It's Friday! Summer Cocktail Series, Grapefruit -Gin Cocktail Shake

It is 103 degrees in Atlanta today, we are locked indoors with the air on blast.  I would settle for this icy cocktail on any today but today is just perfect. Grapefruit adds an extra refreshing bite, perfect for a hot summer day. 

Grapefruit Gin Cocktail Shakes

1 pint raspberry sorbet
1/2 to 2/3 cup pink grapefruit juice chilled.
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup gin
Lemon Slices

In blender combine sorbet and 1/2 cup grapefruit juice: cover and blend until smooth. Blend in ice cream and gin. If necessary, blend in additional juice. Divide among four tall glasses. Garnish with lemon slices.
makes four servings!

Refreshing!

It's Friday! Summer Cocktail Series! Peppermint Twist

Peppermint Twist 

This cocktail must be as cold and as chilly as you can make it on a hot summer day. It is perfect, refreshing and sharp! Enjoy!!

2 Ounces Peppermint Schnapps ( chilled)
3 ounces Creme de Cacao (chilled)
3 ounces half and half ( chilled)

Combine the Schapps, Creme de Cacao and half and half in an ice filled cocktail shaker. Shake well and strain into chilled Champagne flutes.

Ass Mint Chocolate Shavings or finely ground peppermints ( optional)

Yum!! have a fantastic weekend! 

FashionMom: Listmania 10! Our first Installment- Websites- My ...

FashionMom: Listmania 10! Our first Installment- Websites- My ...: Here are 10 of  my  favorite web sites, the ones I check almost daily.  Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr are a  given. Th...

Listmania 10! Our first Installment- Websites- My top ten

Here are 10 of  my  favorite web sites, the ones I check almost daily.  Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr are a given.

These are my true favorites, I was surprised to see that there is only one real shopping site on my top ten list wow!!
and it is just a teeny bit over 10..... 

1. Hola and Hello Magazines - My favorite gossip sites http://www.hola.com/ all in Spanish, based in Spain and the other issue is based in England http://www.hellomagazine.com/. I get my royalty and fashion fix from these two sites daily. They can be found on newstands at Barnes and Noble or fine newstands in select cities. 
2. The New York Times Style Section http://www.nytimes.com/pages/style/index.html , Motherlode Motherlode Blog NY Times Corner Office Corner Office by Adam Bryant . The style section is the bible of fashion students everywhere. Great posts by Cathy Horyn and Suzy Menkes. Updated on Thursdays and Sundays. Comer Office by Adam Bryant highlights business advice from leaders all over the country. Insightful and helpful with lots of advice. Also read his book The Corner Office  . The Motherlode  Motherlode blog covers a myriad of topics with humor and empathy, I love it. 
3. The Wall Street Journal Style section WSJ. Updated stories every Thursday and Sunday. Great stories by Teri Agins and the team at WSJ.  Read her book, The End of Fashion The End of Fashion. 
4. The Huffington Post ( US/UK/Spain and France editions are my favs)  - I get my news, gossip, fashion, sports and wacky story fix from this site http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ founded by political honcho Arianna Huffington. One stop reading. 
5. Garance Dore - French illustrator, photographer http://www.garancedore.fr/en/ and blogger. French fashion perspective, she has a fresh and upbeat personality which comes through in her blog posts. Great advice and tips too. 
6. The Sartorialist - Scott Schuman http://www.thesartorialist.com/, the man they love to hate ( he is honest and sometimes people don't know how to handle it). He was the first photographer to take photography blog to the place it is today, as a business ( worked for style.com too). Wonderful shots of everyday people all over the world, not just the fashionistas The-Sartorialist. Amazing talent, not to be replicated by anyone. The best. 
7. All The Pretty Birds - Tamu McPherson Tamu McPherson super fashionable mom, works for http://www.grazia.it/ and is a blogger living in Milan. She does photography outside the fashion shows and covers the shows around the world http://pinterest.com/tamumcpherson/.  The blog has unique and fresh perspective ( she is of Jamaican ancestry and lived in New York ). She has her own look, (love her short hair) and I get many style ideas just checking her out. 
8. Amazon.com - Need I say more http://www.amazon.com, books, movies, music, clothing, swim caps for my daughter. I get everything here. 
9. Style.com - The Vogue online http://www.style.com/ fashion site. It covers shows, parties and latest launches around the fashion world. Check out the amazing pictures from fashion photog  Tommy Ton Tommy Ton 
10. Donna Hay  http://www.donnahay.com/  and Rita Konig http://ritakonig.com/- Rita puts her English spin on interior decoration and Donna Hay's recipes are simple and delicious. I cannot get through my day without hitting these sites, a must. 

Please share your favorites!!

FashionMom

A Few Pics from Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

Hopefully these pictures will provide you with some sense of the activities and atmosphere which took over the UK...well London since these pics were taken there, during the four day Jubilee Weekend Celebrations.

Regent Street

Selfridge's window in Oxford Street

Fare for the street parties! Fortnum and Mason

Part of the 1000+ strong flotilla

Horse Guards on their way to escort The Queen

Crowds on their way to see the carriage procession 

Speaks for itself!

Union Jacks decorate Regent Street

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FashionMom: It's Friday! A Summer Cocktail and my gift pick f...

FashionMom: It's Friday! A Summer Cocktail and my gift pick f...: Father's Day gifts are notoriously hard to find or maybe we just like to show our Dads just how much we like to fuss over them :) On...

It's Friday! A Summer Cocktail and my gift pick for Dad! Happy Father's Day !

Father's Day gifts are notoriously hard to find or maybe we just like to show our Dads just how much we like to fuss over them :)





One of my favorite picks this year ( let's hope that my DH does not read this ) are socks. Socks? Yes, I know, socks. Novelty Socks. The NY Times was the first  to report on happy socks in February of this year Fashionable Socks in Silicon Valley  and then  The Wall Street Journal did a report Socks on Trend back on May 16th.  The Times article detailed the hot habit among Silicon Valley Nerds...outrageous, "dandiesque" socks.  The WSJ article chronicled the latest "happy" among men of all professions and ages. Socks have come out of the dark ages especially for the the geek set. I knew that khakis and button down shirts could only last so long without something to add some dimension to a man's wardrobe. We needed to breathe a bit of life back into men's fashion and these are just the items to do it. Instagram and Twitter are often used by men in the know who like to post their sock picks for the day.





and so just in time for Father's Day.
And since it is already  the Friday before the big day,  here are a list of stores which carry great sock lines that will put some pizazz back into Dad's wardrobe. The Only mall department store to really pick up on this trend and stock it well is one of my favorite stores, Nordstrom Hook and Albert Socks at Nordstrom . My daughter and I spent last evening in their sock department picking socks of different colors and prints, it was fun. And I mean..... color, orange Hook and Albert Orange and Blue yellow, flourescent green. Prints include polka dots, mixed stripes and defnitely not your grandfather's argyle, this is argyle for the dandy! Lorenzo Uomo Socks at Nordstrom - 3 for 27 
Shop at Barneys
Sid Mashburn
Even if you don"t get them this week, here are some great online options beginning with the famous Happy Socks ( a four year old Swedish brand).



http://www.happysocks.com/us/ love this one :) Moose socks
Joy of Socks. 
Bonobos
Vineyard Vines

And on Sunday here is an excellent cocktail for Dad to sip while admiring his new socks!!

Feliz Dia De Padre!


Memphis Belle….named for World War 11 most famous B-17 bomber, The Flying Fortress (now on display in Memphis). 






11/2 ounces brandy

3 or 4 dashes Angostura or Orange bitters

½ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice

¾ ounce Southern Comfort

Add all ingredients except the garnish to a shaker filled with ice; shake well. Strain into a chilled martini or cocktail glass. Add the garnish. 


Happy Father's Day to all of our Dads!

It's Friday! Summer Cocktail Series! Champagne Punch

Graduations, Wedding celebrations,  Father's Day fast approaching, just enjoying good ole summer,  we have so much to celebrate!


Here is a wonderful refreshing cocktail that would be great at any occasion

Cheers!!

Champagne Punch

One 750 Milliliter Bottle Champagne or Sparkling Wine
2 ounces Grenadine
3 ounces Orange Flavored Liquer - Triple Sec ( sharp flavor)/Cointreau ( more orange peel flavor /Grand Marnier ( richer, high end)/ Curacao ( sharp flavor)
2 ounces brandy
Orange Rind Slivers


I love this Vintage Modern Collection of serveware from Macys


Combine the Champagne, grenadine, liqueur, and brandy in a pitcher and mix well. Chill for at least one hour.

Pour into Champagne glasses filled with crushed or cracked ice. Garnish if desired.

Please note; The drier the Champagne or Sparkling wine the better for you, too much sweet can give you a stunning headache :)




Have a fab weekend everyone!!