Happy Hour Live!

Our happy hour episode is live this week and we had so much fun that we might just do it again next week! Watch the video for FOUR cocktails to enjoy when you're sick, or simply when it's cold outside!

Thanksgiving Happy Hour

Happy Thanksgiving! Join us for some impromptu Thanksgiving drinks, which will be just as delicious and necessary on Black Friday. Cheers!

Happy Hour Cocktail: Fire Eating Mermaid

We're very excited to share the cocktail we created for our favorite mermaid, MeduSirena, the Fire Eating Mermaid! Be sure to catch her shows at the Wreck Bar the next time you're in Fort Lauderdale!

Halloween Cocktail Recipe - She Gods of Shark Reef!

It's time for happy hour and today we have a cocktail that's perfect for both Halloween AND tiki parties (and Shark Week), She Gods of Shark Reef! Having a Sharknado party? Serve this!

Halloween Happy Hour

It's time for another Halloween happy hour and today we're visiting hell! YouTube just informed that some of our videos aren't advertiser friendly! So watch at your own risk. We're a bad influence. 😏😈🍸🍹🥃🥂

Blue Cotton Candy Cocktail Recipe

Today's happy hour cocktail is a little blue something I call "Stumbling Home from the State Fair." It's a three-way collaboration with the fabulous Xingcat and Laurice's Kitchen YouTube channels and we had so much fun playing with them! Be sure to catch their videos after ours and grab yourself a bottle of blue cotton candy syrup, if you dare... (cue ominous music)

Allow Rum to Help You Ease Into Fall

We can't help noticing that the days are getting shorter, the leaves are changing and that fall has arrived. Don't let the growing lack of sunlight bring you down! Our lovely libation is just what the doctor ordered to help cope with the creeping darkness!

Alco-Haul and Happy Hour Announcement!

I picked up some new bottles for the liquor larder last night and am looking forward to sharing the cocktails we're creating with them in future episodes! I'm really pleased with all of them! The Azteca Azul tequila was just under $20 and was recommended as a great bargain, which I agree that it was. And, yes, I made sure it's 100% agave, which all unadulterated tequilas are. The Clear Creek Distillery cranberry liqueur is lovely. I tried it in a margarita in place of orange and loved it! And the St. George spiced pear liqueur is heavenly. It is wonderful by itself, but you know I need to make cocktails! It will be fabulous with bourbon, brandy and more!

And I have an announcement! Our happy hour episodes, which we've been uploading every Friday morning, are moving to Thursday evening! This will give anyone planning weekend cocktails more time to prepare and shop. You don't want to rush happy hour! So look for this week's happy hour episode tomorrow evening!

Our latest alco-haul

Good For What Ails You

There are so many reasons you might have a headache. Traffic, deadlines, encounters with low-quality individuals, non-stop politics - it all seems tailor-made for cranial pain. Never fear, though! My studies show that this lovely libation washes away the tension on a gentle tide of rum.

All better...

The Spotless Mind

2 oz light rum (I like El Dorado 3 year old)

1/2 oz ginger liqueur

3/4 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

A dash of cherry bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Good luck!

Shooting Day At The Kitsch-en

Here's what the aftermath of a shooting day at the Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en tends to look like:

Those are drinks for three Friday happy hour episodes and one Tuesday "time machine" episode. That's a lot of booze. If you're in our neck of the woods, please drop by and help us drink it! In the meantime, can I just say that I love what I do? 

Hawaii Five-O Happy Hour

Friday night was the end of an era, as we watched the series finale of the original Hawaii Five-O. We started in 2008 and it became a Friday night happy hour tradition. Any time we were home on a Friday night we watched, in order, from the very beginning through season 12. I'm a little sad to see it end, but Columbo awaits! I've been thinking about it and I don't have a particular favorite episode. My favorite thing to do during Hawaii Five-O is to still frame on an extra's fabulous frock or a tiki in a bar or an especially fancy cocktail. I'm geeky that way. I will also confess to loving the entire series, even after Danno left for greener pastures, and including the paranormal episodes (though I was incensed when Chin Ho Kelly got killed in the line of duty). The good episodes are great, but the bad ones are pretty entertaining, too!

Here's to Hawaii Five-O! Steve McGarrett may not have touched alcohol (a point he made repeatedly), but that doesn't stop us from drinking copious amounts of rum out of his mug!

The McGarrett 2

(Serves 2)

2 oz dark Jamaican rum

2 oz amber rum

1 oz guanabana liqueur

1 oz pineapple juice

1 oz black cherry juice

1/2 fresh lemon juice

Four dashes lemon bitters

Combine all ingredients in a McGarrett mug with ice and stir.

So long, Steve!

Rum Cake Pop Garnishes

I've heard it said, and can attest firsthand that it's true, that cake pops are addictive. They're so good and so little that it seems harmless to have just one more... then suddenly you realize you've had the equivalent of a large slice of candy coated cake! I recently checked a book out of the library on making cake pops and was glad I hadn't actually bought it, since it's the easiest process ever. There doesn't have to be any baking involved and you can wing it and be pretty much guaranteed of success. All you do is crumble up some cake (store bought is fine) and add some moisture (in the book they used frosting - I used rum, since I'm inclined that way) until it forms into balls nicely. Don't add too much - you want it to hold together, but not be wet. Then you add picks or skewers if you want them, then dunk in chocolate chips melted according to package directions or the candy melt pellets you can purchase at the craft stores. Then you let them firm up. That's it, unless you want to decorate them! I, of course, sprinkled them with edible glitter, since I sprinkle everything with edible glitter. They make great garnishes for your tropical libations!

Friday At Last!

It's actually been a good week, but I love Fridays because they mean happy hour and also that we're shooting tomorrow - three episodes! Glendora is coming to visit and rumor has it she may even have a new love interest, though we haven't met him yet.

In other news, I seem to be injured. This has been going on for a few months off and on, but it's more on than off lately. I step on my foot at the wrong angle and I'm limping and in screaming agony. Not fun. I'm seeing the doctor Tuesday and will be taking it easy until then. I need painkillers, preferably in the form of spirits.  Good thing it's almost happy hour! 

If you need an idea for a cocktail to serve this evening, may I suggest the Pisco Fantasia, featured in today's happy hour episode? Click here to watch!

Have a fabulous weekend!

You Know I'm Bad

I've noticed a disturbing trend lately, which is that some folks think our show is naughty or "adult content," since we make cocktails. I agree 100% that we shouldn't target our content to kids, which is why all of our marketing is to people over the age of 30. Kids aren't interested in us, anyway. But in case anyone hadn't noticed, Prohibition ended in 1933 and liquor is legal for those over the age of 21. We don't advocate drinking and driving, which is why we're showing how to make cocktails at home in almost all cases, and we've spoken at length about not being a jerk when you drink. Still, from some of the flagging our posts and ad buys get, you'd think we were doing porn* or showing folks how to make meth. It bothers me because we're not doing anything wrong, yet some entities treat us like we're just a little sleazy. So, just in case it wasn't clear to anyone:

• Don't drink and drive
• Don't be a jerk when you drink
• Don't serve anyone who may become a jerk when drinking
• Don't drink at work, unless it's your job

Finally, enjoy yourself! It's later than you think.

We're so subversive.

*If we were doing porn we'd be making a lot more money.

Easy Fun Margarita Variation!

For tonight's happy hour we're featuring Aperol Margaritas with Tabasco-infused salt! It couldn't be easier to change up your Margaritas if you want to play and add different flavors! All you do is substitute your chosen liqueur (in this case Aperol, which is technically a bitter, but same idea) for the orange liqueur in the Margarita recipe. Have fun and try different liqueurs! We've used ginger, elderflower, pomegranate and many more!

To make the Tabasco-infused salt, all you do is pour some salt into a plastic bag, followed by several large dashes of Tabasco.  Agitate until the Tabasco is incorporated with the salt, then spread out on waxed paper and allow to dry completely. It sounds crazy, but adds only a subtle spicy kick, which is tremendous fun! Bottoms up!

What Could Be Better Than Cupcakes?

Booze infused cupcakes, that's what! I got these little cocktail glass infusers, made by Wilton, at Michael's the other day and I'm pleased to say they work like a charm! All you do is cut off the bottoms and squeeze in your favorite liquor to fill them, then stick in cupcakes (or whatever) and squeeze again to release your boozy goodness! Cupcakes are suddenly even more fun!

Elegant black and white or pretty in pink?

Desserts Spelled Backwards

What do you do when your day takes a turn for the stressful and it's just too early to start in on the lovely libations? Say, for example, that you realized that the meta data on all of the pages of your website was hopelessly out of date and that your site was likely being missed in online searches because of this, so suddenly your carefully planned day suddenly becomes about fixing over 100 pages and re-uploading them, in addition to your other tasks. Let's just say you may not be feeling as perky as you might otherwise. What do you do? Panicking doesn't solve anything. Grumbling and complaining may feel good in the moment, but they don't fix the problem. And throwing things only leads to breakage you probably don't ultimately want.

The solution, of course, is to do what you need to do, but in a way that doesn't further add to your anxiety. This isn't the time to expect yourself to prepare an elaborate dinner or complete tasks that aren't urgent. If possible, take a break and go for a walk (if it's not freezing), listen to some music, read or watch That Girl (my surefire stress reducer). Return to your tasks when you've pulled yourself together and push through, knowing that there is a lovely libation with your name on it at the end of the day! If you need an idea for tonight's menu, click here for this week's happy hour cocktail!

And remember:

Have a slice of cake while you're at it!

Liquor Heaven

We've just returned from Liquor Heaven, better known as Mid Valley Wine & Liquor, Newburgh, New York's fabulous destination for all things hooch! We shot a lot of video for next Tuesday's episode, sampled some wonderful products, picked up LOTS of liquor and generally had a great morning! They could not have been more hospitable and accommodating and we're so grateful. Be sure to drop in when passing through on I-84 for great stuff at great prices!

Coming Tuesday from the Kitsch-en: liquor shopping!

Happy Hour. Thank heavens.

Most days I advocate sipping a lovely libation. Tonight I will be charmingly chugging a gigantic libation! Whose idea was it to redo two rooms in our house at the same time, anyway?! Oh, yeah, mine. Calgon (and booze), take me away!