Drink of the Moment, 4th of July Edition: Melted Bomb Pop

It's Independence Day this week for the old US of A, and that means drinks all around!!  What says summertime and America (and on sooo many levels) more than the traditional stand-by at swimming pools and ice cream stands all over this nation - the 'Bomb Pop'?  Who can forget eating them as a kid and winding up with that classic blue mouth afterwards?  So, I figured why not work up a nifty adult version to celebrate the season with all of the fun, flavor, and nostalgic fondness with a little more 'pop', if you will, and a little less of the blue mouth aftermath.  Ready to accompany all of your grilling and fireworks festivities, I present to you 'The Melted Bomb Pop'.  

The Melted Bomb Pop

Splash of Rose's Grenadine
1 part Stolichnaya Wild Cherri Vodka  

2 parts UV Blue, Raspberry Flavored Vodka

3 parts Sparkling Lemonade (I used 'Sparkling Ice' Lemonade)
Popsicle stick

Start by ensuring that all items have been chilled for at least 24 hours.  (I keep my vodkas in the freezer, and my mixers in the fridge).  Once chilled thoroughly, put a generous splash of Rose's Grenadine Syrup into a champagne flute, or similarly shaped glass.  Add 1 part (1 oz for a single cocktail) Stoli Wild Cherri vodka, and let settle.  Once settled, slowly add 1 1/2 parts UV Blue vodka, pouring over the back of a spoon to layer the liquor; let settle.  Once settled, slowly pour 3 parts of your sparkling lemonade over the back of a spoon to layer; let settle.  At this point, your lemonade should have fallen to the middle of the glass, separating the red and blue.  Once stable, slowly add the extra 1/2 part of UV Blue to the top, using the spoon method to layer, to ensure you have a strong blue finish to your beverage.  Garnish with a plain popsicle stick if you have one handy.  Enjoy!!

**Note: If the 'melted' aspect of the cocktail doesn't have you super excited, you can also whip this up as a frozen 'Deconstructed Bomb Pop', if you will, by adding shaved ice with each layer.  If you give this method a try, be sure that you layer your ice with each layer of the drink so you maintain the color separation.



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Drink of the Moment, Birthday Edition: Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Batter up!  Next in this special birthday edition series 'Drink of the Moment' is chocolate-y, mint-y, and so so yummy.  For the love of all things good, you are going to want to try this cake-tail.  It has been my birthday boy's favorite so far.  If you've missed the first two, you can find them by clicking here, and here.  :) 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake-tail

2oz Three Olives Cake Vodka

1oz Chocolate Liquer

1oz Creme de Menthe

Chocolate Whip-a-hol

Chocolate shavings, sprinkles, etc

Place first three ingredients in a shaker over ice.  Shake vigorously, and pour into glass.  Top with whipped cream or whip-a-hol, and garnish with chocolate, or use crushed cookies to rim the glass prior to filling.  Enjoy!


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Drink of the Moment, Birthday Edition: Cherry Cheesecake

Let the birthday cake-tails continue!  Second in the lineup packs the punch of a cheesecake without all of the calories and just as much (if not more) of the fun.

Cherry Cheesecake-tail

1oz Three Olives Cake vodka

1oz Stoli Wild Cherri

Splash of Butterscotch Schnapps

1/2oz White Cranberry Juice

Maraschino Cherries

Whipped Topping

Place first four ingredients in a shaker filled with ice.  Shake vigorously, and pour into glass.  Place maraschino cherry or two into glass and top with whipped topping.  Dig in!

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Drink of the Moment, Birthday Edition: Jay's Birthday Chocolate Cake Martini

Yay, it's Jay's birthday this week(end), and that means cake for everyone!  There isn't much that I like more than cake, though a good soup runs a close second.  Cake and soup, soup and cake ... it makes me smile just thinking about them.  Not everyone has the same affinity for a hearty slice of cake though, even if it is their birthday.  It is in this area that I suppose Jay and I balance each other out a bit- otherwise I might have a fairly poor diet going on.  So, what do you do when the birthday boy isn't anxiously looking forward to acquiring a whole cake of his own?  Well, I say you build an idea on a tried and true favorite and turn that into the best hybrid birthday cake a guy (or girl) could ask for.  In the past I have used things like stacked brownies, etc, but this year it's all about the birthday cake cocktail.  I know Jay is already a convert, and I don't think any guests joining in the celebration will miss the traditional cake one bit either.  Even better, since there isn't just one big cake to share, everyone gets a say in what kind of cake they want to drink and I'll be sharing a few of varieties with you over the next day or so.  On a side note, all of these are made with Three Olives 'Cake' vodka, which I highly recommend acquiring if it's not already in your arsenal.  Seriously, you are missing out on life if you don't try it.  So on that note, cake for everyone - starting with Jay's first chocolate cake martini.  In his own words, after finishing in record speed  ... "It's tasty!"

Chocolate Cake Martini

1oz Three Olive Cake Vodka

1oz Godiva Chocolate liquer

1oz Bailey's

German Chocolate Whipahol

Godiva Hot Chocolate Mix

Place first 3 ingredients in shaker filled with ice.  Shake vigorously.  Pour into glass, and top with German Chocolate Whipahol; sprinkle with hot chocolate mix. Enjoy!

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Drink of the Moment: Rumchata Colada

No one ever said that drinking will make you skinny, so my cocktail better be worth it if it's going to have the potential to make me go up a size.  This especially holds true for the standard Pina Colada.  Once upon a summer, in a galaxy far far away - I'll call it my youth - I may have had a fair sprinkling of this fair frozen creamy pineapple-y coconut-y drink during the warmer months, but these days the harsh reality of the calorie has set in, and I usually only splurge on one of these fat floats once a year.  This year, that special moment happened to come early for me with the first really warm snap we had.   


You may remember that I LOATHE pre-fabbed mixers where you just add the alcohol, and will usually not even waste my efforts in that direction.  The Pina Colada is no exception -- well, unless maybe I'm sitting at the infinity pool bar in a wonderfully tropical location.  Anyway, I digress.  When Jay wanted whip up some Pina Coladas from scratch (which is really a lot easier than it may sound ... and yummier too), I was only luke-warm to the idea with it being so early in the season.  I mean, did I really want to blow my single Pina Pass this early this year?  And then, something magical happened that changed my perspective.  I realized I could try making it this way ... sans pineapple!

THE RUMCHATA COLADA

Ice Cubes

1/2 cup light rum (I used Bacardi)

1/2 cup Rumchata

1/2 cup coconut cream

1/4 cup coconut milk

Fresh pineapple & maraschino cherries for garnish

Fill blender with ice cubes.  Add rum, Rumchata, coconut cream, and coconut milk.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into your glass, and garnish with fruit.

YUMM-tastic I tell you.  It really was all that even without the pineapple (well, except for the garnish), and who doesn't love having a whole pitcher of happy sitting right in your fridge - even if it does mean you have to eat nothing but lettuce for a day or two.  If you don't have Rumchata in your local market, try picking up some horchata and adding a little more rum, or maybe finding a recipe for it ... like this one here.  Totally.  Worth.  It.  The best part about all of this though; I am technically still holding on to that annual 'Pina Pass' if I do find myself at some fabulous infinity pool bar in a tropical vacation spot feeling mighty thirsty.  Splurge on!     

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What Is It With My Hair?!?!

Timing is everything.  Seriously.  Take my hair for example.  I don't know what exactly it is about it, but when I reeeally need some damage control (thank you multiple process bleaching followed by a razor cut), I can't seem to locate the fix.  When my hair seems to be back on track and looking fairly snazzy, I have hair repair product falling into my lap.  Go figure.  

A few weeks ago, I received a complimentary Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair through my Vogue Influencers Network to take out for a test drive.  A few of you may remember another hair repair product that I tested out about a year ago through Sephora and Vogue (and if you don't, you can hop back in time to it by clicking right here), and if you recall (or re-read), you'll also notice that I was initially at a loss for what the product actually did and/or didn't do.  Why?  Probably because my hair was already looking and feeling pretty good at that point.  Of course, since that trial I have encountered some big 'ole nasty.


The good news?  After using that previous product in conjunction with my Aveda Color Conserve shampoo and conditioner on some seriously fried fringe, it works magic on crunchy bleached hair, and frayed split ends.  The slightly bad news?  Because my hair was already being propped up by a different repair product (and I couldn't just not use anything for any period of time with the knowledge that I could not feasibly wear a hat 24/7), I had a little difficulty in seeing any drastic change for the better in my mop after using the Aveda Daily Hair Repair.  Back to good news?  I also didn't see any change for the worse after switching to the Aveda Daily Hair Repair.  Yay for everyone who has to see my hair on a daily basis! I am also happy to report that it didn't leave my hair sticky, oily, or weighed down - just soft and smooth.  Oh, and even more good news?  It costs less in my market than the other product I was using.     


I'm a little sad that I don't have any before or after pictures worth sharing with you, but what I can share with you are Aveda's bragging rights about the product.  Aveda’s Damage Remedy™ Daily Hair Repair is 97% naturally derived (from plants and non-petroleum minerals), instantly repairs damage by 26% (after 1 application of Daily Hair Repair in a clinical tensile test), and helps protect from heat styling. With the plant power of Damage Remedy™ Daily Hair Repair, it’s your daily dose for healthy-looking hair.  After using it myself, I can't speak in percentages, but I don't see anything that doesn't support the claim.  Plus, it smells like all of the other Aveda products -- fantastic.


Speaking of other products, have a look at the whole damage remedy line just queueing up for the next hair disaster.

The gentle daily shampoo helps repair damage with quinoa protein, while nurturing with rich coconut and babassu-lending new life to hair. 

The daily conditioning formula with quinoa protein helps repair and re-moisturize damaged hair - infusing it anew with healthy movement, silkiness and shine. 

The intensive weekly treatment deeply penetrates to help repair, seal and smooth even the most damaged hair. 

The Damage Remedy™ Daily Hair Repair helps protect from heat styling with wheat protein and detangles with soy oil. 

The kit uses the power of pure plant oils and quinoa protein, so it restores health, silkiness and shine. 

Think you might be ready to try some out for yourself?  Hop on over to Aveda.com, and check out all of their offerings for your whatever hair needs you might have right now.

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Drink of the Moment: Honey DO!

It's Memorial Day weekend, and we all know what that means!  Good times, good friends, and  ... good grief it's been a long time since I've done a Drink of the Moment!  For those of you that thought I had fallen ON the wagon (you know who you are), NEVER FEAR for I am back with a fantastic beverage for whatever upcoming weekend fete you might be gearing up for.  I call it the 'Honey Do' since it's sweet, melony, and easy enough for your someone else to whip up for you all afternoon so you don't have to lift a finger.  Sounds perfect, no?  Oh, and let me not forget to mention that it is neon green.  Who doesn't have fun drinking a glowy green drink - a total DO .  Give it a chug (or three) and let me know what you think!

The Honey Do

3/4-1oz Stoli Sticki honey flavored vodka

2oz Midori melon liquer

1/2 oz lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Club Soda

Lime &/or blackberry for garnish

Mix first 4 ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously.  Pour into your glass, top with club soda, and garnish with fruit.  Easy peasy.

You can also do this one up instead of on the rocks if it tickles your fancy.  Just be sure to reduce the lime and simple syrup slightly so they don't overpower the flavor of the melon, or maybe add some more Midori if you go this route.  Either way, your own fate lies in the balance here, and the last thing anyone wants is to taste something gone horribly awry called a 'Honey Don't'.

Cheers!

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