Tipsy Tuesday: Blackberry Bourbon Bramble

I’ve been wanting to do a bourbon cocktail for awhile now. I fondly think back to when I first moved here to bourbon country. I decided to have a girls night with a few of the ladies in my master’s program. I picked up the essentials of course, lots of wine.  When I offered the lovely chilled-white to the girls all accepted except one, who said kindly, “oh, no thanks. But i’ll have some bourbon and ginger ale if you’ve got it!?”
I did not.
In fact, I had never even tasted bourbon, and the first time I did I thought it was gross. My, how things change over time.  I’ve truly grown to savor the earthy flavor that good Bourbon adds to everything. And when you live in Kentucky, I really mean everything. Barbecue sauce, chocolates, marinades, desserts… I mean you name it, it’s on some menu some where! And it’s probably delicious…
I decided to search for cocktails including Bourbon and St. Germain, thinking the floral of the elderflower would enhance the earthy notes of the Bourbon. I came across this little gem on saveur. While in Wholefoods, I also happened upon some beautiful blackberries from a local farm and thought, voila! Local berries, local bourbon. Done & done.
muddle 6 blackberries in the bottom of a shaker.
Add:
1 ounce elderflower liqueur 
1 ounce bourbon 
1/2 ounce creme de cassis 
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Shake for 45-60 seconds and strain into a glass. I added a giant ice cube to elongate my chilled beve sipping pleasure.  This keeps it cold without watering it down.
Enjoy!

Tipsy Tuesday: Fig Thyme

As I walked into whole foods this past weekend, the beautiful display of figs caught my eye. Confession, I’ve always loved fig newtons as a kid. Strange perhaps, yes, but they are just so naturally sweet and delicious!  (my husband also thinks it’s weird I loved Ovaltine, but come on, that chocolatey powder is the biggity-bomb. Back to the topic at hand..) Because of my childhood love of the fig-newts, I later graduated to eating dried mission figs with nuts as a snack. When I spotted this cocktail in The Art of the Bar, I knew I had to make it.  
This is the all grown-up version of my fig love affair, and oh, how sweet it is.
Ingredients:

1 Fig quartered
plus 1 extra quarter for garnish
1/2 oz of thyme simple syrup *
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz pisco
1/4 oz cointreau
Muddle the quartered fig with thyme syrup in the bottom of a shaker glass. Top with ice and add the lime juice, pisco, and Cointreau. Shake until cold and then strain through fine mesh sieve into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with quartered fig and a sprig of thyme if you’d like!
*Thyme simple syrup: 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme or 3 teaspoons of dried thyme.
simmer for 15-20 minutes. Cool, strain through a sieve, transfer to a bottle and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
  Enjoy! xox

Links I Love: Home Edition

Once again, I’ve been absent. But this time I have a really good excuse…
We. are. buying. our. first. home.
AAAAH!
If you remember, it was on my list of things to accomplish this year. Truth be told, we had been giving up on the idea due to not finding the right fit. Houses are a big financial investment, and they change your priorities a bit (Goodbye Tory Burch, Hello lawn mower?!).  Weekends will be spent doing little projects here and there, but this is an exciting next step in our lives that we are really looking forward to.
With that being said, I also don’t want to jinx it! The inspection is this Wednesday, so fingers crossed things continue to go smoothly from here. I also haven’t been able to think about much else since the whole deal happened. My Pintrest has been an explosion of home related items, so much so that I decided to just make a private board as to not bombard my friends following-page with all this stuff!  
Here’s a few things I’m loving home related. 
1. X-benches are wonderful. I’m def wanting two for the guest room.
2. Anthropologie has some great home accessories.
3. a trip to Ikea will be needed, they have some really awesome pieces on the cheap.
4. Puff. ’nuff said.
5. Wanting to change out the dining room fixture for something mod like this.
6. We have dreams of finishing the big attic space and adding a closet like this. Inspirations here.
7. A great blog with cheap finds of high-end designer stuff! brilliant.  

Gluten free banana bread recipe

gluten-free-banana-bread-1
Remember the whole Paleo thing..?
Well, it lasts about 3 days any time I even think about venturing to eat no carbs. When I was super jazzed about it in the beginning I went out and bought almond flour, coconut flour, stevia drops, coconut crystals and aminos… I mean you name it, I probably bought it. 
I had visions of me baking all these delicious paleo, gluten free baked goods, working out all the time, and trimming down to a fit cave-woman-like frame.
Fast forward to a few days ago… that coconut flour was still unopened in the pantry.  I decided to consult the Google on some gluten free recipes that would incorporate almond and coconut flours to make a delicious gluten free banana bread. However, mostly everything I found had all these extra silly ingredients like a tablespoon of strange starches and regular gluten free baking flour (which isn’t paleo- since its mostly made from fava beans).
Consistencies among recipes for gluten free banana breads were lots of eggs and long cook times.
So I figured, what the heck… lets just wing it and see what happens.
gluten-free-banana-bread-2
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/4 cup coconut crystals
4 eggs
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp good vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe (with lots of brown spots) bananas 
(about 2 organic regular sized bananas)
liquid stevia drops (20 drops or 1 full squirt!)
mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
mix eggs, banana, vanilla, melted coconut oil and stevia in a small bowl.
 Add the wet into the dry and mix until incorporated. 
It will not seem like regular batter. You’ll have this strange, pasty concoction in front of you and you’ll think, surely this is not going to taste good… I should’ve just bought the damn starch…
gluten-free-banana-bread-3
Spread into a loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for a solid 50 minutes.
gluten-free-banana-bread-4
As I found, it won’t rise much. BUT it does taste wonderfully delicious! Like, really good. Like, I-could’ve-eaten-the-whole-loaf-in-two-days-if-i-didn’t-practice-self-restraint-and-I-may-not-have-shared-with-my-husband- good.
This yummy gluten free banana bread recipe yielded a dense but moist loaf. I think I will try and tweak it moving forward, and read that using a ceramic baking dish helps coddle the batter and can lead to it rising a little more. Now that, I’ll invest in.

Links I Love: Tipsy Tuesday Edition

Hello my blog reading friends!
Im sorry, I’ve been neglecting you.

The truth is, things have just been really busy lately! With the school year starting, work has picked up. My weeknights have been spent rekindling my love-hate relationship with cardiovascular activity (le sigh..), and we’ve been packing our weekends with traveling and friend-time. 
Lots of sparkling moments for sure. 
I have a few cocktails I’ve been working on that play with fall flavors like figs, herbs, and rich spirits of bourbon. 
However with the aforementioned pick-up in exercise, I’ve been cutting back on the booze this week.  I figured this would be a great time to highlight my favorite bar tools and vessels! 
1. an article about 5 essential glasses
2. Amazing 24k gold plated shaker
3. silicone ice cube trays in big and small sizes
4. hinge-top glass bottles are perfect for bottling simple syrups or gifting mixes
5. a lovely frosted champagne coup
6. A much more reasonably priced metallic shaker
7. my favorite and most useful bar glass

xox

Tipsy Tuesday: Plantation Fresh

This recipe makes two drinks.
Because sometimes you just want to enjoy a cocktail with someone else.
For me it’s my husband, who made sure to complain that I was only making one of my yummy Tipsy Tuesday test-creations to enjoy solo.
whoops.. 
8-10 basil leaves
1 & 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
2 oz Gin
1 oz St. Germain
1 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz fresh grapefruit juice (I used ruby red)
2 splashes orange bitters
 muddle the basil and sugar in the bottom of a shaker until you get a pesto- like consistency. 
No need to add any liquid- the leaves will release all their oils and water.
add remaining ingredients and  shake for 30 seconds. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.  I chose a fem one for myself and something a little more masculine for my man. 
add ice to fill the glass and enjoy!
This libation has a distinct basil flavor and is pretty bitter with just a hint of sweetness. It’s truly refreshing for an afternoon drink.  place it in a tall glass and fill with soda water or ginger ale to extend the life and sip it by the pool.
yum.
inspired by “the plantation” from the Art of the Bar

Fashion Finds

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  
So, I’m diggin’ leopard print for this fall. 
I have two pairs of leopard flats that I like to rock as a neutral shoe more then a few days of the week. I just love how this awesome animal print spices up a neutral ensemble, yet stays in line with a classy polished edge. 
I really love JCrew’s (#1) version. Perfect heel height, good point. just lovely.
 but that’s a hefty price tag for a stand out shoe.
So I searched for some less expensive options as well 
(#3 & #4)
Not sure yet what I’m going to invest in, but a leopard pump and clutch will be added to my wardrobe before the leaves change. 

DIY: Nautical Rope Vase

Remember a few weeks ago when I did that spray painted vase?  Well, as I mentioned, one of them had gotten botched. I just put it aside and figured, eh, I’ll eventually figure out what to do with it. 
Post our beach vaycay to the FL Keys- I’ve been feeling quite nauty (get it..?!) and thought I’d incorporate a little nautical flare to my floral-holder collection. 
For this DIY nautical rope vase, you’ll need:
A vase. 
The one I used is about 6 inches in diameter and about 12 inches tall- But i also think a round one would look great too!
Rope-like trim, this vase took 8 yards 
(found in the fabric section at craft store) 
Hot glue gun and sticks
[I have a mini one and used 4 sticks]
and clear tacky craft glue.
place hot glue around the starting edge and pinch/smooth once slightly cooled to secure the rope so it doesn’t fray.
I worked in halves. Spread the tacky glue all over the vase and worked wrapping the rope and securing with hot glue every 2 inches, taking care to press down and together and hold in place until the hot glue cooled.

Once the whole vase is covered, cut the rope and secure in place with hot glue. I then placed extra hot glue along the bottom and pressed into place while cooling to get a nice flat bottom. 
Be so very careful. hot glue can get crazy hot.
You could take it to another level by spray painting the finished and dried for 24-hour product any color you’d like! or just with a clear resin top-coat for protection.
I also thought about making a pretzel looking knot, spray painting that gold and attaching it to the side.
But, for right now I like the simple look of the light beige trim and think it’s classic, yet fun!
In all, this lovely nautical inspired rope vase cost me about $14.oo to make.
 [vase, hobby lobby, 4.99 + half off; trim, hobby lobby, $1.40/yard)
so. worth it.

Tipsy Tuesday: Pisco Sour

Peru has a special place in my heart. 
A little over 2 years ago, after hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu for 4 days with my amazing man, he got down on one knee and proposed. We have a giant print hanging in our dining room of this beautiful place and our experience there made memories of a lifetime.
A brandy called Pisco is made there, fermented from certain grapes that make a deliciously tart libation. I had more then one while in Peru, and have been wanting to recreate it for a while now.
You’ll need:
1 egg white (yum- it’s a fizz. Make sure it’s fresh and I choose organic)
2 & 1/4 oz fresh lime juice
2 & 1/4 oz Pisco
2 tablespoons of superfine sugar
Angostura bitters to top
Fill a shaker with 5-6 ice cubes, and layer ingredients in order listed. Shake for a solid 30 seconds and strain into a chilled fizz cocktail glass. Top with 2-3 drops of bitters.
adapted from: the art of the bar

 
then give it an easy stir. You don’t want to de-fizz your fizz!
It’s got a citrus-bite and goes down way too smooth, so be careful!
One of these at high altitude def put. me. out.
Pisco is so mild and I’m excited to try new things with it.
until then, enjoy this classic! 

Tipsy Tuesday: Grilled Peach Bellini

I love a good bellini. 
I keep 2-3 bottles of champagne/sparkling wine in my fridge at all times. You never know when you’ll want to pop some bubbly to celebrate something! It may be silly, but I think the anticipation and then the “pop” gives special moments a little extra sparkle. 
So when I found out I passed a super-big-deal licensing exam last week, I had to break out a bottle!
As I giggled and danced around the kitchen, I saw the last two beautiful ripe peaches in the fruit bowl.  I saw a grilled peach salad on a blog I like to read the other day, and I thought to myself, hmm. Why not grill the peaches prior to smashing them up to mix with my bubbly.. surely it will caramelize the fruit and give an added smoky-sweetness to an already brilliant beve, right?
Yes. Holy moly, Yes.
Sprinkle peach halves with sugar on both sides and grill 1-2 minutes on each side over high heat. The sugar will start to burn/smoke a bit so be careful, and open a window.
Let peaches cool and puree in a blender with 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1 table spoon of white sugar. This took my vitamix about 6 seconds. 
fill bottom of champagne glass with 1-2 tablespoons of puree and top with bubbly.
Enjoy!