Color Coordinated Fourth of July Cocktails

Happy Fourth of July!!! To celebrate, check out these red, white and blue cocktails to add the holiday jazz to your weekend celebrations...

BLUE: Fourth of July Cocktail - very creative title - courtesy of Guy Fieri from the Food Network

WHITE: Tommy Bahama’s Coconut Cloud Martini courtesy of the Intoxicologist

RED: Raspberry Caipirinha courtesy of Whisk Blog

Have a safe and happy holiday!!!

Small Bites

InStyle Weddings rules! If you are looking for inspiration, look no further. There is always something fresh and innovative yet beautiful to be discovered on their website. Hmmmm, I use the same adjectives to describe my own company :-) Any-who...just this evening, as I was working hard at designing an invitation for an upcoming event...I found myself reading about scrumptious forkfuls of noodles twisted around a fork. What an awesome idea! Give your guests a small bite and keep their fingers clean and their tummies happy. Or how about late night pancake stacks! Also awesome. Who doesn't like pancakes? Guests would be blown away if you offered up a bite sized stack of mini-pancakes, complete with a drizzling of maple syrup. But you'd have to offer a little glass of milk to make it perfect.

Great ideas are always just a click away! Be creative, think outside the box and you will give guests a memorable and tummy-satisfying experience at your next event.

L | D Finds : Preggatinis

I am constantly reading about new cocktails hoping to find something inspirational and fresh to serve at weddings and special events. Of course I was incredibly happy to find Natalie Bovis-Nelsen's fantastic book, Preggatinis! That's right, a book filled with creative, non-alcoholic cocktails designed for moms-to-be! These recipes don't have to be just for the future moms...use them for children and non-drinkers!

DIY : Vodka Ice Block

Martha never fails.  Today, I came across her instructions to create frozen vodka blocks.  A bottle of icy vodka makes a dramatic bar decoration when it's encased in a frozen layer of colorful flowers and fruit.  This is a very easy package that will bring a lot of punch to an afternoon cocktail party.

Directions

• Place a full bottle into a fully opened cardboard half-gallon milk carton. 
  
• Insert flowers or thinly sliced fruit around the bottle, filling one third of the carton, (Martha used nasturtiums, lemons, and limes).
  
• Pour water into the container, just covering the fruit and flowers. 
  
• Place the carton upright in the freezer. 
  
• When the liquid is completely frozen, add another layer of fruit and very cold water, and freeze. 
  
• Repeat, filling and freezing a third of the carton at a time, which prevents all the fruit and flowers from floating to the top until the water reaches the bottle's neck. 
  
• Remove from the freezer when it's time to serve the vodka.
  
• Cut away the milk carton with a utility knife, wrap a dinner napkin around the bottle's base, and serve the vodka with slices of lemon zest tied in knots.

Signature Drink Club: Blueberry Mojito

A fun blog to read is Wedding Cabaret. There is always something different posted, and today it is a recipe for a Blueberry Mojito.  I've never tasted a blueberry mojito. But after reading about it and imagining the fresh, sweet blueberries mixed with clean-zing of fresh mint, I think it is a drink I might like to try once.  Who knows, it has the makings to be the most refreshing, delicious cocktail!  Perfect for the Signature Drink Club as it's a combination I have not come across...yet.

Blueberry Mojito

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz light rum
- 1/4 oz fresh lime juice
- 8 mint leaves
- 8 fresh blueberries
- 1 tsp sugar
- Club soda
Garnish: lime slice and mint sprig

Muddle mint leaves with sugar in a mixing glass. Add light rum, lime juice to shake with ice. Pour into a tall glass. Drop blueberries and club soda. Garnish with lime slice and mint sprig.

Photo Courtesy of Cocktail Times

Stock-The-Bar Party

Moving into a new home conjures up a whole lot of new expenses, especially if the house is bigger than your last one. Invite guests over for a stock-the-bar party for a quick way to get your home bar up to snuff without breaking your bank. Or, try the same idea with different events like a coed bridal shower; same ideas, works for all types of events!

Things You’ll Need:

Party Favors

Guest List

Invitations

Plan a Stock the Bar Housewarming Party

Step 1

Decide if you want a theme for your party. Stock-the-bar is a theme in itself, but you might want to give your event a twist. Choose something that will be fun for you and your guests.

Step 2

Plan to have the party at a time that shows off your house best. If you have a great backyard, have a daytime stock the bar party. To show off your amazing living room, consider an upscale nighttime party.

Step 3

Create a guest list. Make sure you invite plenty of people so you can get enough gifts to fill your bar.

Step 4

Send invitations that explicitly say that this is a stock-the-bar party. You don't want to be coy or people won't know to bring gifts.

Step 5

Make a list of supplies you need for the party, so you don't forget anything. Include enough wine and liquor for the night, so you don't have to break open any new (or expensive) bottles if you don't want to. Remember to buy mixers for cocktails.

Plan a Stock-the-Bar Bridal Shower

Step 1

Consider having a mixed shower with both men and women. This is becoming more fashionable, plus it allows for a great stock the bar party. Like any cocktail party, the host and hostess should hold the party in their home during the evening.

Step 2

Let guests know where the couple is registered so they can bring bar ware and accessories along with bottles of wine or liquor.

Step 3

Make sure the theme suits the couple. If they are wine lovers, plan a wine oriented stock-the-bar party. Purchase several wines to showcase during the event and provide great cheese and chocolates as accompaniment.

Step 4

Decide if you want to include traditional bridal shower games at the stock-the-=bar party. You may want to forgo these for activities that better suit the theme.

Step 5

Have custom party favors created with the couple's name and wedding date. To save money on screen printing, you can always create labels yourself to add to gifts.

Invitations Courtesy of Party Invitations

Article Courtesy of E How

Signature Drink Of The Month: Pisco Sour

Distilled from grapes, pisco is produced in Chile and Peru's wine regions. The pisco sour delicately balances a creamy, frothy, limey drink with a grape brandy. Don't be fooled, this cocktail has a bit of bite to it. Perfect for an outdoor reception, the pisco sour will surprise your guest's tastes especially when served up in a martini glass.

Ingredients

1/4 cup (2 oz.) pisco (see notes)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon pasteurized egg whites

Preparation

In a blender, whirl 3 ice cubes, pisco, sugar, fresh lime juice, and egg whites. Whirl until smooth (you'll no longer hear the ice cracking against the side of the blender) and serve straight up in a martini glass with a dash of aromatic bitters and a wedge of lime.

Photo Courtesy of Leigh Beisch

Signature Drink Of The Month: Wayne's "French 75"

I previously posted about the French 75 for a different twist on a champagne toast so I was hesitant to post a similar cocktail, however. Recently, I sampled Wayne's "French 75" and decided to break that little rule. Wayne's "French 75" it the perfect cocktail for January's Libation of the Month! The warmth from the brandy is ideal during the cold weather, and the champagne is a light and unique pairing that works. Definitely a sipping cocktail, and don't skimp on the ingredients. Wayne's "French 75" is at its best when made with high-quality ingredients. Enjoy!!

Wayne's "French 75"

Ingredients
-3 tablespoons brandy
-1 tablespoon orange liqueur
-Crushed ice cubes
-1 lemon wedge
-1 small lemon rind twist
-1/2 cup Champagne or sparkling wine

Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a cocktail shaker or martini shaker. Cover with lid, and shake 30 seconds or until thoroughly chilled. Remove lid, and strain into a martini glass. Squeeze juice from lemon wedge into glass; rub lemon rind twist around rim, and drop into glass. Add Champagne to brandy mixture, and serve immediately.

Beer Tasting

Prefer a good pint of beer to a glass of wine? Host your own tasting party. Southern Living has a the blueprints to organize the perfect beer tasting. Invite your friends over with instructions to bring a few six-packs of their favorite limited edition beer. All you need are some beer glasses, like the Ikea's MJÖD Beer glasses priced at $6.99 for a 6 pack, a few yummy snacks like Chili-Roasted Black Eyed Peas, a bottle opener and you're all set!

Turn canned chickpeas or black-eyed peas into a unique and affordable party snack. Simply toss them in olive oil with a few seasonings and roast until crisp. The key is to bake the beans as long as possible without letting them burn. This will dry them out, making them extra-crunchy like nuts.

Chili-Roasted Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients
2 (15.8-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 17- x 12-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until crispy and dry, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes.

New Twist On Champagne Toast

Champagne toasts are very common at most weddings these days. It is the time when friends and family get a chance to give their regards and best wishes to the newly married couple. It also is a great opportunity for a couple to personalize the moment by adding their own twist to the toast. Freshen up the champagne toast with a signature drink. Try the French 75. It's a sweet difference!

French 75
Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 oz Gin

- 2 oz Lemon Juice

- Champagne

- 2 tsp Superfine Sugar

- Garnish: Cherry

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice except champagne. Strain into a champagne flute (or collins glass). Top with champagne. Garnish with cherry.