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I’m hosting my largest event of the year at our showroom this weekend…and please, pray for my sanity. Saturday, 1000 design professionals (and at least one homeless person) will flood the walls of my space, eating and drinking to their hearts’ content.

Since this week is  so f*cking busy, my post is kind of a tease but I’ll leave you with two cocktail recipes that I’ll be serving on Saturday for your enjoyment, especially since most of you aren’t invited. 

Fresh Mango Margarita:  

• Ice
• 1 1/2 Ounces Tequila
• 1 Ounce Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/2 Ounce Cointreau
• Fresh Mango Puree

Spiked Cucumber Lemonade:

• 1 part Pearl Cucumber Vodka
• 2 parts fresh lemonade
• Splash of soda
• Mint
• Ice

Pour vodka and lemondade over the ice. Add a splash of soda on top and garnish with a sprig of mint. Hello summer. 

Hope you enjoy some cocktails on this dreary-ass Monday!

xo Chinae

Honey, Come Home Edition:

I don’t eat sugar or any form of natural sweetener….that being said, my body is made up of 82% Splenda. 

BUT…with Spring comes thoughts of flowering plants, bees, and the gentle buzzing of a garden. Also, I was reading about some woman in Kinfolk Magazine that became a beekeeper, and then I wanted to be a beekeeper, and then I remembered that I f*cking hate bugs and went back to thinking about shoes. 

Here’s a great sounding honey-based recipe for a majestic Friday afternoon:

The WHITE HONEYBEE:

• 1 serving Gin (preferably Bombay Sapphire or your favorite locally-made gin)
• 1/2 tsp. Honey
• 4 oz. Milk
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Rosemary Sprig

In your shaker, combine gin, rosemary, cinnamon, and honey…shake hard with ice! Strain this combo into your glass and then pour the milk on top gently. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Friday..Friday..FRIIIIDAAAY!!!!

xo Chinae

Brandied Apple Cider Edition:

So, I’m headed upstate for some apple picking this weekend, how suburban. With those fresh apples, since I don’t eat pie, apple sauce, or whatever else people do with apples…I’m going to need to find a good use for them. And what better than in liquid form, really. 

Brandied Apple Cider:

What You’ll Need:

-Ice

-1/4 Cup Fresh Apple Cider

-1 Part Apple Brandy

-1 Part Regular Brandy

-Splash of Fresh Lemon Juice

-1 Teaspoon of Pure Maple Syrup

-2 Apple Slices, rubbed with lemon juice for garnish

Start with a chilled cocktail glass. Fill your cocktail shaker half-full with ice. Add all ingredients, minus the apples. Shake hard. Strain into your chilled glass and garnish with apple slices. 

Apple Picking photos to come!

x Chinae

Faux-Mosa Edition:

When I think about the weekend…I pretty much am thinking about what new brunch spot we’ll be hitting up for some grub and mimosas…BUT what about some mimosa alternatives this weekend. Or Fauxmosas as I’d like to call them. 

Help your raging hangover with these mimosa alternatives this weekend!

Hibiscus Mimosa

1 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Wild Hibiscus Syrup
5 oz Dry Sparkling Wine/Champagne

Shake first 3 ingredients on ice and carefully strain into champagne flute. Top with dry sparkling wine. Garnish with long grapefruit zest. 

Blackberry Mimosa

3 Fresh Blackberries

Dash of Sugar

5 oz Champagne

Muddle the blackberries and sugar, pour champagne over the freshly muddled mixture. Garnish with lemon rind.

Bing Cherry Mimosas

10-ounce can of whole cherries (not pie filling, but canned cherries)

a few sprigs of fresh thyme
fresh lemon

Drain the cherry juice off the cherries and put into a cooking pot. Simmer the juice and sprigs of thyme over low heat for 5 minutes. Let cool. Pour the cooled juice back over the cherries. (You can save this if you don’t use them all). At the bottom of each glass, pour 1-2 tablespoons of cherry mixture including one cherry. Pour champagne or prosecco over the mixture. Garnish with a tiny sprig of thyme and top with a light squeeze of lemon juice. 

Happy Brunching y’all!

xChinae

I think I’ve recovered partially from FNO last night…for those of you not familiar with Fashion’s Night Out, it’s a combination of really fabulous people mingling with the commoners in one giant fashion orgy across the nation. It’s like throwing up when you’re sick, horrible but necessary. 

SO, after that little treat….since, it’s Friday and I’ve been such a bad blogger this week due to being a busy ass girl…here’s the cocktail recipe from our event last night. I was going to take credit for it, but let’s be honest…I found it in Food & Wine. 

The Big Texan:

-1 part Bourbon

-2 parts Fresh Grapefruit Juice

-Basil (2 leaves)

-Ice

-Bourbon Soaked Cherries (fresh and pitted)*

Over ice, combine bourbon, grapefruit juice. Tear up basil leaves and mix into the cocktail. Garnish with a bourbon soaked cherry. Serve.

*Bourbon Soaked Cherries: To make, take fresh, pitted cherries and heat for 2 hours over low heat with bourbon and a little bit of sugar. SO good and I promise it tastes like Christmas in your mouth. 

Happy Weekend Lovers!

x chinae

Flaming Volcano Edition:

In the last month, we’ve had an earthquake, a hurricane, and tornados…the only thing we’ve missed out on is a f*cking volcano. Since that’s probably not a possibility in the near future, we can go ahead and just drink this natural disaster riiiight up.

Things You’ll Need:

-Blender

-Volcano mug or Bowl 

-2oz Unsweetened Lemon Juice

-4oz Orange Juice

-2oz Light Rum

-1oz Brandy

-1oz Bacardi 151 

-2oz Almond flavored syrup

-2 Scoops of Ice

Blend all ingredients together minus the Bacardi 151. Pour your adult Slurpee into your volcano mug or bowl. Carefully pour the 151 into the center top of your drink. DO NOT MIX. Use a long match and light that bitch up. 

I think I’d like all my drinks en fuego from now on. Plzandthankyou.

Happy Labor Day Weekend Ballers. See you on Tuesday!

xox Chinae

Blackberry Tom Collins Edition:

Friday=Cocktails. This particular one sounds like something I’d like to drink right abouutttttt NOW. It’s been quite the week, people. 

photo and recipe via White On Rice Couple

Here we go:

Blackberry Tom Collins

-Fresh Blackberries

-1 tsp. Sugar

-2 oz. Gin

-3-5oz Soda Water

-Ice

-1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice 

Take about 3-4 Blackberries, lime juice, and sugar and MUDDLE in a glass. That’s a very fancy, complicated way of saying smush. Add your ice, then pour in your gin and soda. Garnish with more blackberries and just TRY and have one. Not possible. 

Fancy drinks forever,

Chinae

Pass the Bubbly Edition:

There is no other alcohol treat that makes me feel as loopy and giggly as champagne. I think it’s the fact that it’s bubbly, and always had at fun, special occasions like weddings, birthdays, and saturdays. Let’s jazz up our champagne drinkin’ ways and try something new with our favorite bubbly beverage.

Cajun Water:

1 1/2 oz of rum

1/2 oz of triple sec

1/4 oz grenadine

2 dashes of bitters

2-3 oz of champagne or prosecco

Pour all the ingredients (except champagne) into highball glass filled with ice and stir. Top with champagne.

Cheers to a summer friday!

Chinae

Salty Watermelon Sangria:

It’s Friday and you boozehounds know what that means…a new recipe over here on my personal rant log.

Today’s adults only treat is Salty Watermelon Sangria. I know what you are thinking…that sounds gross. BUT it’s actually delicious and you can shut the hell up.

Here’s the recipe:

-Ceylon Tea Bags

-White Wine

-Fresh Watermelon (pureed)

-Cumin

-Salt

Alright so there’s a little more prep work to this one, than usual (which i f*cking hate). Take 6-7 Ceylon Tea Bags and infused them with a bottle of wine over night. You can do that in the pitcher you plan to keep the sangria in. 

Puree your watermelon until its practically like juice. Add the watermelon puree to the wine and add a dash of cumin and a dash of salt. Taste to see if the spices are to your liking. I like mine a little saltier than most people. 

Pour over ice and garnish with watermelon slice.

Happy Friday my pets,

Chinae

Strawberry Basil Mojito Edition:

It’s Friday again my loves. You know what that means. Time to have a mini digital cocktail break at work. 

I used to frequent this Cuban bar in Fort Worth when I was in school, and I’m still having dreams about their mojitos. But alas, these were no REGULAR ass mojitos. This was a special concoction that made me feel like I could legitimately fight crime, Mcgruff style. 

Here’s the recipe:

-Diced Strawberries

-Basil

-Ice

-Rum

-Sugar or Splenda

-Lime Juice

-Club Soda

Start with a handful of diced strawberries, a couple sprigs of basil, splash of lime juice, and sugar/splenda in the bottom of your glass. Muddle these ingredients together. After these are all mushy and great smelling, add your rum (I like 2 parts rum but ya know…I like the booze). Then add your ice, and fill the rest of your glass up with club soda. 

Garnish with a sprig of basil if you can wait that long.

Happy Summer Boozefest!

x Chinae