DrinkedIn Trends

Easter celebrations are all about welcoming spring. Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the produce section of the store is bursting with variety. This year, try mixing up your celebration with a few delicious fruity (and alcoholic) beverages.

Hard Strawberry Lemonade

One box of strawberries
4-6 lemons
2 cups sugar
Your preferred brand of vodka

Lemonade might be a standard summer drink, but lemons actually hit their peak season in the middle of spring. To make a pitcher of this treat, remove the tops from the strawberries and crush them in a food processor. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the berry pulp, and stir in the sugar. Place the pulp in the bottom of the pitcher and fill it the rest of the way with water, stirring until everything is evenly mixed.
If there are children at your Easter event, consider adding the vodka to each adult's glass individually instead of to the entire pitcher. Generally, one shot of vodka to an 8 ounce glass of lemonade will create the best taste.

April Shower

1 ounce brandy
1 ounce orange juice
1/4 ounce Chartreuse or other herbal liquor

If you have any outdoor festivities planned for your Easter Celebration, you probably don't want it to rain, but this particular April Shower will actually make the party better. A twist on the traditional screwdriver, the recipe is simple. Pour your ingredients into a shaker, shake well, then serve over ice. Once you've tried the original recipe, consider adding a dash of your favorite exotic fruit juice.

While there is always the option of flowers and chocolates on Mother's Day, it's probably quite safe to bet that your mum will be equally as happy with a home-made cocktail, shaken or stirred together in her honour.

And since there is such a broad variety of cocktails to choose from, I've decided to put together a post that will allow you to match the make of cocktail to the mood of your mum. So read on to decipher just what type of tasty cocktail your mum will most like to sip on when the 30th of March rolls around and you're once again able to thank her for the many years of love and care she gave you.

The Blushing Lady

If your mum is a fruity blend of classic charm and quirky humour, then this cocktail of the one for her. Perfectly designed to blend the taste of tropical fruits with the stunning appearance of a classic cocktail. The flavours of the Blushing Lady cocktail range between sweet, sour and tart, making it a seemingly apt depiction of your mum's tolerance of your teenager years. To serve up this cocktail on Mother's Day, simply follow these steps:

1. Rub a wedge of lemon around the rim of the cocktail glass, and dip into coarse sugar before setting aside.
2. Pour two ounces of vodka, one ounce of pomegranate liqueur, and one ounce of pink grapefruit juice, into a cocktail shaker with crushed ice.
3. Shake it all up and strain into the prepared glass, before serving.

The sugar-rimmed glass is the the perfect finishing touch to best express the sprinkle of sweet that makes your mum the best mum in town.

Glamour Girl Martini

Your mum hasn't always just been your mum. Long before your arrival in her life, she began to make her mark as a lovely young woman with girlish charm. Celebrate the glamorous girl that she still is with a Martini that'll bring her girlish giggles back. A fun drink that is light and easy to make, the Glamour Girl Martini is the perfect Mother's Day cocktail for any mum who is still radiant with girlish charm and who inspires disbelief on the rare occasion that she's honest about her age!

Just a few decades ago, if you were looking for a bar on the East Village, you were probably just seeking a warm-up spot before you got to the punk rock show. These days, however, the East Village—while still attractive to artists and bohemians—has a plethora of restaurants and drinking holes to suit the most sophisticated tastes. Professionals and business folk are no longer out of place on the Lower East Side, so next time you’re looking for a cool place to grab an after-work drink, you might want to consider one of the following East Village joints.

Elsa

Sleek, chic and like stepping into a minimalist Paris café, Elsa is a great choice for after-work drinks in the village—especially if you go during daylight hours so you can enjoy the full glory of the huge skylight. In addition to the attractive décor and amazing cheese plate, the main pull at Elsa is the exceptional cocktail menu, featuring 18 signatures and three classics—some of which are served in mason jars! We particularly recommend The Broken Mirror, which is an exquisite concoction of absinthe, dandelion and burdock bitters.

Grape and Grain

This adorable bar has the same feel as a rustic cottage—all heavy wood and bare brick walls—which somehow makes the craft beer and excellent wine selection all the more delicious. What’s more, the menu here is both extensive and delicious, exhibiting an eye for detail and appealing to all appetites, whether you just need a small plate of pickles and pretzels, or a hearty sandwich. If you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary, the chorizo, avocado and jalapeno pizza is a highlight.

William Barnacle Tavern

After a long day of work, when life leaves you feeling like you’ve triumphed over a journey on the high seas, there’s only one place to go: William Barnacle Tavern. You’ll probably feel an overwhelming urge—thanks to the sailor-favoring interior—to sing a sea shanty while you drink your ale and sample one of the savory crepes on offer, but this cozy pub will transport you from the hub-bub of New York City life to a simpler time. If you’re not a fan of lanterns and model ships on the way in, you probably will be by the time you leave, on account of how endearing everything about this bar is.

Blue Owl

The Blue Owl is a chic little basement lounge and bar, serving up an excellent range of olives, cheeses and charcuterie, as well as high-quality cocktails that are available for bargain prices during happy hour. Don’t leave without trying the Milkman’s Daughter: a refreshing combination of Maker’s Mark, peach bitters, peach nectar and sweet black tea, it’ll knock your socks off. The first time you go, the Blue Owl is a little tricky to find, but that just adds to this little bar’s allure.

At the end of a long, hard day at the office, who doesn’t want to sit back and relax with a delicious alcoholic beverage before dinner. Whether you’re with business colleagues, or friends from across town, we’ve found some prime spots in Greenwich Village to grab that essential after-work drink- before you head home. Here are five of our favorites.

Corkbuzz Wine Studio

Who’s the wine expert in your working life? We ask, because every office has one and it can make choosing an end-of-day venue for drinks a little tricky sometimes. Well, when only the best will do, try taking your vino enthusiast to Corkbuzz where he or she can engage with owner Laura, who also happens to be an extremely helpful master sommelier. The rest of you can indulge in some unusual but mouthwatering snacks (bone marrow and pigs ears included) or a chic cocktail (we’re particularly fond of the Van Gogh) in a distinctly un-pretentious environment.

Vol de Nuit

If wine isn’t really your thing and you’d rather grab a pint of craft ale for your post-work refresher, Vol de Nuit is a fantastic Belgian beer bar that has a patio for those of you who would prefer to drink outdoors before the sun goes down. Champagne and wine are available on the menu too, but it’s really all about the brews here—well, the brews and the exquisite fries, which come with a wide selection of condiment choices (the aioli garlic sauce is divine.)

Amélie

The first Amélie wine bar opened in San Francisco’s chic Russian Hill neighborhood and was such a success with the after-work and young professional crowd, that the owners started one in Greenwich Village too. Cozy, classy and warm like the original, although it’s less than two years old, NYC’s Amélie already feels like an old friend—possibly due to the more than one hundred wines to choose from, and the plethora of artisanal cheeses and meats on offer. Between 5 and 7 p.m. you can get three glasses of wine for $10, as part of the “Flight” deal. We are definitely on board!

Formerly Crow’s

For an after-work crowd looking for something a little bit spicier than a straight-forward wine bar, there’s Formerly Crow’s—a long, dark tunnel of a place with bare brick walls, old décor and tattooed ladies serving up the drinks. It’s definitely the kind of place that will help you shake off a day at the office in five minutes flat—especially if you’re indulging in their truly exotic cocktails, including the Lundquistador (which contains jalapeno-infused tequila) and the cinnamon-infused Sazarac.

Football season is not over, my friends.  There is still plenty of quality action left to be seen.  Therefore, there is still the potential for some killer tailgating parties.  All you need are some hot beverages to sustain you.

R-Rated Hot Chocolate

Growing up, hot chocolate was one of my favorite beverages.  Heck, let’s be real; it is still one of my favorite indulgences.  The frothy, steamy, chocolately goodness is addicting! 

While children of all ages may love hot chocolate, we have some special recipes that aren’t intended for a PG audience.  Here are some R-rated hot chocolate ideas for your cold weather tailgating party:

• Add a nice rum to spice up your favorite drink.
• Vanilla cream vodka is also tasty.
• Butterscotch schnapps add extra sweetness to the drink.
• Grand Marnier is a nice balance to the chocolate flavors.
• Baileys and whiskey would make the drink extra Irish.

Mulled Wine

Are you hosting a holiday party soon?  No matter if your party is big or small, there are certain necessities you need to have on hand. 

Drink Options

You’ll want to have a variety of drink options available to appease everyone.  First, start with basics like beer and wine.  Then, shop for liquor and the accompanying mixers.  Unless you have a bartender, you’ll want to have various spirits and mixers available so guests can make their own drinks.  At a minimum, you’ll want rum, coke, vodka and cranberry juice. 

Remember, people tend to pour too much when they serve themselves.  You have two options.  When the liquor is finished, you can switch to beer and wine.  Or, you can buy pourers with self-measuring spigots (available from any bar or restaurant supply store). 

Supplies

The supplies you need will depend on the drinks you are serving.  Assuming you’ll be offering a variety of beverages, you’ll probably need all of the following:

• White wine glasses
• Red wine glasses
• Beer steins or glasses (for those who don’t want to drink out of bottles)
• Rocks glasses
• A bottle opener (for beer bottles)
• A corkscrew
• Ice
• Stir sticks
• Cocktail napkins

Also, if you have a lot of guests coming, you may want to hire a bartender.  A bartender can take care of your party guests’ needs while you mingle and chat.