Cheers to the Weekend

Hi Gorgeous!!!

I am so excited it is finally Friday! I'm sure everyone who works a 40 hour job, Monday-Friday, is excited when 5pm hits on Friday afternoon. Today we'll be talking about Father's Day Gift Ideas, what's on the agenda for my weekend, and of course something yummy to get you feeling great.

Let's start off with the good stuff: Cocktail Spotlight. The cocktail that is in the spotlight this week is a really yummy one, and kinda easy to make ;). In the summer, there's nothing I love better than sweet iced cocktails. If it's a cool night, I may go for a draft beer or a martini, but I'm usually a shaken up with ice kinda cocktail girl.

Blueberry Gingerlicious Mojito

Ginger Syrup: 

1/4 Cup of Fresh Grated Ginger: peel the ginger and then grate

1 Cup of Granulated Sugar

1 Cup of Water

Add all of the ingredients to a pot, bring to boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Cover and let the syrup steep for 15 minutes. Then strain the mixture and put the syrup in the fridge to cool! 

For the Mojito 

1 Cup of Fresh Blueberries

1 Lime- Cut into Wedges 

20-24 Fresh Mint Leaves 

4 Ounces of Ginger Simple Syrup 

4 ounces of Vodka

5 Ounces of Club Soda

Plenty of Ice Cubes

Blueberries for Garnish

Mint Leaves for Garnish 

Add the blueberries, lime wedges, and fresh mint leaves to the pitcher. Muddle with a wooden spoon so the blueberies ae broken and the mint and lime release their juices and flavor. Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Then take out the pitcher and add the cooled simple syrup, vodka and top off with club soda. Do a quick stir and then pour into glasses with ice cubes. Garnish the glass with mint leaves and blueberries if you feel like being fancy. I would do a sprig of mint leaves because that just looks really cool, but do as you please!

The word Fresh is in bold because everything you make in the kitchen from baking to mixing cocktails is 110% better when you use Fresh ingredients. You can find fresh ginger at your local grocery store and I highly suggest buying your blueberries from your local farmers' market (if you have one). 

I hope y'all enjoy that cocktail! I will share a link at the bottom to a Father's Day friendly cocktail. 

Now on to something even better: shopping! I would not advice you to drink the mojito before shopping, but when I mix cocktails and shopping, I tend to be a little more liberal with my money. Which can be a good thing or a bad thing. 

Here are my top 3 Father's Day finds: 

1. There is nothing sexier than a really nice watch. Anyone who knows me knows I love shopping for watches. It's my favorite accessory and I am in love in men's watches. (Hence why I only wear "boyfriend" style watches!) Here are some good choices: 

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/michael-kors-gage-chronograph-leather-strap-watch-45mm/3880536?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=1710

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/burberry-check-stamped-bracelet-watch-42mm/3762989?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=5810

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/movado-large-bold-bracelet-watch-42mm/3172935?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=6710

That last one I'm pretty sure is Ian's dream watch. 

2. Ties: the next best and sexy accessory for men. Men typically won't buy themselves a tie and if they do, it's usually something boring and cheap. (They don't think like us women!) Here are some tie options that would be great dressed up or dressed down with jeans: 

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/burberry-london-rohan-woven-silk-cotton-tie/3908778?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=Midium+Grey&resultback=2400

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/vineyard-vines-sailboat-outline-silk-tie/4012199?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=ROYAL+BLUE&resultback=2700

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/calibrate-woven-silk-tie/3912532?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=700

My advice: Try and stay away from cotton ties. Find ones with some silk in the material because otherwise they will loose their clean look quickly. 

3. Bar Accessories: No one loves a good cocktail more than the dads in your life. Buying something like a new whisky glass or beer carrier could be his favorite gift of the day. Men like to have specific things, not an abundance of things. So that whiskey he has now and then, look next time. I bet you he uses a specific glass each time and it's usually the same. So buying him a new one may be something he uses more often than a fancy envelope opener (who even sends letters anymore! It's sad, I know.) 

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/cathys-concepts-personalized-craft-beer-holder/3863083?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=0

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sparq-whiskey-sphere-glass-set/4063839?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=5500

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/cathys-concepts-personalized-rocks-glasses-set-of-4/3566716?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=W&resultback=7800

I am off to the city for some down right fun! I'm hoping we have time to hit up 3 dots and a dash (my absolute favorite bar). I know for sure we are going to hit up some museums and art galleries. Tomorrow we are having a cook out (hopefully) and I plan on making my mojitos to share! \

Father Friendly Cocktail: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/classic-manhattan-cocktail.html      I haven't tried this cocktail yet, but getting better at making cocktails like this one will always benefit your hosting techniques. Ian is a big fan of Manhattans, Old Fashioned, and numerous other whiskey cocktails.  

XOXO-Mandie 

All photos above are from Nordstrom and Food Network websites.