Hangover Blues?

I repost this every year, because I usually need it myself.
I thought you might, too.

Hangover Cures

Peach Is the New Cherry Blossom

It seemed last year that cherry blossom was the “in” fragrance.

Cherry blossoms were everywhere: in photos, in fabrics, floating from the sky in car advertisements, in fragrances.

L’Occitane, last year, introduced a whole range of cherry blossom fragrances, including perfume, bath gel, even lip gloss.

Well, this year it is peach. Peach is the “it” fragrance for 2009.

L’Occitane, of course, has a limited edition Peach Blossom fragrance line.

I even made peach soap. On my Etsy page, you can find my peaches and cream soap. I’m trying to come up with a bath product inspired by a bellini cocktail, the wonderful champagne drink made with peach juice.

To make a classic bellini, pour peach juice or peach puree into a champagne glass about 1/3 full. Then top off with champagne or prosecco. So yummy and pretty, too.

Get your peach on.

Cocktails for Inauguration Day

Celebrate the dawning of a new day with these three happy cocktails.

Baracktail (my own invention)

• 4 dashes blue curacao (for the color of the Democratic party)
• 4 ounces chilled champagne (for celebration)
• 1 pineapple chunk (for Barack’s Hawaiian birthplace)

Swirl the curacao around the sides of a champagne glass, fill with champagne and garnish with a cube of pineapple.

Chicago (for Barack Obama’s political base)

• 2 ounces cognac
• 1 dash curacao
• 1 dash bitters
• champagne

Stir cognac, curacao and bitters with ice. Strain into a wine glass and fill with champagne.

Gloom Raiser (for hope and change)

• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 1 dash grenadine
• 1 dash Pernod

Stir gin, vermouth and grenadine with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Float Pernod on top.

In NYC – Day 1

Just arrived today and the first thing I did was call up an old friend and meet at my favorite Irish Pub.

I haven’t been in that place in 9 years. So strange how familar and yet how different everything seems to me.

I had fish and chips and two glorious pints of Guinness.

Big day tomorrow. Talk to you then.

Keep Warm With This Hot Drink

I posted this last year but I wanted to remind you. Warm up with this old French recipe for simple cooked wine:

Vin Brule recipe

It’ll cure what ails you.

Good Hooch

December 5, 2008 was the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the 18th Amendment thus ending Prohibition in the U.S.

Celebrate with a glass of your favorite pick-me-up.

So drink up all of you people
Order anything you see
And have fun you happy people
The drink and the laughs on me
— lyrics from Angel Eyes

Calorie Alert: Worst Drinks in America

We all know that milkshakes are fattening and whole milk lattes can add to your waistline. But what about supposed healthy energy drinks?

Here are the worst drinks in America.

Be warned. The numbers are staggering.

Worst “Healthy” Drink
Glaceau VitaminWater (any flavor; 20 oz bottle)
130 calories
33 grams sugar

Worst Juice Imposter
Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (23.5 oz can)
360 calories
84 g of sugar

Worst Smoothie
Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo’d Power Smoothie (30 oz)
1,170 calories
169 g sugars
30 g fat

Worst Summer Cocktail
Pina Colada
625 calories
75 g sugars

The Unhealthiest Drink in America
Baskin Robbin’s Large Heath Bar Shake (32 oz)
2,310 calories
266 g sugar
108 g fat (64 g saturated)
(Each of these shakes contain the equivalent of 66 teaspoons of sugar!)

Here are some others that may surprise you.

Coffee Drink
Large Caffe Latte
190 calories
7 g fat

Lunchbox Drinks for Kids
Capri Sun Pacific Cooler (1 pouch)
100 calories
26 g sugars

Blended Fruit Drink
Starbucks Venti Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino Blended Creme (20 oz)
750 calories
120 g sugars

Iced Tea
Arizona Iced Tea (16 oz)
200 calories
25 g sugar

Source: Yahoo Health

Mumm’s the Word

Looking for a light, sparkling taste for afternoons in the backyard?

Well, today I enjoyed a bottle of Mumm’s Carte Classique champagne.

Accessibly priced, Mumm’s Carte Classique is a refreshing sippy for the summer months.

Description:

This Champagne was a favourite of the courts of Europe from its birth in 1879, and is still the champagne of connoisseurs of extra-dry in the 21st century. For more than 120 years, Mumm Carte Classique has been the epitome of balance: perfect balance between suppleness and acidulous freshness, between lightness and fruitiness, strength and roundness.

Carte Classique is one of the champagnes that comes closest to how champagnes originally tasted.

Fresh, generous and well- balanced with harmonious nuances, rounded and supple, Mumm Carte Classique is the perfect ambassador of the rich qualities of the House vineyards.

Try some today. You won’t be disappointed.

A Nice Way To Start the Day

Have a mimosa with breakfast.

Pour 2 oz. of fresh-squeezed orange juice into a tall flute and top off with 4 oz. of champagne.

Mmm.

Champagne and Other Bubbly

Get ready to toast the New Year with a nice bottle of champagne or sparkling wine.

Real champagne only comes from Champagne, France. Here are some favorites:

Dom Perignon 1999 Vintage – $149

The commitment of Dom Perignon is a commitment to creation. It’s a quest for excellence; it is about taking risk, taking a challenge from the vintage, making it to the style of Dom Perignon. Every single vintage of Dom Perignon is an exclusive wine; it is the harmonious dialogue of style and vintage. Dom Perignon Vintage 1999 goes straight to the heart of Dom Perignon. This wine is radiant, pure and vibrant. It is a story of seduction and sensuality.

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998 Vintage – $155

La Grande Dame 1998 has a pale gold color with jade glints. The wine is crystal clear, with unbelievably fine bubbles. The aromatic, impressively complex bouquet is confirmed in the mouth. On the palate, the wine is clear-cut and pure, perfectly balanced with a delightful silky smoothness. La Grande Dame 1998, with its lace-like construction, has a long, lively, and structured finish.

But there are some other great bubbly choices from around the world. Here are a variety in a more affordable price range:

Cristalino Non-Vintage Brut Cava From Spain – $7.99

Straw color, smooth and fresh aromas; fine and fruity palate with a dry aftertaste. Clean, dry and crisp with citrus and apple flavors.

Roederer Estate Non-Vintage Brut from North Coast, California – $19.99

Roederer Estate Brut, the first California sparkling wine produced by Champagne Louis Roederer, builds upon a 200-year tradition of fine winemaking that has made Roederer champagne among the most sought-after in the world. The Roederer Estate Brut debuted in October 1988, and has since established its reputation as one of California’s premier sparklers, remaining true to the heritage of excellence and style of its French forebears.

Canella Non-Vintage Prosecco di Conegliano from Veneto, Italy – $14.79

Brilliant straw yellow with fine, persistent perlage, fruity aromas of peach, apple, pear and citrus fruit, the palate gracefully balances zingy acidity and a subtle hint of sweetness, richness and silky-smooth texture.

All notes and prices from wine.com