Let's have a drink!

Buena vista cocktail at the drinkme party

partysugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:45:12 -0700

Sparkling Sangria Recipe

GrandEntrance — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:38:10 -0700

**Sparkling Sangria Recipe**
http://eat-drink.fateback.com/wines/sparkling-sangria.html

The Holidays are upon us, so Liven up your Parties with some delicious Sparkling Sangria.

INGREDIENTS

1 750-ml bottle dry white wine
1 cup pomegrante juice
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup peach schnapps (or apricot brandy)

1 Granny smith apple, cored and diced
1 regular or white peach, pitted and diced
1 can diet lemon-lime or grapefruit soda (like 7up or fresca)
1 can club soda, and oranges for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Combine white wine, pomegranate juice, red wine, schnapps, apple pieces and peach pieces in a large pitcher. Stir well to blend flavors.

Refrigerate for a least 2 hours or overnight. Before serving, add diet soda and club soda.

Serve over ice with orange garnish.

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>>More GOOD Stuff
Preparation time: 10 min 12 servings

DRY Soda

mellie_608 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:13:14 -0800

drysoda.com

This company is from my hometown, Seattle. I'm considering using their unique sodas for signature drinks at my wedding. They have six flavors: vanilla bean, juniper berry, lavender, lemongrass, kumquat, and rhubarb. Their website features some drink recipes and they are also featured in the current issue of Seattle Bride where a local catering company has also developed some cocktail ideas - see that article at - http://www.seattlebridemag.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Pu...

Just as Obama begins, huge deficit could hamper plans (McClatchy Newspapers)

Grandpa — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:09:35 -0800

Just as Obama begins, huge deficit could hamper plans
By Steven Thomma | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The forecast Wednesday of a jaw-dropping $1.2 trillion one-year federal budget deficit will make it harder for President-elect Barack Obama to win broad support for a massive stimulus package that would add even more to the red ink.
With his party controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Obama's still likely to get the OK for spending and tax cuts that cost $1 trillion or more over two years and are designed to jump-start the economy and create or save 3 million jobs.
However, while many economists, business groups and politicians agree on the need for something dramatic, Obama now concedes that he'll have to wait until February to get a bill to sign. He'll probably find conservative "blue dog" Democrats as well as Republicans balking at the idea of borrowing another $1 trillion on top of this new annual deficit.
They could deny Obama the kind of broad, bipartisan approval that he hopes will signal not only that he's changed the political culture of a divided Washington but also that he's put forward a plan that's widely popular. Such approval is crucial as he moves to rebuild trust in the government and the economy.
He plans to speak more about the need to rebuild confidence in a speech on the economy Thursday.
Yet even before he can point to a law meant to boost the economy or to post-stimulus efforts to rein in budget deficits, he has to deal with the fallout of the Congressional Budget Office's forecast that the current year's deficit will jump from last year's $455 billion to a record $1.2 trillion.
"There's a sticker shock problem," said Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Minnesota and the author of a book on budget politics. "This is a new problem for Obama: How far out there are people willing to go?"
He noted that there are as many as 100 fiscally conservative Democrats in the House and 20 in the Senate who're probably stung by the deficit figure and reluctant to use the stimulus as an easy ride for new programs.
"We want to do an economic stimulus, but there also has to be fiscal discipline," said Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark. "I do like doing things in the stimulus that invest. I like the commitment to infrastructure. . . . I like the idea of helping colleges and universities.
"But I'm always leery when people start thinking too much of politics and not (economics). . . . Giving everybody a little bit of money. I don't know that will have a stimulative effect."
Republicans are a tougher sell, even with Obama's promise to add tax cuts to the stimulus package.
"The deficit estimate makes it clearer than ever that we cannot borrow and spend our way back to prosperity when we're already running an annual deficit of more than $1 trillion," said Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the House Republican leader.
Boehner released statements from several economists questioning the value of deficit spending to prime the economy.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the country's most prominent business groups, supports the general goal of a stimulus package that would cost as much as $700 billion and include a mix of 60 percent federal spending and 40 percent tax cuts.
However, chamber President Thomas J. Donahue warned Wednesday that Obama would need stringent controls to ensure that the temporary spending doesn't become permanent. "We've got to be very, very careful that we don't make a larger government," he said.He said that the soaring deficit made Obama's task of pushing the stimulus package more difficult. "They're divided in many ways beyond Republican and Democrat," he said.
"These numbers are absolutely staggering. We knew the deficit numbers were going to be big, but $1.2 trillion?" said Maya MacGuineas, the president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. "Policymakers simply must put together a plan to assure the nation's creditors, as well as taxpayers, that there is a plan to repay this tremendous amount of borrowing once the economy has stabilized."
Obama worked to assure taxpayers and skeptical members of Congress that he'll work to rein in the deficits later, naming a new bureaucrat to streamline the federal bureaucracy.
He selected Nancy Killefer, a former Clinton administration official, for the new post of chief performance officer and said she'd help the Office of Management and Budget find ways to cut spending and make government more efficient.
"We are committed to changing the way our government in Washington does business so that we're no longer squandering billions of tax dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness or exist solely because of the power of a lobbyist or an interest group," Obama said at his Washington transition office.
"Even in good times, Washington can't afford to continue these bad practices. In bad times, it's absolutely imperative that Washington stop them and restore confidence that our government is on the side of taxpayers and everyday Americans," he said.
Yet while Obama stressed that he'll inherit the $1.2 trillion deficit - and on Tuesday called the Bush administration irresponsible for adding to the national debt - he didn't identify any Bush-era policy that he'd reverse to reduce the deficits and mounting debt.

A Liquid Butterfinger

liciababe — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:43:50 -0800

bar

Vodka
Amaretto
Kahlua
DeKuyper ButterShots Butterscotch Schnapps
Frangelico
Bailey's Irish Cream

Need I say more?

INGREDIENTS

1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Amaretto
1/2 oz Kahlua
1/2 oz DeKuyper ButterShots Butterscotch Schnapps
1/2 oz Frangelico
1/2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
Cream

DIRECTIONS

Pour all ingredients over ice and fill with cream

Adventures with Vodka

bizzybee — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:35:33 -0700

I'm a fan of vodka be it straight up, a martini, a cosmo, a screwdriver or any other kind of cocktail. Over the years, my favorite brands have been Ketel One, Belvedere and, for the past few years, Grey Goose.

Recently I became aware of a new brand, Sobieski. It's the number #1 selling premium vodka in Poland and about a year ago was introduced to the U.S. Sobieski may be new to the States but their distillery dates back to 1846, so it's been around for a long time. I also learned that the origins of vodka - contrary to popular belief - originated in Poland. In fact, the Maszowe region of Poland is known for grain growing, most especially for Golden Dankowski Rye - one of the crown jewels of grain - and the quality ingredient of which Sobieski is exclusively distilled along with deep well water from Oligocene springs. The result? A pure, smooth vodka with a silky finish.

Some of you may've seen Sobieski's "Spread the Truth" ad campaign. I did. And it piqued my curiosity. I decided to try Sobieski for myself. I taste tested straight shots of Sobieski and Grey Goose, Belvedere and Ketel One. I discovered that Sobieski holds it own against these well known premium vodkas.

But probably the best thing about Sobieski - the price. A 1.75 liter will cost you somewhere in the area of $19.99. I don't know about you but I am definitely doing some cost-cutting these days, so to enjoy a rich tasting premium vodka for that price just brings a big smile to my face.

So if you're a vodka fan, I encourage you to give Sobieski a try. Make it a party and invite friends over - have them bring the other brands - then do a blind fold taste test. It's a fun way to get people talking and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by Sobieski's exceptional taste; it definitely holds its own against the other premium vodkas. Be sure to check out some of my other posts for cocktail recipes that include Sobieski vodka and enjoy!

Spread the Truth

Kahlua Birthday Love

Cocoangel — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:56:37 -0700

I've been amazed & surprised at the emails I received on my birthday from various stores & restaurants who stored my personal info just so they could wish me a happy one. This one from Kahlua is perhaps the best though:
Kahlua Birthday Wishes (with chocolate cake recipe!)

Highball

liciababe — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:17:48 -0700

My personal bartender aka my dad

my new fave drink

INGREDIENTS

1 shot jim beam~ green label is the best
Ginger ale
ice

DIRECTIONS

Put ice in glass- hard i kno. Pour in a shot of Jim Beam and qs with ginger ale. mix, drink, repeat

Kate Spade's Hot Buttered Rum recipe

Shiloh Jolie Pitt — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:31:34 -0800

I saw this in a magazine the other day and thought it looked interesting. I might make it this weekend before the weather gets really hot.

Serendipity frozen hot chocolate

Scorpgirl11 — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:48:40 -0800

fredflare.com