Champagne Gift Guide 2014

In my opinion, the holidays demand champagne.  And while you're at it, you might as well make it a fabulous bottle of champagne! 

This year there were many wonderful releases - iconic mainstays, limited edition artist collaborations, and adorable little minis that come with a straw and a wristlet.  Seeing that it's 5pm on Christmas Eve, I'm already itching to start popping bottles, so let's get started!

Holiday Cocktails - A Perfect Evening According to Gastronomista

This time of year I receive numerous emails asking me what to serve for the holidays, so I figure I should write a post with all my boozy recommendations!

Drink Responsibly, Y'all

Gift Guide 2014 - Scotch

We are down to the wire for holiday shopping ladies and gentlemen, and if you're anything like me, you're waiting until the last possible minute before you run to the liquor store to buy gifts for everyone you love.  In my opinion, you can never go wrong giving someone a bottle of scotch.  Never.  Especially if the recipient is a lover of things delicious, savory, and boozy.  This year I've tasted some amazing scotch, and herewith, are some of my holiday selections for 2014:

Wild Turkey Behind the Barrel

Just a Lady and a Big Turkey

Earlier this fall I was invited to Kentucky to be one of two journalists to check out Wild Turkey's new Behind the Barrel program.  The program hosted 30 bartenders selected from over 400 applicants, and flew them to Kentucky for 3 days to have a unique behind the scenes look at how Wild Turkey is made.

Let me begin this post with the basic fact that I love Wild Turkey.  Wild Turkey was the first bourbon I ever had, and after a few trips along the American Whiskey Trail, I have always found their approach to be refreshingly honest.  You can read the story I wrote this Spring, The American Whiskey Trail: Booming More Than Ever for more of my notes on many of the changes happening on the Whiskey Trail right now.

Coffee Gift Guide - and a Nespresso VertuoLine Giveaway!

In honor of today's Gift Guide, I'd like to quote my best friend who so eloquently says, "I like myself on caffeine".  And I do.  I like myself on caffeine very much.  In fact, it's the only way I ever get anything done.  But coffee is so much more than a vehicle to help us all get our work done, it is a ritual, and there is an art to making a great cup of coffee from the beans to the mug it's served in.  I've rounded up some of my favorite coffee gifts to the coffee lover in your life - for the people who like the ritual of a morning brew, to the coffee cocktail aficionados, to the people who need their caffeine quickly (ahem, me). 

Wonka Vision - A Raspberry Chipotle Chocolate Old Fashioned

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This cocktail was inspired by the Tabasco Smoke Chipotle Dark Chocolate Ice Cream created by Denise Woodward from Chez Us.  Denise was on the Tabasco Tastemakers trip with me in March.  She was an absolute delight to get to know, as were so many of the other bloggers.  But her Chipotle Chocolate ice cream had my mouth watering and got me thinking about a smoky chocolate cocktail.

Holiday 2014 Gift Guide - Copper

One of this year's biggest trends is copper, from copper bar tools, to copper pineapples, to copper jewels - and I could not be more thrilled!  To kick off this year's holiday gift guides, I've pulled some of my favorite copper accoutrements for your bar and for you!  Enjoy!

The Spirit of Gin Book Giveaway! - CLOSED

Happy Weekend!  I've got a series of great Giveaways for you this holiday season, and I'm kicking it off with a signed copy of The Spirit of Gin - A Stirring Miscellany of the New Gin Revival by Matt Teacher.

Introducing the Gastronomista Collection on Print All Over Me

 
I'm so excited to share with you a project I've been working on a for a while now, a collection of cocktail patterns just in time for holiday,  Cocktails, Shots, and Polka Dots through Print All Over Me.

Inspiration came one evening while out for cocktails, of course.  I was sipping a martini prepared by Jack Hubbard, who was wearing a fabulous mushroom shirt that I was instantly wishing I could find as a dress.  Without even thinking, I blurted "I want to design a Cocktail Polka Dot Dress", and without missing a beat, Mr. Hubbard named the collection, Cocktails, Shots, and Polka Dots.  Genius, I say!

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I will be rolling out different styles and different patterns over time, so please check back frequently.  If you have any cocktail-attire requests, please leave a comment below!

I'm really excited about these patterns, and I hope you are too.

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Thank you for supporting Gastronomista - I love working on this blog, and all of your positive feedback makes all the hard work worth it.

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