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Home Entertaining

Celebrate the Holidays with Chambord

December 22, 2020 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Holiday Gifting and Punch with Chambord

Celebrate the holidays with Chambord! I’ve teamed up with my friends from Chambord to give you a last-minute gift idea plus two holiday cocktail recipes. I understand better than anyone what it’s like to procrastinate to the very last minute to buy gifts and to plan what you’re making for the holidays. It is me. Every. Single. Year.

Chambord makes the perfect gift for a hostess, last-minute gifting or stocking stuffer. The bottle is so unique and elegant and looks amazing on your home bar or entertaining area. Pretty and delicious? Sounds great to me!

Holiday Gifting and Punch with Chambord

Every drop of Chambord is produced at a chateau wholly dedicated to Chambord in Cour-Cheverny in the Loire Valley of France. It’s made with 100% natural ingredients and uses whole, fresh fruit in the production process and contains XO Cognac, which is aged longer than VS or VSOP. So you can feel great about using it in your cocktails.

Holiday Gifting and Punch with Chambord

A very easy cocktail you can whip up in no time for Christmas or even the New Year is The Chambord Royale by simply adding 1/4 oz. of Chambord to your favortie glass of Champagne or Prosecco and garnishing it with a raspberry, blackberry or both.

I’ve made my own little spin on this cocktail by turning it into a larger format punch for easy entertaining at-home or socially distanced. In addition to Chambord all you do is add lemon juice and your spirit of choice. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Holiday Gifting and Punch with Chambord

Chambord Royale Punch

1/2 cup of Chambord

1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 cup of your spirit of choice (I recommend gin or Cognac)

Top off with a bottle of sparkling wine

lemon wheels, for garnish

raspberries, for garnish

blackberries, for garnish

Holiday Gifting and Punch with Chambord

Add lemon juice, Chambord and spirit to punch bowl. Then add ice and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lemon wheels, raspberries and blackberries.

This Chambord Royale punch is decadent and wonderfully effervescent. It’s the ideal accompaniment to meats and cheeses for a cocktail hour or beside a rich holiday meal. Might I add that a sparkly punch is always wonderful and appropriate for NYE.

Holiday Gifting and Punch with Chambord

Whether you’re spending it with your closest family members or even apart from them, Chambord makes the perfect gift. If you’re spending it apart, gifting a bottle and then making the Chambord Royale cocktail or punch over Facetime/ Zoom might be a fun way to connect with your loved ones this season. Regardless have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and please celebrate responsibly.

Order directly via Drizly and you can get $5 credit on your first order* using promotion code CHAMBORD. Also don’t forget to tag your Chambord cocktails with #makethemomentmagnifique over on Instagram.

This is a Drizly offer. 21+ subject to terms and conditions of Drizly. Void where prohibited. Offer Expires 3/30/21. Thanks for supporting the sponsored posts that make Arsenic-Lace happen.

Filed Under: Champagne Cocktails, Classic Cocktails, Cocktails, Entertaining, Featured, Fizzy, Holiday, Holiday Cocktails, Home Entertaining, Party Ideas, Sponsored, Sweet Tagged With: chambord, champagne, christmas, cocktails, entertaining, holiday, holiday cocktails, new years eve, punch, raspberry

Mod Cocktails Now on Pre-order

September 5, 2019 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Mod Cocktails Now on Pre-Order!

Super excited to announce that the book I’ve been working on since last year, Mod Cocktails, is now available for pre-order and is officially released on November 5th!

Thanks to everyone for their continued support while I wrote this book. Especially to my publisher Page Street. I worked really hard compiling recipes and stories of cocktails that I love and are important to me from the midcentury era. The recipes span anywhere from the 1940s to the late 1960s and also include my little spins on some of my favorite classic cocktails.

I tried to make this book accessible to everyone. That includes the at-home enthusiast and even more complicated recipes for the seasoned bartender. The objective of this book was to take two categories that are often separated, classic and tiki, and have a place for them to belong together while celebrating the midcentury. I hope you’ll invite these cocktails into your homes and bars.

I’ll be announcing the release party and book signings very soon. In the meantime, you can pre-order Mod Cocktails here on Amazon. xo

Filed Under: Big News, Cocktails, Entertaining, Featured, Home Entertaining, Mod Cocktails, Party Ideas Tagged With: classic cocktails, cocktails, craft cocktails, easy entertaining, home entertaining, Mod Cocktails, news

DIY Summer Sangria Bar with World Market

July 24, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

DIY Summer Sangria Bar

This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of World Market. Thank you for reading the sponsored content that makes Arsenic-Lace possible!

Recently I was super excited to team up with Cost Plus World Market to create a DIY Summer Sangria Bar. I shopped at my local Woodland Park, NJ store where all the store associates were friendly and accommodating. They eagerly helped me find the products I needed for my Sangria Bar. When setting up a Sangria Bar it is so important to have all the appropriate bar tools and accessories. I found so many affordable, not mention, stylish options in store. Cost Plus World Market is definitely my one stop shop for entertaining essentials!

DIY Summer Sangria Bar

DIY Summer Sangria Bar

I developed 3 easy, delicious, and unique sangria recipes using wine from World Market as well. It took me by surprise the wide variety of wine they carried in the store. I picked Radio Boca Tempranillo for the red which is a dry and fruity Spanish wine perfect for a traditional sangria. The Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc for the white which is grassy, herbaceous, and has notes of tropical fruit. This crisp, lush, and floral Rosè from Louis Jadot tastes like Summer and is a great pink sangria option.

DIY Summer Sangria Bar

DIY Summer Sangria Bar

I picked items with tropical details for my Sangria Bar set up to get everyone in the Summer spirit! A woven fiber table runner together with palm leaf placemats add texture and style when decorating your table. I also used added gold accents along with a gold pineapple ice bucket, gold and marble tray, gold stemless wine glasses, and gold spoons. These inexpensive glass carafes were the perfect option for having multiple vessels to serve the sangria in. Having extra fruit out for guests to customize their sangria is key and these cute blush bowls completed the look while also adding a pop of color.

DIY Summer Sangria Bar

Head over to the World Market Blog to see the full recipes and how I put together this DIY Summer Sangria Bar. Overall I’m so happy with how it turned out! I’ve added all my picks that I used from World Market below just in case you want to shop them. If you’d rather shop in person at a Cost Plus World Market near you, you can use their convenient store locator on their website. Happy shopping and drinking! 😉

DIY Summer Sangria Bar

Filed Under: Cocktails, DIY, Entertaining, Home Entertaining, Party Ideas, Sangria, Sponsored, Summer Cocktails, Sweet, Wine Tagged With: ad, classic cocktails, DIY, easy entertaining, home entertaining, recipes, sangria, sponsored, summer cocktails, wine, world market

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

May 1, 2018 by Natalie

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

I’m so excited to be teaming up with Bai for this next post! Memorial Day Weekend is just over a month away and is the official kick-off to Summer. I’ve put together 3 fun ways for you to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend this year. Whether you’re staying home, entertaining, or going to a friends party, it’s always a good idea to have a few tricks up your sleeves.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

DIY Balloon Arch

Supplies:

helium tank

balloon decorating strip

various balloons in different colors and sizes

glue dots

balloon string

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

I’ve never blown up balloons with helium before this project. Honestly, it was so easy and I got this Balloon Time tank that is available at Party City. They’re so easy to use and can easily be recycled when empty. To use all you have to do is twist the nozzle, press down to fill the balloons, and then tie the ends up. You can blow up all your balloons and then attach them or attach them as you go which is what I ended up doing. If you blow them all up at once, make sure you can reach them, or put them in garbage bags so they don’t float up.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Next, you can attach them to the balloon decorating strip. Slip the knot of a balloon through the hole of the decorating strip. Skip a few holes and place another balloon facing the opposite direction. Keep alternating balloon colors and sides until you have a balloon strip as long as you need your arch to be. If your balloon arch is looking scarce you can add a few more balloons where needed, but don’t go too crazy. We’re going to add little balloons to fill in the holes too.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Once all your main balloons are on the strip as long as you need it to be, you can cut the strip on either side where the balloons end. You can use balloon string to tie your arch to the table or piece of furniture your using. I tied mine to strings that went to the floor and then used balloon weights to hold it down. Use glue dots to stick mini balloons into the holes and crevices until you have an arch that’s completely full.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Jalapeño Watermelon Paloma

Ingredients:

2 oz Jalapeño infused Tequila

2 oz. Bai Kula Watermelon

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

4 chunks watermelon

salt, for rimming

top with Bai Bubbles Gimbi Pink Grapefruit

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

First, infuse your tequila. Slice jalapeño and add it to a jar with the tequila. Depending on the intensity of your pepper this may infuse fairly quickly. With this in mind, I’d say infuse it for 10 minutes or 20 minutes MAX. I have a very high tolerance for spice, however, if you don’t straw test it every few minutes until it’s at your desired spiciness. Once your tequila has infused you can build your drink.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Now, rim your glass with salt. Add watermelon together with lime and Bai Kula Watermelon to a shaker and muddle. Next, add the jalapeño tequila and shake with ice. Strain into your desired serving vessel that’s been rimmed with salt and top with Bai Gimbi Pink Grapefruit. Finally, garnish with a lime wheel. This Jalapeno Watermelon Paloma is spicy, fruity, refreshing, and not to mention delightfully fizzy, which makes it perfect for a hot day. I found that using just the Bai Kula Watermelon made this drink sweet enough so no added sugar or syrups necessary.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Additionally, you can also make this Jalapeño Watermelon Paloma a large format style drink too. To serve 10 people add 20 oz. jalapeño infused tequila, 2 bottles Bai Kula Watermelon, 8 oz. lime juice, 2 cups watermelon, 2 sliced grapefruits, and 2 cans of Bai Bubbles Gimbi Pink Grapefruit to a punch bowl or drink dispenser with ice. It’s such a perfect beverage for your Memorial Day Weekend festivities!

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Hot Dogs 4 Ways

It wouldn’t be Memorial Day Weekend without some hot dogs! Pick out your favorite type of dog and cook it your favorite way. These are my 4 suggested ways to dress up your dog this holiday weekend.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Mexican Dog

Ingredients:

avocado, sliced

jalapeño, sliced

1/4 cup white onion, diced

1 tomato, diced

kiwi, diced

1 cup pineapple, diced

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

4-6 dashes hot sauce of your choice

juice of 1 lime

To make the pineapple kiwi salsa simply toss onion, tomato, kiwi, pineapple, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and lime juice in a bowl. To assemble your Mexican Dog top with the salsa, freshly sliced avocado, and freshly sliced jalapeño.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Chicago Dog

Ingredients:

white onion, diced

tomato, sliced

pickle spears

yellow mustard

sweet relish

pickled sport peppers (we used serranos)*

celery salt

Cut the tomato into half-moon slices and line your hot dog bun with the tomato slices. Add your dog and then top with a pickle spear, sweet relish, sport peppers, mustard, a sprinkle of onion and celery salt. *sport peppers are regional and if you can’t find them where you live use serrano peppers

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Caprese Dog

Ingredients:

tomato, sliced

whole basil leaves

fresh mozzarella

balsamic vinegar

Cut tomatoes into half-moon slices. In your hot dog bun line one side with tomatoes and one side with fresh basil leaves. Top with fresh mozzarella, I used mozzarella pearls, and then drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

Greek Dog

Ingredients:

cucumber, sliced

tomato, sliced

greek yogurt

cheese, crumbled

Cut cucumber as well as the tomatoes into slices and line your hot dog bun with them. Add your hot dog to the bun and then top with greek yogurt and a sprinkle of feta cheese.

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

3 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend

I had so much fun putting this all together with Bai for Memorial Day Weekend. You can use one of these ideas or all of them, it’s totally up to you! I love the idea of doing a hot dog bar with the DIY balloon arch, and serving your favorite kind of dog coupled with a large format drink, like the jalapeno watermelon Paloma, to go along with it. I’d love to hear what your planning for your Memorial Day Weekend especially if you decide to try any of these ideas. Make sure you chime in on the comments below and let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading this sponsored post that makes Arsenic Lace possible.

Filed Under: DIY, Entertaining, Fizzy, Food, Healthy Cocktails, Home Entertaining, Party Ideas, Recipes, Spicy, Sponsored, Summer Cocktails, Tequila Tagged With: bai, balloon arch, celebrate, DIY, easy entertaining, entertaining, food, grapefruit, home entertaining, hot dogs, jalapeno, memorial day weekend, paloma, recipes, summer, summer cocktails, watermelon

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

April 30, 2018 by Natalie 17 Comments

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

I’m so excited to be teaming up with Santa Margherita Wines this year to show you how I enjoy drinking their wines at home. Spring is such a busy time for entertaining. The weather is getting nicer and Mother’s Day, plus many holiday weekends are fast approaching. Having some ideas of what food to serve and what kind of drinks to pair it with is so important.

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

For as much as I love cocktails, I also love to enjoy a glass of wine. Wine is also so much easier to have on hand and serve especially when you’re entertaining. I’ve put together two easy dishes and paired them with Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé.

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

Spring Pea Salad with Strawberries, serves 4

Ingredients

8 cups mixed salad greens

1 cup snow peas or snap peas, trimmed

3/4 cup strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup fresh peas

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

For the dressing

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. champagne vinegar

1 tsp. honey

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Arrange greens, mint, snow/snap peas, strawberries, peas, and feta on a serving platter. Whisk oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and drizzle over the salad.

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

Cantaloupe & Proscuitto Skewers

Ingredients

3 oz. package of prosciutto

1 cantaloupe

basil leaves

fresh black pepper

Cut the cantaloupe into bite-sized pieces. cut each piece of prosciutto in half and roll individually. Place a toothpick into each piece of prosciutto and then into the cantaloupe. Sprinkle with sliced basil and fresh black pepper.

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

These recipes were so easy and they took minutes to whip up. Talk about some super easy peasy entertaining ideas! I love using fresh fruit in salads and appetizers in the Spring/Summer and it really brings out the fruity notes in the wine. Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé has a full bouquet of pleasing floral aromas with hints of red berry and crafted with a blend of white wine made from Chardonnay and Glera grapes and a red varietal of Malbec. It is delicate in flavor but also vibrant and well rounded which makes it a deliciously easy drinking wine. This pale bubbly pink wine is tasty, aromatic, and a great companion to savory appetizers, salads, and seafood dishes. I absolutely adore how it complemented the spring pea salad and prosciutto skewers.

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

Food + Wine Pairing for Spring Entertaining

What’s your favorite food and wine pairing? I hope you will consider these options next time you’re entertaining!

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Appetizers, Entertaining, Fizzy, Food, Home Entertaining, Party Ideas, Recipes, Sponsored, Wine Tagged With: easy entertaining, entertaining ideas, food, home entertaining, recipes, spring, summer, wine, wine pairing

The Perfect Galentine’s Day Brunch Cocktail

February 2, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

I’m not sure if you guys know but I’m a HUGE Valentine’s Day fan. Any excuse to wear pink and shake up a cocktail (or bake) is the perfect holiday for me. The counterpart to V-Day? Well, it’s Galentine’s Day! What better excuse to celebrate your fabulous self by getting together with your lady friends for brunch, drinking a cocktail or two, doing fun DIYs, and watching your favorite romantic chick-flicks. I’ve come up with the perfect Galentine’s Day brunch cocktail that’s both easy and delicious.

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

No party would be complete without a fun bar cart set up either. I got the #Gals banner and garland from Target for $3 each.

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

Raspberry Sorbet Bellini, serves 1

1 scoop raspberry sorbet

1/2 oz. elderflower liqueur

sparkling rosé wine

edible flowers and fresh raspberries for garnish

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

These raspberry sorbet bellini’s are so easy to assemble and makes them the perfect entertaining cocktail. Simply scoop the sorbet into a champagne glass and add 1/2 oz. of elderflower liqueur and then top with the sparkling rosé. Garnish with fresh raspberries and an edible flower garnish.

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

SO EASY RIGHT?

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

I have a feeling you will be drinking these raspberry sobet bellini’s long after Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day comes and goes. I think this is my new every Sunday brunch cocktail. You can get creative and change what type of liqueur you use, the flavor of sorbet, as well as switch to a regular sparkling wine or champagne instead of rosé. ‘Tis the season for pink and red and I couldn’t help myself but pick raspberries and a little pink wine to go along with it. The Lamberti Rosé Sparkling wine I used was great for the price, bright, refreshing with lasting flavors of apple and raspberry that complemented the sorbet perfectly.

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

Are you planning on having a Galentine’s Day get together with your bffs? I hope so and I hope you will try this cocktail out. If you do don’t forget to let me know how it turns out in the comments below. I also started a hashtag over on Instagram, so snap some pics and tag it with #ALinmyglass so I can see. Stay tuned for more Valentine’s Day treats. Cheers everyone! Happy Weekend! xo

The Perfect Galentine's Day Brunch Cocktail

Filed Under: Champagne Cocktails, Cocktails, Entertaining, Fizzy, Holiday Cocktails, Home Entertaining, Party Ideas, Sweet, Valentine's Day, Wine Tagged With: brunch, easy entertaining, galentine's day, party ideas, raspberry, rose, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Cocktails, wine cocktails

Super Bowl Party Ideas

January 24, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

Super Bowl Party Ideas

I’m so excited to be teaming up with Bai for this post to bring you some fun Super Bowl Party Ideas. If you’re hosting a Super Bowl gathering or heading to a friends house, these DIYs and recipes should be a part of your goodie bag of tricks. I’m breaking down some fun, totally easy ways to gussy up that Sunday football fest in style!

Bourbon Salted Caramel Popcorn

Bourbon Caramel Popcorn

6 cups popped popcorn

cooking spray or parchment paper

6 tbsp. butter

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 tbsp. corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 tbsp. bourbon

Bourbon Salted Caramel Popcorn - Super Bowl Party Ideas

Preheat the oven to 300°. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Pop the popcorn and transfer it to a large bowl. Heat the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture starts bubbling, cook for one minute more. Remove from heat and add the bourbon and vanilla. Stir and pour over the popcorn. Stir until popcorn is nicely coated and then transfer to the baking sheet, spreading out to an even layer. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool and serve in a bowl or cute football snack bags. Store leftovers in a sealable container — if you have any leftovers.

Super Bowl Party Ideas

Football Snack Bags

brown paper bags

white paint

paint brush

Bourbon Salted Caramel Popcorn - Super Bowl Party Ideas

Simply paint line on a brown paper bag to resemble a football. Let dry and use to serve your Bourbon Caramel Popcorn or to send guests home with a Super Bowl goodie bag.

DIY Football Field Tray - Super Bowl Party Ideas

DIY Football Field Tray

clear lucite tray

astroturf

white duct tape

white number stickers

scissors

hot glue gun and glue sticks

DIY Football Field Tray - Super Bowl Party Ideas

Cut the astroturf to the size of the inside of your lucite tray. I found my lucite tray onsale at HomeGoods for $12.99! Cut a strip of duct tape to the width of your tray and fold it lengthwise so it is smooth on both sides. Repeat until you have enough strips to fit your tray. My tray was small so I only did four. If you have a larger tray you can do five or six strips. Lay out each of the strips on the astroturf until they are evenly spaced to form the yard lines. Hot glue in place. Lay out the yard line number stickers. My stickers weren’t very sticky so I secured them with hot glue too. Place on either side of the yard line on both sides of the tray.

DIY Football Field Tray - Super Bowl Party Ideas

Your tray is Super Bowl ready!!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs - Super Bowl Party Ideas

Fizzy Bourbon Strawberry Lemonade

2 oz. Bourbon

3 oz. Bai São Paulo Strawberry Lemonade

top with club soda or champagne

chocolate covered strawberry football for garnish

Fizzy Bourbon Strawberry Lemonade - Super Bowl Party ideas

I kept the cocktail easy peasy because I know hosting for game day can be tough. These can be made easily to order, built right in the glass or you can toss all the ingredients in a punch bowl for easy self-service.

Fizzy Bourbon Strawberry Lemonade - Super Bowl Party ideas

If you want to take this cocktail a step further you can add the bourbon, Bai Sao Paulo Strawberry Lemonade, fresh strawberries and mint to a cocktail shaker then muddle and shake with ice. Strain into a highball glass over ice and top with club soda. If you’re feeling lucky you can swap out the club soda for champagne and kick the ABV up a notch.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs - Super Bowl Party Ideas

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs

strawberries

dark chocolate melting wafers

white cookie icing

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs - Super Bowl Party Ideas

Fill a coffee mug with the dark chocolate melting wafers and put in the microwave for 10 seconds. Take out, stir the chocolate, and return to the microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat this until all chocolate has melted but be careful not to burn the chocolate. Take your strawberries by the stems and dip into the mug of chocolate. Place on a piece of parchment paper and let the strawberries set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and pipe the white cookie icing on to resemble footballs. Now you have the cutest and most delicious garnish for game day!

Fizzy Bourbon Strawberry Lemonade - Super Bowl Party ideas

Super Bowl Party Ideas

Super Bowl Party Ideas

I’m so happy with how my Super Bowl Party Ideas turned out. Super bowl and super cute tend to not go hand in hand usually, but I feel like I totally scored with these! There is no better day to nosh on popcorn than on Super Bowl Sunday and the fact that it’s boozy popcorn makes it all the better. The fizzy bourbon strawberry lemonade is easy, delicious, and that chocolate covered strawberry football garnish is a win in my book! Serving in style is key and the DIY football field tray is a cute detail that pulls everything together. I hope this inspires you to make your game day festivities a little more fun. Ethan’s team (The Eagles) are going to the Super Bowl so I can’t wait to recreate these ideas for Super Bowl Sunday. xo

Filed Under: Boozy Treats, Bourbon, DIY, Entertaining, Home Entertaining, Party Ideas, Sponsored Tagged With: bourbon, Chocolate, DIY, easy entertaining, home entertaining, party ideas, popcorn, sponsored, strawberry, super bowl, super bowl sunday

Blood Orange Sangria

December 8, 2017 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Blood Orange Sangria

Happy hour time? After a few days with children at Walt Disney World, I’m in need of a drink. TGIF everyone! I found blood oranges at the market and I can’t even contain my excitement. I decided to make this easy Blood Orange Sangria so I can enjoy it over the weekend. If you can get your hands on blood oranges already this would be great to make for an upcoming holiday party or gathering. Large format drinks are perfect for the holiday and entertaining season.

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria, serves 4-6

1 bottle Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup blood orange juice
1/2 cup Lairds Apple Brandy
1/4 cup Campari
1 cup club soda
2 blood oranges sliced into wheels or chopped
12 oz. strawberries, sliced
1 pint of raspberries
1 apple, chopped

Blood Orange Sangria

First things first, juice your blood oranges. In a large pitcher combine the wine, apple brandy, campari, blood orange juice, club soda, apples, raspberries, strawberries, and blood oranges. Stir well to combine. Fill your glasses with ice then spoon some fruit from the sangria on top.Pour into each glass and serve.

Blood Orange Sangria

This sangria gets better as it sits, so you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It serves 4-6 people or just you all weekend. 😉

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

Blood Orange Sangria

I added the Campari as a last minute idea but I’m so glad I did.  Campari is an Italian bitter aperitif and is a blend of fruit, herbs, and spices. Its prominent flavor is strong bitter orange so I thought it was a great ingredient to use in the addition of fresh blood oranges. I wanted to use a Brandy that added some seasonality and thought using Lairds Apple Brandy was the perfect option. Its fresh apple taste complements the other ingredients in this Blood Orange Sangria plus enhances the flavors of the freshly chopped apples. I used a Honeycrisp apple because those are my favorite. Their creamy white flesh is exceptionally crisp and aromatic and they have a pleasant sweet-tart flavor.

Blood Orange Sangria

I hope you enjoy your weekend. Are you doing anything fun? I’m excited to finish decorating for Christmas and to work on some new holiday posts. Oh, and I’ll be drinking this Blood Orange Sangria. Let me know if you will be too in the comments below. xo

Blood Orange Sangria

Filed Under: Apple Brandy, Entertaining, Home Entertaining, Wine, Winter Cocktails Tagged With: apple brandy, blood orange, campari, classic cocktails, craft cocktails, easy entertaining, fall cocktails, home entertaining, sangria, winter cocktails

Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar

December 6, 2017 by Natalie 1 Comment

I’m not a huge fan of the weather getting colder but there are a few perks. Enjoying warm drinks at this time of year is definitely one them! I put together this cute, colorful, and festive Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar for us to enjoy while Ethan and I decorated our Christmas tree. It did the trick for putting us in the holiday spirit.

This year I’m more excited than ever for the holidays. It’s the first time in my adult life that I have space for a regular sized Christmas tree and to do holiday decorating at all. I bought the pink Christmas tree of my dreams and I can’t wait to reveal it in all its glory! Perhaps I can even throw a little holiday party since I’m so proud of how everything came out. I don’t know about you but I love a “build your own anything station” at a holiday gathering. Today I’m sharing how to build a simple Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar for your own winter or holiday gathering.

You can make your own hot chocolate like the recipe I made here or put a Keurig out if you own one. I did both that way people could choose what they wanted. The Keurig route is definitely easier but I love making fresh hot chocolate from scratch. I put my fresh hot chocolate in an enamel serving pot and left out a jar of hot chocolate pods for the Keurig.

You can use little glass jars to house all your hot chocolate toppings. My favorite hot chocolate toppings include:

  • mini chocolate chips
  • mini marshmallows (I bought regular and peppermint)
  • sprinkles
  • crushed peppermint
  • flavored stirring spoons or straws
  • marshmallow snowflakes and snowmen

I don’t like to add booze to the hot chocolate mix. Since it’s hot it can burn the alcohol off. It’s nice to put out a few bottles that go best with hot chocolate. Guests can pick their favorite spirit and mix it to their own taste. It also allows the hot chocolate to be non-alcoholic. Hello children, non-drinkers, and pregnant ladies! They all need a holiday treat too! My favorite spirits to leave out on my Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar are:

  • Irish cream (like Kerrygold)
  • Licor 43
  • whiskey (bourbon, rye, or Irish)
  • rum (spiced or dark)
  • brandy (American, French, or Spanish)
  • sherry (Pedro Ximenez)
  • creme de cacao (I love Tempus Fugit)
  • coffee liqueur
  • amaretto or biscotti liqueur (Faretti)

This is an easy and delicious treat when you’re having holiday guests over. It takes the pressure off of you while you’re entertaining and guests get to make their own delicious wintery treat! I hope you consider putting a Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar together for your festivities. Don’t forget to include some fun holiday decor as well!

Be Merry Balloon Banner / Hot Cocoa Pot / Pink Marble Mugs / Bottle Brush Trees from Target and Homegoods / My Cinema Lightbox / Pink Tree

Filed Under: Bar Cart Style, Entertaining, Holiday Cocktails, Home Entertaining, Hot Cocktails, Winter Cocktails Tagged With: bar cart, bar cart essentials, craft cocktails, dessert, easy entertaining, holiday cocktails, home bar, home entertaining, hot chocolate, hot cocktails, winter cocktails

Rosemary Gin and Tonics with Infused Ice

November 20, 2017 by Natalie 2 Comments

Hey there everyone! I’ve been working my little behind off and I’m getting ready to host my first Thanksgiving. Let’s talk about STRESSED. Luckily I’ve teamed up with Zevia to bring you some cocktail recipes with their non-alcoholic mixers. First up are these Rosemary Gin and Tonics with Infused Ice.

Zevia is a line of zero calorie, refreshing and delicious beverages. Zevia is sweetened with the plant-based sweetener stevia, which means no artificial sweeteners, and no sugar. It is also Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, Kosher, vegan and free of caramel color. Zevias mixers are simple, delicious, and the perfect compliment to any cocktail. I wanted to make something that was no fuss because that equals no stress! These Rosemary Gin & Tonics with infused ice are the perfect answer to easy entertaining this Thanksgiving.

Rosemary Gin and Tonic

2 oz. rosemary infused gin

1 can of Zevia tonic water

rosemary and cranberry infused ice cubes

Infusing the gin is easy. Simply add your desired amount of gin to a container with a few sprigs of rosemary. Infuse for 1 hour or until the desired level of taste is achieved.

To make your ice cubes add cranberries and rosemary to a large ice cube tray and fill with filtered water. Freeze for 5-6 hours but overnight is always best.

To make your cocktail place your infused ice in a glass, pour the gin and then add Zevia tonic water.

I love using infused ice in drinks. It’s a really simple detail that will certainly wow your guests. The great part about infusing ice is that you can make a bunch ahead and simply pop them out of the freezer when needed. Same thing goes for infusing the gin. Infuse as much as you need in advance and you have a delicious 2 ingredient cocktail with the most beautiful garnish. Easy peasy. There’s so much to do when you’re entertaining so I hope these Rosemary Gin and Tonics with Infused Ice will take a little work out of making cocktails. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Filed Under: Entertaining, Fizzy, Gin, Gin Cocktails, Holiday Cocktails, Home Entertaining, Sponsored Tagged With: classic cocktails, easy entertaining, fall cocktails, gin, gin cocktails, holiday cocktails, home entertaining, sponsored

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My name is Natalie Jacob and I'm a bartender, author and beverage + creative consultant drinking, honky tonkin and making a home in Nashville, TN. Learn more ->

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