, you never learn that you’re better off just staying in your pajamas and calling it a night at 10 PM. There’s something about the holiday that gives us enough hope to venture outdoors and listen to the background noise of Ryan Seacrest talking to celebrities all night long. Here’s how it’ll probably go down for you this year:

1. Effort: You style your hair just right, put on an outfit that flatters you at every angle and pretend that you aren’t going to turn into a mess of a human later tonight. You want your last photos of 2015 to make your ex jealous.

2. Hope: For some reason you are under the impression that anything can happen tonight. You’re meeting new people and seeing old friends who you never considered hooking up with until this moment. You’ll probably say ‘This will be my year’ at least once and genuinely believe it. Your friends will agree.

3. Failure: You scope out the scene right away. Drink in hand, you spot the lucky one who you’ll kiss at midnight. You spend the next few hours playing it cool and waiting for them to come to you. They never do.

4. Settling: There’s no more denying it, you aren’t going to steal the heart of the one your have your eye on. It’s time to look to the second tier and snag one in time for midnight. As long as you don’t end up with the dog it’s not a total loss, right?

5. Regret: The next morning you wake up hung over. The New Year is already off to a terrible start and you realize you should have just stayed home with your Netflix queue.

Photo

Our NYE Drinking Game

Our Stories / December 31, 2014 / No Comments.

The New Year is a time to reflect. A time to evaluate goals and set new ones; a time to make amends and start fresh; and a time to look to the future with high hopes. But before you do any of that stuff, we’re here to make sure that you’re sufficiently inebriated.

For over 30 years, Dick Clark counted down the last seconds of each year with millions of Americans. Although he is no longer with us, his December 31st special still lives on, now in the questionably trusty hands of Ryan Seacrest. So, whether you’re going out, staying in, or doing a little bit of both, try to stay near a television, flip to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and stick to the rules of our drinking game. You can thank us later. Here it is, folks.

THE NEW YEAR’S EVE DRINKING GAME

Drink when…
• Taylor Swift, Iggy, Charlie XCX, or anyone else is SEVERELY underdressed for the weather.
• Elton John melts your heart.
• Anyone says “Adele Dazeem” when Idina Menzel performs.
• You feel ashamed that maybe, just maybe, you enjoy the One Direction performance.
• Jason Derulo sings his own name.
• Nick Jonas tries, and succeeds, in seducing teenage America.
• Someone you’re with says that they “actually kinda like Taylor Swift’s new song,” when she inevitably performs it.
• Someone changes the channel to FOX and you’re forced to listen to Mr. 305 himself, Pitbull, talk about his New Year’s Resolution.
• Meghan Trainor reminds you that, yes indeed it is “all about that bass”
• Ryan Seacrest annoys you. (game over)

Finish your drink when…
• The clock strikes 12. And then every hour on the hour from then on.

Think about resolutions etc. in the morning.

Photo

Cocktails to Help Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

Cocktails / January 7, 2014 / No Comments.

If you made a resolution for 2014, you have either quit already or you need a little boost to help you keep going. If you’re still going strong, you’re a freak of nature.

We don’t know a lot about how to become a better person, but we do know about booze so we want to help you keep your resolutions in the best way that we know how: drinking. Here are three cocktail recipes for three popular resolutions that can help you stay on track while still enjoying a nice drink.

Resolution: Lose Weight

Cocktails have a bad reputation with dieters, but we think that’s pretty unfair. With a few low calorie ingredients and some self control (moderation, people) you can still enjoy an occasional drink with zero guilt. Try this “Refresh Zing” cocktail:

Muddle 5 cucumber chunks and 1 basil leaf.
Add 1 1/2 oz. Zing Vodka and a splash of lime juice.
Shake and serve with a cucumber slice garnish.

Resolution: Save Money

Some consider cocktails to be a bit of a luxury, so when they decide to tighten the purse strings a bit, alcohol is one of the first things to go. We are more than familiar with being on a budget and there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t enjoy a drink while you’re trying to save money. They key is to choose liquors that cost less (but aren’t gross) mixers that are on sale. Also, fewer ingredients = fewer dollars spent, so try this “All That Razz Cocktail.”

Pour 1oz. raspberry liqueur into the bottom of a Champagne flute.
Add 5 oz. ginger ale and then 3 raspberries (hint: you may get more mileage from the raspberries if you buy them frozen. That eliminates the pressure to use them all before they go bad and you’ll have them ready to go whenever you want another cocktail).

Resolution: Reduce Stress

We all lead busy lives and reducing stress is a big deal for a lot of people. Having a cocktail is actually a bit of a stress reducer in itself, but there are ingredients you can add that are considered to be “good mood foods.” For example, this “Frozen Irish Banana” cocktail uses bananas, which provide us with potassium, a key player in lowering blood pressure.

Rim a chilled goblet with shaved coconut.
In a blender, combine 2 oz. Baileys Irish Cream, 1 1/2 oz. Bacardi light rum, 2 oz. Coco Lopez, 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1 banana (diced and frozen, if possible), and 1/2 cup of ice and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Pour into the goblet and sprinkle with nutmeg and garnish with half a strawberry.

No matter your resolution, a cocktail can always help. This year save you money, watch your weight and reduce your stress all with a drink in hand.

Photo

Happy New Year’s Day. Our 2014 Liquor Trend Predictions

Beer / January 1, 2014 / 1 Comment.

We made it to 2014. A new year means new liquor trends coming your way, but what will these next 365 days bring? Will things be radically different, or just a continuation of what was brewing in 2013? We’ve done a lot of research and here’s what we think you’ll be seeing going on in the booze world this year:

Sour beer. If you haven’t noticed, it’s kind of a big deal lately. We’re seeing a lot of sour brews and unique ales in our future.

Wine on tap. It’s like all of our vino dreams have come true. Look for wine on tap in your bars and restaurants.

Smoked booze. It’s in our ice, our whiskey, our vodka, the flavor is everywhere.

Pour your own beer. These new pour it yourself beer locations are popping up everywhere and making us thirsty.

Gin. Will we be sipping it? Aging it? Or mixing up a few gin and tonics. No matter what, 2014 is gin’s year.

Bottled carbonated cocktails. Forget a glass, we’ll be drinking bottled bubbly cocktails this year.

Big name ciders. The big boys of beer are putting out their own ciders this year. Look for bottles from MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch.

There’s undoubtedly so much more to come in this new year, and we are really looking forward to seeing what the drinking world comes up with next. Cheers, 2014.

Photo

Her Shot: New Year, New Drinks

Cocktails / January 1, 2014 / 1 Comment.

When a new year begins, people love to resolve to become “better” people. We don’t really do that, but we do try to broaden our horizons every year and try to break out of our comfort zones a little bit. One of the biggest ruts we let ourselves get into is drinking the same thing… all. the. time. Sound familiar?

To ring in the new year, we wanted to help you try something new, while still sticking with what you know and like. Find one of your favorite cocktails below, along with our recommended new cocktail that you should try.

Old Drink: Cosmopolitan

New Drink: Apple-tini

You started drinking Cosmos because the girls on Sex and the City did, and you just never stopped. We get it. Try an Apple-tini instead; it still has the vodka, triple sec, lime juice and citron you’re used to, but swapping out the cranberry juice for apple pucker will change your life.

Old Drink: Mimosa

New Drink: Bellini

Mimosas are the ultimate brunch beverage and they’re generally the only reason our friends can drag us out of the house before noon on a Sunday. Bellinis are still fruity and refreshing like Mimosas, but instead of using orange juice, Bellinis are made with peach puree or juice.

Old Drink: Margarita

New Drink: Drunken Superman

Let’s get this out of the way: Drunken Superman is a stupid name. If you can get past that, you’ll have a positive drinking experience. The Drunken Superman is served in a margarita glass and shares several similar components, but it’s just different enough to make you feel like you’re taking a walk on the wild side.

Old Drink: Mojito

New Drink: Caipirinha

Mojitos get so much attention, but you should not ignore the Caipirinha – it’s fresh, it’s got the lime, it’s got the sugar…but it’s better. (Yes, bold statement…but we stand behind it).

Of course, if you’re the type of girl that goes from blonde to brunette without blinking, you may just want to ignore these easy transitions and try a completely new drink in 2014. Either way, here’s to new beginnings.

Photo