Arsenic Lace

SAVEUR Blog Awards

Sunday Kind of Love

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I hope everyone had a good week. I can’t believe we’re approaching the last week of August. I really don’t know where the time is going. Someone stop the clock please! Not a whole lot happened this week except the usual tons of work thing that I always seem to be struggling with. There is light at the end of the tunnel though.

  • I'm going to Paris and Cognac in September with Pierre Ferrand to tour the distillery and spend some time in France. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to travel with them. France and especially Paris has always been on the top of my list of places to go to but somehow I've made it 30 years without getting the chance to travel there. I'm staying behind for a few days after the trip so I booked my hotel this week. After searching for a few hours I found this really awesome hotel, The Henriette, that was very afforable and just look how adorable it is. I know what you're thinking…how did you find a Palm Springs looking hotel in the Paris? Let's just say the universe found it for me. This trip has seemed so far for months and now it's just around the corner. What am I going to pack? Did I just find the hotel that every blogger is going to stay at now when they go to Paris? Can you spot a photo of my favorite hotel in Palm Springs framed above one of those beds? Click the photos to see the slideshow.

  • Meet the Finalists went up on SAVEUR this week. Check it out here and read about their favorite drink blogs of 2017 and learn more about each blog/blogger that has been nominated in the SAVEUR Blog Awards. You have until 9/6 to vote for Arsenic Lace for Best Drinks Blog, so keep voting! EVERY DAY!

  • Did you see my Chamomile Elderflower Tom Collins on A Beautiful Mess? It’s a delicious and refreshing variation on the classic Tom Collins with elderflower liqueur and chamomile flower infused honey syrup. This drink was so good and I had a blast making it and shooting it. I’m really happy with how the photos turned out.

  • I have a fun post and giveaway that goes live tomorrow on the blog. Keep your eyes peeled for that email in your inbox in the morning. You have to be following me on Instagram to enter, so if you’re not already, what are you waiting for? 😉

  • I need a new camera bag because I want to travel with my camera, especially for this France trip. A Beautiful Mess did a collaboration with Kelly Moore and ever since they launched them I’ve been dying to buy one. It seems like there’s enough space for my camera body, a few lenses, but most importantly my laptop. I want to be able to blog while I’m on that trip so having a bag that can accomodate all of my needs is really important. I like this one because it can be a shoulder bag or backpack which is super useful. My current camera bag is a little small and when I put all of my stuff in it, it’s very heavy and hurts my shoulders. This bag is obviously ridiculously good looking as well. My biggest problem? Should I get pink or gold? Obviously my mind goes directly to pink but keep in mind everything I own is pink, including jackets and my hair. What do you guys think?

If you have ever been to Paris and have any recommendations on places I should go and see, please tell me in the comments section below. Museums? Favorite restaurants? Cocktail bars? Colorful walls? I want to know about it. Enjoy your Sunday. I’m hoping to get a little time to relax myself. Cheers. xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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Happy Sunday! I hope these blooms brighten up your day. I did some flower arranging yesterday for a collaboration I’m doing with Bloomia, so stay tuned. Making bouquets is much harder than you think. Florists have earned so much more of my respect!

What a crazy week it has been and today I am most definitely giving myself a much deserved day off. I’ve been working a lot lately and honestly, I’ve been pretty stressed and spread a little thin. Between regular bar work, a consulting project, keeping up with the blog and social clients, my plate is very full at the moment. There is never a dull moment and who wants to be bored anyways? How do you guys unwind/relax? Do you have good tips on combating burn out? Send them my way! One day I will have this whole life/work balance thing figured out.

  • I’m sure you’ve seen by now that Arsenic Lace has been nominated for Best Drinks Blog by SAVEUR Magazine for their Blog Awards. You have until September 6th to vote as many times as you want so I’m going to be reminding you A LOT to place your votes. I’m up against a lot of really great talent, some I’m happy to call friends, so no matter what happens I’m honored to be a finalist. Head here to place your vote.

  • Wide Open Eats featured me and 15 of my drinks on their lifestyle section and said my Instagram is the happiest thing they’ve seen! “The Florida-meets-Palm-Springs flair of Arsenic Lace’s cocktails will inspire you to imbibe beachside or build a backyard tiki bar yourself.” I stumbled upon this while searching for another article I was featured in and it was quite a happy find! It feels nice to know that others find joy in the content I’m putting out there. This is exactly why I started doing this in the first place. Check it out here.

  • Did you see my delicious Mango Mai Tai go up on A Beautiful Mess this week? There’s an orgeat how-to as well which is a crucial syrup for making tiki drinks at home. Go read fun facts about the history of the Mai Tai and maybe try to make my summertime version for yourself! Recipe here.

  • Yesterday my Hibiscus Frosé was on Palm Springs Style. I’m so happy with the way this recipe turned out. I’ve been trying to figure out an easy way to make frosé at home that didn’t require freezing it in a sheet pan or adding ice to blend and I finally figured it out. The hibiscus syrup really took this drink to the next level by adding floral, tart, fruity notes that complimented the wine – plus the color is stunning!

That’s all for this Sunday. Hope you’re all relaxing with something frosty and boozy in hand. Did you make anything tasty this weekend? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers everyone. xo

Arsenic Lace | SAVEUR Blog Awards Finalist

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I’m beyond excited to announce to you all that I am a finalist in the 8th Annual SAVEUR Blog Awards! From a pool of 30,000 submissions, my blog was selected as a top six contender in the Best Drinks Coverage category. I’ve known for about a week now and had to keep it a secret which was really hard! Obviously, I wanted to tell everyone! A BIG thank you to everyone that took the time to nominate me, I can’t tell you how much it means.

When I started on this journey about 14 months ago I wasn’t really sure where I was going. I knew that I had a wealth of knowledge learned over many years of being a professional bartender, and I wanted to use that to help educate others in a fun and inspiring way. I needed to start somewhere, so I just did and I haven’t stopped since. I have been recipe developing and consulting on menus for years but bringing those skills to an online platform has helped me expand in many ways I hadn’t ever imagined. Although the hustle is real sometimes, I get to do many things that I truly love on an everyday basis and I am very thankful for that. I also get to connect with others that share the same passions and interests as myself and that keeps me very inspired and motivated. The love and support from the blogging/Instagram community is unlike anything I have ever experienced. What would I do without all of you?

For those of you that have taken the time to support me, I hope that I can one day raise a glass with you or return the favor. There are so many things I want to accomplish from here, like writing a book, launching a line of bar tools, and opening my own bar someday. I know that every day I’m working towards those dreams.

Today voting goes live and I still need your help to win. From 8/9-9/6 you can vote for me as often as you’d like. Each category will have two winners. The finalist with the most votes will be named Readers’ Choice winner and a team of SAVEUR editors will also select an equally weighted Editors’ Choice winner. Winners will be announced on 10/2 in Charleston, South Carolina and online. Being in the top six next to so many other talented bloggers is truly an honor, especially because I’ve been doing it for such a short period of time. Thank you for this chance and I promise to keep creating the content and cocktails that you love here on Arsenic-Lace.

You can vote for me here! I apologize in advance for posting about voting for me every day for the next month. 😉

Cheers everyone! It’s hump day so don’t forget to make yourself a cocktail! xo