We'll Drink to That: Best Gift Idea EVER for Your Milwaukee Friends!

Halloween is over, so Christmas is like tomorrow, right?! Thanks 'Murica for keeping that economy chug-chug-chuggin' along! Speaking of which, this holiday season, I want a model train set like Gomez Addams!

 All I want for  Christmas...

All jokes aside (but what gleeful fun a model track would be?!) - I think I have found the primo supremo, ultimo perfecto, poor Italiano-saying inspiring gift for your Milwaukee Cara Mia's! And it's a set of... coasters.   

Coasters?! These ain't your boring 1973-looking coasters! CityTins is a fantastic Wisconsin based-company that encourages folks to support their local bars & restaurants through the sell of their CityTin gift packs. 

The set of 20 coasters comes in a cute tin and feature $10 off any purchase of $25 or more (pre-tax/gratuity) at 20 different Milwaukee restaurants. And CityTins know their target audience in Milwaukee (aka Brew City aka Beer Town) - for 2014, they're offering a new gift set - specifically for Bars & Lounges!

The bars & lounges featured in this lineup are: Allium, Belmont Tavern, Blue Jacket, Boone & Crockett, Cafe Centraal, Camp, Finks, Great Lakes Distillery, Hi Hat Lounge, Hotel Foster, INdustri Cafe, Lucky Joe's Tiki Room, Lulu, Nomad World Pub, Riverwest Filling Station, The Ruby Tap, Thief Wine, Tonic Tavern, Water Buffalo, and The Wicked Hop.

  JB at The Wicked Hop! I think I needed 2 coasters here... 

 
Just a couple words to the wise:

1) For your friends who like food as much as booze, CityTins is also selling their traditional Milwaukee and Madison Restaurant Coaster sets too!  

2) Friends don't let friends use CityTins coasters as actual coasters. Seriously, I had a coaster sitting out and a friend put their drink on it and I went full-on "I'll cut you" mode. Not my proudest moment.

3) Some of these coasters may not be usable during Happy Hour - I'd recommend calling and checking before your visit so you don't lose your good Happy Hour mojo/buzz when you're ready to check out with your coaster and they say, "sorry, nuh-uh." And then you say "I'll cut you." And then they don't understand your Gomez Addams sense of humor and you're going to need more than CityTins coasters to bail your value-loving ass out of jail.

Moving on... the bottom line is that if you do love a good deal as much as us (and our value-loving asses, I'm having that printed on my business card) - you will definitely appreciate this one! Seriously, you get your money's worth if you use 3 of the 20 coasters. 

Hot damn! We'll Drink to That indeed!!!

--JB's Value-Loving Ass

We’ll Drink to That: Speed Rack Chicago

In my opinion, Speed Rack Chicago was the hottest ticket in town! For $20/25 bartenders, boozers, and supporters of breast cancer charities, were treated to sponsored cocktails & food while watching Chicago’s top female bartenders battle it out March Madness style. 

In case you missed the first post, Speed Rack is a national competition that travels to different cities, where female bartenders go head to head making classic cocktails for a panel of judges.  Chicago was the last stop on the tour before the regional finalists compete in New York for the title of Miss Speed Rack USA.  100% of the money raised at the events goes towards breast charities and research.

Here’s what went down at the Chicago event

We pretty much treated the Absolut bar as our own personal step & repeat.

It’s almost time to battle

 Sponsored Drinks & Cocktails 

Absolut Arm Candy 

Sarah Sparkles cocktail

What it is: Altos Plata tequila, Champagne, Ginger liqueur, Pear puree, meyer lemon puree

Our Notes: We have no idea who "Sarah Sparkles" may be but we loved this cocktail. This drink had the perfect balance of sweet and strong. 

High Fashioned Cocktail

What it is: H by Hine Cognac, Luxardo apricot, Angostura & Orange Bitters spritz, & orange slice

Our Notes: This cocktail was strong, smooth, and sophisticated just like an old fashioned. This drink is to be sipped, not slammed.

Eryn Reece Cocktail

What it is: This cocktail is named after the New York finalist, Eryn Reece. This was made with cocktail Tequila, St. Germain, Cynar, Grapefruit, Lemon & Perrier

Our Notes: This was by far our favorite cocktail! It’s such a warm weather drink – crisp, lightly sweet, & refreshing.  We parked ourselves by this bar for the rest of the night.

And the winner of the night …

Liz Pearce of The Drawing Room

Check out The Happy Hour Tour Facebook page for more photos. 

Thanks to the folks at Wagstaff Worldwide for turning us onto this awesome event!

We'll Drink to That " is a feature that highlights things that have us so excited that we just gotts to inform our readers! Know of a product, event, etc. that you think we'll drink to? E-mail us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

We'll Drink to That: Fresh & Easy - St. Patrick's Day Taste & Tweet

On Thursday, March 14th, our friends at Fresh & Easy hosted a "Taste & Tweet" in celebration of the holy Guinness holiday, St. Patrick's Day!! 

So I had a couple gal pals over - it ain't a party without Kitty Packard, Ch_eekyGirl, and Good in LA - we cranked up the Irish Pub channel on Pandora, and enjoyed some excellent Guinness cocktails -- thereby breaking the cardinal rule, "Thou shalt not drink and tweet!" 

Here’s our delish mix for the evening – we were ready to sample everything and then some! 

Don't mind the call box, we only use it to buzz our landlord, Mr. Furley.

Cocktail #1 – Black Velvet 

What it is: Guinness and Montcadi Cava 

Our notes: Super light and refreshing, especially for a Guinness Cocktail! 

Best Tweet: On the difficulty of floating the Guinness on top of the champagne, “...having never honed my tom cruise "cocktail" skills we are struggling here. how about the rest of you?” @FreshandEasy  Um, YES!!

Cocktail #2 – Black & White 

What it is: Guinness and Hopper Whitman Belgian White Ale 

Our notes: Great flavor, full bodied blend - I could drink these in my sleep. I don't even know what that means, but it's good.

Best Tweet: “Do the Belgians and Irish like each other? Feel like I am building a bridge between nations” - @MrAndrewBradley

Cocktail #3 – Chocolate Guinness 

What it is: Guinness and Underworld Chocolate Stout (we had to substitute with Boatswain Chocolate Stout)

Our notes: Dangerous and dark chocolate-y. I would serve this as a dessert to a hardcore berserker kind of dude (just my type!), like someone who lives in Game of Thrones. 

Best Tweet: “A long time ago, a friend said the reason he liked Guinness was bc it tasted like "a burnt chocolate milkshake." @kristysf 

Special HHT Cocktail #4 – Snakebite! 

What it is: Guinness and Julian Hard Cider (made in SoCal’s Apple capital, Julian, CA).

Our notes: It was good, I was drunk by then. But I do want to note that I think it’s great that Fresh & Easy carries tasty local beers like this! 

Some other fun pics from the evening: 

 

 The fridge was ready to PARTAY!!!! 

 

So was our dinner spread! 

Taking a self portrait (while hoarding three Black & White’s) is serious biz! 

Self-Portrait Result (less boobs!). 

As always, big thanks to the Fresh & Easy team and to Allison Osorio at RL Public Relations!

70th Annual Golden Globes – Drinking Game

It’s that time of year again… Awards Season! Kicking the festivities off in always glamorous style is the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards, broadcast live (with tape delay in the event of any drunk rants – see #4) from Beverly Hills on Sunday, January 13th at 8pm EST/5pm PST.

 

Already planning to forget thanking our spouses in our future-Golden Globes acceptance speeches. 
Just kidding :)!

Here at The Happy Hour Tour, we love us some award shows – especially when watched with a drinking game! So, we’ve put our heads (and wine glasses!) together to create this penultimate Happy Hour Tour 70th Annual Golden Globes Drinking Game! We suggest you grab some champagne, white wine, or your favorite clear liquor so you don’t stain your red-carpet worthy attire!

To play, take a drink whenever:

1. Anyone mentions “30 Rock” and “Parks & Recreation.” 

Taking the hosting reigns from Ricky Gervais (awkward much?), the 70th Annual Awards will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Both ladies’ flagship shows are celebrating their final seasons – expect at least several shout-outs to these beloved shows!

Our kind of gals!!

 

2. Every reaction shot of a Hollywood legend. 

Award shows are chock-full of cutaway shots to Tinseltown stalwarts. Define your list of legends before the show – for this season, we pick Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, and Leonardo DiCaprio (young legend, but he’s been playing the game for years).

All these dudes have won Golden Globes - expect the audience cam to find them often and a lot!

**Two drinks if any of these dudes show up: Jack Nicholson, George Clooney, and Warren Beatty!

3. Everytime someone mentions being able to drink at the Golden Globes! 

The GG’s are popular with celebs since, unlike the Academy Awards pre-awards bar/dinner – you can actually drink at your table throughout the GG dinner and show. Take a drink whenever a tipsy star makes a reference to the free-flowing alcohol!

Angie's bored because she forgot her flask - girl, there's a bottle of Moet right in front of you!

4. Whenever a presenter or winner cusses or gets bleeped for cussing. 

With liquor-aplenty, celebs turn into sailors and we can expect at least one impromptu f-bomb! Bottoms up, muthaf**ka!!

 

5. Everytime you see Francesca Eastwood on stage. 

Nepotism be damned, this one will get you druuuu-uuunk!! Every year, the son or daughter of Hollywood royalty presents the GG statues to the winners on-stage. Past Miss Golden Globes that have gone onto stardom include Laura Dern, Joely Fisher, Melanie Griffith and her own daughter, Dakota Johnson.

Drink when you see this girl. That's an order.

This year’s Miss GG is Francesca Eastwood, the daughter of Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher. She’s already (in)famous in Hollywood circles for destroying a $100,000 Birkin bag in a conceptual “art piece.” That’s some kinda shit, but hey, we were all young once? Here’s to hoping Ms. Eastwood turns that glutton behavior into something positive – starting now with a generous contribution to this drinking game!

6. Everytime the words “70th Annual Golden Globes” are uttered! 

Seriously, if you had been playing the game while reading these rules, you’d have had 5 drinks by now!

 

7. Whenever a nominee is announced from a show or movie you’ve never heard of.

The Golden Globes are like the Academy Awards and Emmy’s all rolled into one – handing out statues for film and television. And for film – they divide the nominees into drama and musical/comedy. This all amounts to a lot of nominees, and quite a few we’ve never heard of. Drink up!

Have you heard of STAND UP GUYS? Neither have we - Jon Bon Jovi is nominated for Best Original Song for this flick. 
I think I was asleep during this part of 2012.

**EXTRA BONUS ROUND**

This year’s honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award is going to one of the most hands-down talented actresses of our time, Jodie Foster. We love her, she’s the bomb, she anchors one of JB’s favorite movies (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS). She also has a funny way of pronouncing her S’s – as in:

“Hello, Dr. Lecter, I’m Agent Clareesh Shtarling from the FBI.”

If you’re still feeling shober at this point in the show, then A) you haven’t been following the rules. And B) catch up now with a drink every time JF lisps an S. “I really appreshiate thish honor from the Hollywood Foreign Pressh Ashoshiation.”

Ba-dum-ching, you’re drunk. And so are we!

 

As always, drink responsibly (at home or with a Designated Driver – have them play along with Root Beer!) and have fun!!

We'll Drink To That: The Radio Room

We'll Drink to That " is a feature that highlights things that have us so excited that we just gotts to inform our readers! Know of a product, event, etc. that you think we'll drink to? E-mail us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

One thing that surprises people most is that I have never been to The Edison. That’s right – never. Not even for the 35 cents martini nights. So Dan Cox PR hosted an event for press & bloggers for The Radio Room at The Edison, I knew my time was due. Go-to-girl, Carrie, came along from the ride.

The Radio Room is a special event where great mixologists from all over the country come to The Edison to make their signature cocktails for one night. There are no vodka-cranberry drinks here.

Upon arrival at The Edison, Dan Cox immediately greeted us. It is rare that the person who actually hosts the list will greet people, let alone be present – nightclubs take notice! Not only did Dan greet us, but also he introduced himself, talked us through the night, and the press kit. It was a lot of information, but Dan did a great job in letting us know what we were in for that evening. We also had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Jacobs, the general manager, before hitting the bar.

For The Radio Room event, there were 4 mixologists serving up 6 different cocktails total. We arrived in the middle of the event so we didn’t have the pleasure of having a bartender talk us through our first drink choice. We decided to wing it. Carrie ordered the Rite of Spring by Don Lee of Momofuku in NYC. I ordered the Globo Rojo #2 by Zane Harris of Rob Roy in Seattle. Carrie’s drink was not our bag – at all. My drink was much better. It was good and interesting due to its smoky aftertaste. It wasn’t a drink I would have normally ordered, but that’s what drink previews are for, right? With the sweetness of the strawberries and the smoky aftertaste, I think it would be a nice compliment for a barbeque on a hot, summer day.

Globo Rojo #2 – blend of strawberries, mescal, tawny port, & bitters

Rite of Spring – a classic Gibson with a twist

After hitting up the tasty food table of meat, cheese, olives, deviled eggs, etc., we went up to the bar for round two. Luckily, our hot bartender crawl organizer, The Minty, had showed us the best side of the bar, so we knew where to spend the rest of our evening. We favored the side of Giuseppe Gonzalez of Dutch Kills & upcoming new bar Painkiller, both in NYC. His drinks of the evening were the Wild Orchid & Infante. The Wild Orchid was soooo ahhh-mazing that we sucked it down so fast. We were dying to try his other cocktail so for the sake of being ladies of not getting smashed in such a classy establishment, we split his second featured cocktail, The Infante, a tequila cocktail with orange blossom water and a hint of nutmeg. Neither of us are huge tequila drinkers, but this drink was equally amazing! It didn’t hurt that Giuseppe was the most social of all the bartenders, in our opinion anyway. He said that I reminded him of an ex-girlfriend which I took as a compliment since he made us such great drinks. Unfortunately, we got to try drinks by everyone but Simon Ford who works in London & NYC for Pernod Richard.

Wild Orchid – gin cocktail with notes of almond & elderflower, kissed with red wine

The next time I go to The Edison, I would love a tour. There are so many nooks and crannies (good for dates!) that I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to explore everywhere. Naturally, most people hung out at the bar. I would also love to meet Joseph Brooks, Director of Spirits. We spied him walking around, looking cute & friendly, but we would have loved to know what his signature drink is.

Thanks again to Dan Cox for the invite to such a fabulous event!

Stay tuned to The Edison’s website. The next Radio Room event is scheduled for May 25th.

-JG

We'll Drink to That: Pinky Vodka

"We'll Drink to That " is a feature that highlights products that have us so excited that we just gotts to inform our readers! Know of a product that you think we'll drink to? E-mail us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

We love a good vodka cocktail. Both Jennie & I are partial to Cape Cods, y’know cranberry & vodka’s, or in the interest of weight loss/maintenance, vodka-soda’s with a splash of Cranberry. So, obviously, we were excited like school-girls upon trying out our first bottle for review, all hail Pinky Vodka! We planned a Friday night of stay-in fun to celebrate by playing drink mixologists. After a few Pinky cocktails, we also became artsy photographers, costumed dancers, and basically anything else you might pretend to be at a sleepover when you’re twelve years old!! Don’t believe us, check out the slideshow, featuring more amazing shots like the one below!

Pinky Vodka was a great choice for this inaugural “Girls Night In” since it’s marketed as the first vodka created for women, each pink bottle hand-blended with violets, rose petals, and other botanicals. Mancation Carrie joined us as we sampled many Pinky concoctions – from Pinky on the Rocks to Pinky Cape Cods to Pinky Berry Breezes (a personal favorite featuring vodka, frozen berries instead of ice cubes, and diet tonic water) and more! Pinky provided a great base for every fruity drink as those subtle botanicals flavors only enhanced the mix-in’s.

Pinky’s website offers many, many ideas for mixed cocktails, but I decided to create a cocktail around the thorny logo – the Guns & Roses. Trouble is, I honestly don’t know what would go into that cocktail – that would still taste awesome :). Any ideas? We'd love to hear them!

This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely our own may vary from others.

We’ll Drink To That: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure

"We'll Drink to That " is a feature that highlights products that have us so excited that we just gotts to inform our readers! Know of a product that you think we'll drink to? E-mail us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

I absolutely love to get manicure/pedicures. Some people love to get massages, but for me a mani/pedi is my massage. I just love to kick back in the massage chairs, receive beauty treatments, and read the latest Us Weekly. However, now that the holidays are over and my latest show wrapped, I can’t splurge on my favorite beauty ritual as much as I would like.

I have bought countless brands of nail polish, but the end result is always that it looks like I gave myself a manicure… if I was six. Cue the new Sally Hansen line Complete Salon Manicure to save the day.

While in Memphis for the holidays, I was still too jetlagged from my New Zealand travels to bother finding a nail salon. On one Walgreens run, I picked up a color from the new collection to once again try an at-home manicure. I’m not sure how long this collection has been out, but I’m certain that it’s pretty new since it can be found on displays at many stores. I picked up the color Plum Luck since I feel that dark polishes tend to better disguise mistakes. At $7.49 the polish is about a dollar more than most drugstore polishes, but it works! Trust me. I’ve tried many.

Not only did I not have mistakes on my nails, but they were also super shiny before I applied a top coat. To cover my bases (literally), I was sure to use a top coat to ensure a great result. The polish was also quick drying so I didn’t get fabric imprints from long sleeves, towels, or sheets – a BIG pet peeve. The polish looked great for days, and I never had to reapply a top coat for a fresh look.

I have since picked up two more colors from the Complete Salon Manicure collection: Pink Slip and my new obsession, All Fired Up. There are over 40 shades to choose from. If you’re like us and need to save money for happy hour, I highly recommend picking up nail polish from this collection!

-JG

We’ll Drink To That: Holiday Drinks!

"We'll Drink to That " is a feature that highlights products that have us so excited that we just gotts to inform our readers! Know of a product that you think we'll drink to? E-mail us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

Some people don’t like when stores roll out the holiday decorations too early. Some people don’t like holiday music. We’re not those people. We’re people that shop for fall scented candles, eat up candy corns while they’re in season, and keep our Christmas tree up a bit past the new year because it makes a good night light. We’re also people that love a good holiday drink, be it alcoholic or non!

This season, The Woods offers Pumpkin Pie shots. During happy hour, the shots are just $3. It’s not the type of shot to slam. It should be slowly enjoyed. Assuming a sweet shot with the dollop of whip cream is not low calorie, the shot glass is the perfect serving size. All year round, The Woods offers Smores Martini, a chocolate martini with marshmallow & graham crackers lining the glass. It’s not a holiday drink per se, but it does make one think about cuddling in front of a fire.

Once the Halloween decorations went away and the temperature cooled (even for LA), our hunt moved onto all things cinnamon, gingerbread, & eggnog. We have yet to find a place to get a good, winter cocktail, but we do know where to find the coffee drinks.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf offer Pumpkin Lattes, served both hot or ice blended. When served hot, it can be a little on the sweet side. However, when served ice blended it can be quite the dessert. Bring a blender of that to your next dinner party. This season, they have added Dark Chocolate Orange and Dark Chocolate Raspberry flavors. The Coffee Bean has had a couple of free giveaway days to promote their holidays drinks so keep an eye out.

Starbucks offers Eggnog, Gingerbread, & Peppermint Mocha Lattes. All three are delicious whether they are served hot or ice blended. If you’re lucky, you may come across a location that offers the Toffee Nut Latte. Not quite sure why a coffee drink is offered at limited locations, but it is definitely worth a try.

A new favorite coffee spot is Peet's Coffee & Tea. They also offer Eggnog Lattes. This coffee chain is a new favorite because the coffee is strong, but always holds its flavor against whatever sweetness added to it. The menu only offers the Eggnog Latte served hot, but they’ll make it ice blended if asked.

It’s always important to watch the calories around the holidays. That said, we find it best to order the small size of the drinks, minus the whip.

While we may have found the perfect coffee drinks, we still would like to find some holiday cocktails. Does no one in LA do a Hot Toddy? Hot Chocolate & Peppermint Schnapps?

Who’s offering holiday drinks that The Happy Hour Tour should not miss? Please email us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com.

Photo disclaimer: Each coffee photo is from each companies website.

We'll Drink to That! Just a Bite Cake Pops

"We'll Drink to That " is a new feature that highlights products that have us so excited that we just gotts to inform our readers! Know of a product that you think we'll drink to? E-mail us at TheHappyHourTour@gmail.com!

Having a Happy Hour bash that could use a little sugar fix? Tired of the cupcake craze (heaven forbid!) and want something to make your happy hour friends ooh & ahh? Or maybe you need to send someone a sweet treat and are looking for something other than Mrs. Beasley's (dios mio!) or Dean & De Luca (mercy me!)?

Try Just a Bite Cake Pops, some of the tastiest, most inventive little treats we've enjoyed in a long time (Amen & Hallelujah!)!

Cake pops are basically dense, moist round cake-balls (for lack of a better term) coated in a sugary-hard shell frosting - all on a stick - like the world's most delicious lollipop. Remarkably, they hold up pretty well while eating them, which makes them a fun and cool treat for kids, adults, seniors, etc :)!

Mindy Himmel, the genius behind Just a Bite Cake Pops, is a pleasure to work with and will help design specific orders whatever your needs may be. Witness the carrot-cake-pop-garden for a one-year-old's birthday party and the TWILIGHT-themed red-velvet cake-pops for our friend Adam-bot's rooftop twilight soiree and. We sampled those and have also tried the chocolate and peanut-butter cake pops, all of which are basically little revelations. Overdramatic? Try one and see!

Carrot Cake Pop Garden!

Adam-Bot & Twilight Cake Pop

Cake Pops start out at $2/pop, minimum order is 2-dozen. Mindy will ship anywhere in the United States, obvs - shipping charges apply. To order (or salivate at the pictures), visit www.justabitecakepops.com.

Mention "The Happy Hour Tour" and receive 10% off any order of 4-dozen or more through November 15th.