The Empire Hotel's Fashion Week Cocktails

Now that Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week has made the move to Lincoln Center, the Empire Hotel is poised to become the new Bryant Park Hotel, meaning it will be the place for a quick sip in between shows. The hotel is ready for its closeup, with a full lineup of Fashion Week themed cocktails available throughout the month. A few to try:

Don't Feed The Models - Made with organic cucumber vodka & sweet mint-to save calories, of course

Red Carpet Ready – A refreshing blend of gin, fresh Ruby Red grapefruit & fresh lemon

Craving Some Couture – A sweet and sassy blend of vodka, orange liqueur, white grape juice, frozen grapes and Pear Eau de Vie

Sparkling Stiletto – A classic mix of St. Germain and champagne

Bachelorette Party Ideas #16: Cocktail Recipes to get the Party Started

What's a bachelorette party without a few killer cocktails? Get the party started with these:


Wild Cosmopolitan (shown)

3 parts Alizé Wild Passion

2 parts citrus vodka

1 part fresh lime juice

Splash of cranberry juice

Shake well over ice, strain and serve straight up in a martini glass.

Firefly Arnold Palmer

Mix equal parts Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and lemonade. Serve of tall glass of ice with a sprig of mint.

Island Piña Colada Recipe

Ingredients
1 Pineapple
1 Coconut or Vita Coco
1 Can of Goya Coconut Cream
1 small bottle of dark rum
Instructions:
Combine ½ cup of chopped pineapple, ½ cup of rum, ¼ cup of fresh coconut juice or Vita Coco, ½ cup of coconut cream and ice cubes. Mix in a blender and serve with a sliced pineapple wedge as a garnish. Top off with a small pool of dark rum over the top.

Crack of Dawn
Created by Jonathan Pogash for Cockspur Rum.
1 ½ ounce Cockspur Fine Rum
¾ ounce fresh lime juice

¾ ounce honey syrup (equal parts honey dissolved in warm water)

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of lime.



Grey Goose Recipe: Tarragon Twist

We don't have to go to Tales of the Cocktail two weeks from now to know that cocktails with fresh herbs are a hot trend and refreshing for summer. Try this Grey Goose Recipe for a Tarragon Twist.

1 ½ parts Grey Goose L’Orange Flavored Vodka
¾ part Benedictine liqueur
½ part simple syrup
1 part lemon juice
½ part hot tap water
1 tsp tarragon
Garnish with tarragon leaves or citrus twist

In a cocktail shaker add tarragon and hot water, muddle gently. Add ice and remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously, strain into a martini glass, garnish.

Dita Von Teese Cointreau Privé

She already told us the origins of the margarita, now Dita Von Teese is opening her own members-only club, Cointreau Privé in Paris. The club is set to open on Dita's birthday on September 29 -- conveniently during Paris Fashion Week --  and stay open for one month. Dita is in charge of decorating the club, too, and promises lots of Swarovski crystals and feathers. Her signature cocktail, made with Cointreau, apple and lemon juice and violet syrup will be on the menu.

Those who are headed to Tales of the Cocktail this year can catch Dita von Teese at the House of Blues in New Orelans. She's kicking off this year's craziness with a performance on Tuesday, July 20 with the Bustout Burlesque, also featuring MC Murray Hill and Selene Luna.

Belvedere Pink Grapefruit Vodka and Matthew Williamson

When we go to a morning-after brunch, Hope usually orders a Bloody Mary, while Annie enjoys a Greyhound--both with Belvedere Vodka, of course. The new Belvedere Pink Grapefruit is right up our alley and looks promising to become a key ingredient in our new favorite summer cocktails. When sipping at home, we keep it simple and will try mixing this with a lime flavored seltzer. For nights at the bar, we suggest trying it in a Cosmo.

To celebrate the launch, Matthew Williamson designed this special pink kaftan, as modeled by DJ Leigh Lezark (above). The kaftan is made of lightweight silk fabric with a short hemline and has black trim to allow effortless transition from day to night.  Matthew says, "My design for the Belvedere Pink Grapefruit collaboration was inspired by the vitality of sultry high summer evenings, incorporating a vibrant sun-drenched palette, the print is evocative of exotic destinations ventured by the modern-day, global traveler.”

The Belvedere Pink Grapefruit Pop Up space will be located across the street from Matthew Williamson's NYC store at 415 W. 14th Street. It's open to the public on Saturday, May 15 from 1-4. We're told to expect a surprise performance!

Dita Von Teese in the Original Margarita Story

Who knew the Margarita was named after a real life woman? Texan socialite, Margarita Sames, is credited with creating the first margarita back in 1948 in Acapulco. Legend has her tequila, Cointreau and lime juice concoction was such a hit, the party went of for two weeks!

Watch the video above, with sex kitten Dita Von Teese staring as Margarita Sames.

Beauty Bar Now Open in Chicago

The lucky ladies of the midwest can now partake in Beauty Bar's famous Martini and Manis. The newest location of this nationwide chain of bars is at 1444 W Chicago Avenue (the former Sonotheque space) and features the interior of the 1960s Paris Salon of Beauty, from Springfield, NJ. Go during happy hour for the famous $10 dry martini and mani combo!

Tax Relief from the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain

Now this is our kind of tax relief and one we could use this year in particular!  Sommelier, Todd Brinkman, at the new Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Tucson created this for today; but it looks so good, we bet you can get it there on your next visit.


Tax Relief


1.5oz. Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon
1.5oz. Cranberry juice
0.5oz. Fresh lime juice
0.5oz. Simple Syrup
1 cup crushed ice

Add Knob Creek, cranberry juice, lime juice, sugar, and crushed ice in a blender.
Shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds and pour into a 12 oz. Collins glass. Garnish with lemon and lime wedge.

Kimpton Hotels and Lounges Offering Tax Day Relief Deals

Kimpton is taking the sting off of tax day with "1040 Menus" and "Deductible Cocktails."  Washington, D.C. Kimpton Hotels the Topaz Bar, Bar Rouge and Helix Lounge are serving cocktail and food pairings at 50% off on April 15th.  Here's what's on the menu:

· At Helix Lounge (pictured above), enjoy one specialty cocktail and any appetizer, including Pan Roasted Mini Crab Cakes, Beer Battered Vidalia Onion Rings, Crispy Fried Chesapeake Oysters or classic Mac n’ Cheese. Helix Lounge is located at 1430 Rhode Island Ave, NW , Washington DC 20005 . http://www.helixlounge.com/

· At Bar Rouge, pair a Grilled Bistro Steak with a choice of beer, wine—or champagne for those who have reason to celebrate! Bar Rouge is located at 1315 16th Street, NW , Washington DC 20036 . http://www.barrouge.com/

· At Topaz Bar, select any one of the lounge’s twelve signature cocktails to enjoy with Soy Grilled Chicken Wings, Bolivian Beef Empanadas or Stir Fry Chicken Wraps. Additionally, while the government may not be cutting taxpayers any slack, Topaz Bar will with a “Deductible Cocktails” deal. On April 15, when patrons purchase any two signature cocktails, they will get the third “deducted” from their bill. http://www.topazbar.com/

If you're looking for a night out, check the "Sweet Tax Relief" packages offered across the country (except in Virginia) where Kimpton picks up the tax on your room and pays for the tax on you dinner.  Available through the month of April. Rates start at $139.  http://www.kimptonhotels.com/promotions/sweet-tax-relief.aspx.

Have a Drink and Plant a Tree with Treetinis by Veev and the Morgans Hotel Group

Here's a cocktail we can really get behind.  This month in celebration of the 40th anniversay of Earth Day, the Morgans Hotel Group is offering to plant a tree for every Treetini they serve.  They're hoping to plant 1,000 trees in April.  We wish they'd offer this when we were at the Mondrian Miami in March!  Other Morgan Hotels that are participating include the Delano and Shore Club also in Miami, the Clift in San Francisco, the Ames in Boston and the Royalton and Hudson in NYC.

The Treetini is the inspiration of Veev liquor, the first Acai spirit and the only certified carbon-neutral spirit on the market.  The Treetini is a combination of Acai spirit, agave nectar, lime, mint and club soda.

To learn more about the Treetini program, visit www.veevlife.com/treetini.

2010 Best Night Club and Bar Winners

Congrats to the winners of Night Club & Bar Magazine's 2010 Best Night Club and Bar Winners. We've made it to several--it's now our goal to make it to the rest by the end of the year!

Club Awards
    •    Mega-Club of the Year - XS (shown above), Las Vegas
    •    New Club of the Year - XS, Las Vegas
    •    Nightclub of the Year - Tao, Las Vegas
    •    Ongoing Promotion of the Year - Hard Rock, Las Vegas – Rehab
    •    Resident DJ - Paul Oakenfold – Rain, Las Vegas
    •    Single Promotion of the Year - Midsummer Night’s Dream – Palms, Las Vegas
    •    Ultra-Lounge of the Year - Blush Boutique Lounge, Las Vegas
Bar Awards
    •    Bartender of the Year (category sponsored by Absolut Vodka) - H. Joseph Ehrmann – Elixir, San Francisco
    •    Beer Bar of the Year - Willimantic Brewing Company, Willimantic, Conn.
    •    Cocktail Lounge of the Year (category sponsored by Absolut Vodka) - The Drawing Room, Chicago
    •    Hotel Bar - POV, W Hotel, Washington, DC
    •    Small Wonder Bar of the Year - Manifesto, Kansas City
    •    Sports Bar of the Year - Jerome Bettis Grille 36, Pittsburgh
    •    Wine Bar of the Year - Flute Midtown, New York

Burger King to Serve Beer

One of our favorite things when we travel is to see what specialty items McDonald's has on its menu--a McFalafel in Cairo; McCrab Cake in Maryland and McBeer in Germany. Mind you, we're not eating there--just checking out the diversity.

Well, now, thanks to Burger King, we can get a beer with our fast food burgers stateside. A Whopper Bar is set to open in Miami next month. (There is already one at Universal Orlando Resort.) Even with the temptation of 24 hour service, a toppings bar that includes jalapenos and blue cheese sauce and a can of $4.25 Bud, Miller Lite or Budlight Lime (except between the hours of 5 to 8 a.m.), we doubt we'll make it there on our next Miami trip! But if we do, we'll definitely order a Bud Light Lime--there's nothing like it to cut the burn of salsa and jalapenos!

New York City's Provocateur

Provocateur in NYC's Meatpacking District Gansevoort is serving up cocktails created by Scott Vincent Borba, the founder of the Borba skincare line--Borba makes those yummy gummy bear vitamins. Each cocktail is meant to address a specific skincare issue like firming, anti-aging and hydration (no idea how a cocktail can pull that one off!).

Further adding to the hip factor, the mini leather sheath dresses the waitresses wear were created by Rag and Bone. If you like them, they can be special ordered at the nearby Rag and Bone store in the West Village. Apparently Rag and Bone designed the uniforms from the staff at the Turks and Caicos Gansevoort, but we've been and we really don't remember them. Of course, we were on our honeymoon, so our eyes were focused elsewhere.

Smart money is on Provocateur being the site of many a fashion week party!

A Sip of Sexy for the New Year

From snow angels to tree toppers, we can’t get enough of angels this time of year. But we can’t forget the sexiest angels of them all - Victoria’s Secret Angels. To add a sophisticated splash to your New Year's plans, try this new “Bombshell” cocktail that debuted at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Viewing Party. A drink like this goes great with a group of girlfriends, so call the crew and have the pre-party at your house!



Bombshell Cocktail
3/5 42 below passion fruit 42BELOW vodka
1/5 vodka
1/5 cranberry juice
A splash of passion fruit puree and garnished with lemon twist

Planning the Best Bachelorette Party Ever!

Anne had an unforgettable bachelorette party in Vegas with a handful of great friends. Here's the recap of all the best from our trip to Vegas:

Best place to stay : staying at the Palazzo made the trip easy. Its location on the middle of the strip made it an easy walk or cab ride to just about anywhere in Vegas. There were also a ton of great restaurants and two great clubs, Tao and Lavo, right in the complex.

Best makeup : sure we know a lot about makeup; but no one makes you look better than a professional. That goes for getting your hair blown out as well. The Palazzo had both a Guerlain store for a great makeover and the Canyon Ranch Spa where we had our hair done.

Best black nail polish : think you know the best color for Vegas? Don't judge until you see what Anne wore!



Best dresses for Vegas : we got a handful of sexy dresses that are hard to wear just about any place but Vegas, and that's okay. Have a great time, wear a short dress and lots of sequins. On second thought, you can probably wear your dresses in Miami too!

Best shoes for Vegas : Anne wore some sky high heels to Tao that looked great; but she literally couldn't walk in them after a couple of hours. Again, only in Vegas.

SushiSamba : a sushi restaurant makes the perfect meal for a group of girls, because it's communal, has numerous presentations, and bite size pieces. It's no wonder the girls from SATC frequented SushiSamba in NY.



Best clubs in Vegas : we had fun at Lavo, XS, and Tryst; but there are so many clubs to choose from. We'd recommend Pure and Ghost Bar as well.

Best pool scene : no matter how late you stay up, you have to make it downstairs to the pool the next day. We're proud to say did, even if we napped once we got there. Unfortunately, Azure at Palazzo was closed for the season; but we did get a great cabana by one of the small pools.

Cocktail Looks: How to go from Day to Night from Daily Makeover

Our partners at Daily Makeover interviewed three uber-busy women and found their secrets to going from day to cocktail-ready night. Danielle Snyder, co-creator of Dannijo jewelry, is picutured above with her tools. Read more at Daily Makeover.

Please note this blog is an affiliate of DailyMakeover.com.

Gossip Girl Cocktails at the Empire Hotel

The Empire Hotel used to be one of our favorite places for a quiet cocktail--the lobby that is. The rooftop in summer is a scene worthy of Gossip Girl. Guess that's why the producers of our once favorite, now-resuscitating-itself show traded The Palace for The Empire, the hotel Chuck bought and is adding a hot club to. So it follows that the bar is now serving Gossip Girl-themed cocktails like S, B, I'm Chuck Bass, Lonely Boy and the Jenny Tartlet.

All this brush with fame should get the hotel ready for New York Fashion Week next September, when it's sure to become to Lincoln Center what the Bryant Park Hotel is to Bryant Park.

Louboutin's Champagne Shoe

We love Champagne almost as much as we love shoes. Or is it that we love shoes almost as much as we love Champagne? Thanks to Louboutin and Piper Heidsieck, we don't have to choose. Thanks to the folks over at Ideeli for filling us in on this stiletto Champagne glass. It's on our wish list!

A Toast to Fashion Week

Fashion Week may be almost over, but that's no reason to stop the party. (Indeed, if you're as tired as we are, it may be time to start drinking!) Grab some of your favorite girls and celebrate New York Fashion Week, wherever you are. Try some fun Fashion Week recipes like the Supermodel Spritzer (a combination of Pear mix, club soda, and ice). Or step it up with a straight-up Marc Jacobs inspired martini (shown above):

The Marc-tini

1 fl oz Rose’s Cocktail Infusions Blue Raspberry Mix

0.5 fl oz Rose’s Cocktail Infusions Mango Twist Mix

1.5 fl oz Vodka

Shake with 1 cup of ice

Strain into Martini glass

Garnish with a slice of mango, as desired

If you can’t make it to the runway, bring the runway to you! Read on for more Fashion Week-inspired cocktails.

Luxury Ice

One of the many high points of our recent trip to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail was meeting Roberto Sequeira of Glace Luxury Ice. The idea of Glace Luxury Ice instantly made sense to us after the seminar we attended, the "World's Biggest Bar Crawl," took a virtual stop by the Skyview Bar at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, home of what claims to be the world's most expensive cocktail at about $7,450, depending on the exchange rate. In the cocktail, the 55-year old Macallan scotch is served with ice made from water that comes from the Macallan distillery in Scotland. The cocktail is so pricey because it's served in an 18K gold Baccarat glass, which the drinker gets to keep.

While we're not about to spend four figures on a cocktail, after sampling Glace, we can definitely get behind the need for luxury ice. The ice is one large round ball, which means it doesn't splash or hit your nose when you go to take a sip. It's big, so it stays solid longer, so our drink didn't get watered down quickly. But even when it does melt, no worries, Glace is made of purified water so it's tasteless. Glace is also really cool looking.