Snow Day Spirits

The South shuts down when it snows.

If you were born and raised below the Mason Dixon line, you know all to well that if snow is on the radar, the town shuts down. Last week Charlotte received about 2 inches (or maybe less) of snow with a mixture of ice. Naturally, schools and offices were closed nearly everywhere. And it is my most firm belief that you are NEVER too old for a snow day. 

It so happens that my house is within walking distance to a local bar, Ed’s Tavern. Despite the crazy amounts of food I purchased the night before it snowed, my friends (Amelia, Sammie, & Regan) and I decided to walk to Ed’s for some drinks and lunch on our snow day. Inspired by the overpriced $11 Moscow mule my friend Regan had, we decided to purchase 4 cans of ginger beer and head back to the house to make some snow spirits.

We made 4 different mules and taste tested each. Here are the ingredients we used:

–William Wolf Pecan Bourbon 
–Absolut Hibiskus – Hibiscus & Pomegranate Vodka
–Tanqueray Gin 
–Svedka Vodka
-Limes
-Lime juice
–Gosling Ginger Beer 

To make our delicious spirits, I added about a shot and a half of liquor to each cup. I then added in the ginger beer (about a 2:1 ginger beer to liquor ratio). Then I squeezed a half shot of lime juice and added to fresh limes to each cup. Let me just say, the results were DELICIOUS.

All four of us sampled each cocktail. The overall favorite was the Absolut Hibiskus mule, which surprised me, because I generally do not care for flavored vodka. The regular Svedka vodka and the Tanqueray gin mules tasted very similar to one another with the strong ginger flavors overpowering the taste of the liquors. The William Wolf Pecan bourbon was certainly the most interestingly flavored mule. While it was tasty, the dueling pecan and ginger flavors were almost too much for me to handle. I recommend the William Wolf Pecan bourbon sipped on the rocks or with a splash of ginger ale, because as a standalone flavor, this liquor is AMAZING.

No matter the liquor, I’m always down for a good Moscow mule. Happy sipping!

Xx,

 

 

 

QC Eats – The Little Spoon

We like booze with our brunch, music that makes us move, and dining in the open air.

If you must know one thing about me, it’s that this girl loves brunch. Brunch basically combines every great thing in life – friends, booze, & food. Since moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, I’ve made it a point to try out new restaurants (I’m also on a never ending search for the best nachos in Charlotte, but more on that later). Last Saturday while running errands, my mother and I happened to stumble upon a brunch goldmine – little Spoon.

Let me try and set the scene for you. From the outside, with a white awning and a little Spoon logo, this place looks interesting enough and quaint. As soon as you open the door, you’ll be hit with old school music, a west coast vibe, and the revelation of the most intimidating espresso machine you’ve ever seen.

From the unique menu, featuring dishes like the Breakfast Tacos, 007 Chick’n Sandwich, Donut Holes, to the dining details, like clipboard menus and retro glass water pitchers, I was hooked before I even ordered food.

And just when I thought that the atmosphere couldn’t get any better, a throwback Snoop song comes on, followed by T.I’s Bring ‘Em Out, and some Outkast, which made me relive every great moment from middle school thru high school. YAS QUEEN. 

My mom and I decided to split the Chicken Biscuits & the NC Chopped Salad, which might I had was one of the best salad’s I’ve ever tasted, AND it had boiled peanuts on it — done & done.

I could go on, but you’ll just have to go see for yourself the amazingness that is the little Spoon Eatery.

Xx,

{Gingerbread} Home for the Holidays

Why isn’t Christmas year round??

Isn’t Christmas the best time of year? It should definitely be year ’round. (Who do we contact about making that happen?). 

This Friday night, I decided it would be a great night to stay in and do some ‘standard’ Christmas things.

So naturally, the first thing that came to mind was wine (lots of it), a gingerbread house, Christmas movies (The Santa Claus to be specific), and Golden Retrievers.

Because that’s what everyone thinks of when they think of Christmas, right?

Through many years of gingerbread house making trial-and-error, I’ve almost mastered the art (but between you and I, I’ll be using a glue gun instead of icing next year). While the prepackaged kits are convenient, they don’t provide you with nearly enough candy for decorating. So before me and my friend, Regan, got started, we went to CVS and stocked up on extra icing and candy.

Half the fun of making a gingerbread house is eating the candy while making it and watching Christmas movies.

Although if we’re being completely honest, maybe I just wanted a really cute picture to post on Instagram.

It was such a great night in, and helped me get into the Christmas spirit! The final product wasn’t too bad either 🙂

Have a Merry Christmas!

Xx,

DIY Tinsel Cocktail Stirrers

This girl loves a good party.

This girl also loves some champagne.

(There’s Andre champagne in those glasses, but shhh don’t tell anyone #cheap). 

Now that I’m 25, I’m to a point in my life where I’m living on my own, living in a new city, and can almost always find a good excuse to entertain (feeding your girlfriends wine, champagne, and chocolate is technically ‘entertaining,’ right?). 

The only downside is, entertaining costs money. Ew. 

In my limited entertaining experience, I’ve come to realize that it’s all about the details. People, whether they realize it or not, appreciate all the small details that go into entertaining, which is why this year at my first annual White Elephant Ornament Exchange, I made a DIY tinsel cocktail stirrer.

When I began party planning, I was APPALLED to find that 10 stirrers on Etsy were selling for $20+. No thank you. So lets get crafty and DIY! 

These precious stirrers are SO easy to make — seriously. I will be making these any time I’m entertaining from here on out.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 pack of tinsel (any color). I got a multi color pack from Hobby Lobby.
• Bamboo skewers
• A hot glue gun and 3-4 glue sticks
• Scissors

Step 1.

Plug in your hot glue gun, so it is completely heated up by the time you are ready to use it. Make sure you put a glue stick in it while it heats.

Step 2.

Take your tinsel out of the packaging, and cut the tinsel in 2 1/2″ – 3″ pieces. (It probably goes without saying, but cut 1 piece per each stirrer you’ll need). 

Step 3.

Count out the number of skewers you are making. (This step isn’t necessary, but it will make it easier while you’re working). 

Step 4.

Pick up one skewer. On the pointy side of the skewer, place one 1/2 inch line of hot glue until it reaches the tip of the skewer. Immediately place on free end of the tinsel on the hot glue and press down the end of the tinsel gently.

Step 5.

You should have one free end of tinsel that is not yet attached to the skewer. Wrap the free end of tinsel around the skewer in a circular motion. When you run out of slack, place a line of glue on the wrapped tinsel, and place the free end of the tinsel in the glue to secure the loose end.

Step 6.

This step can get hot, so BE CAREFUL! Gently press down the most recent glued end of tinsel towards the skewer for about 10 seconds. The hot glue will set quickly, so you want to make sure the tinsel is placed in the correct spot and stuck in the glue.

Step 7.

Let the glue stick cool as you finish the remaining stirrers. Pull off any stray hot glue strings. If you notice any loose tinsel ends, apply another portion of hot glue to reinforce the tinsel.

Now you are ready to entertain! Dress up your drink. These look precious placed in champagne glasses, martini glasses, and highball glasses! For an added touch of detail, add fresh cranberries or any other fresh fruit onto the skewer. 

Enjoy, safely!

Xx,