Friday Frock and Fizz

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Weeks ago, during a stroll through a Brooklyn street fair, I snapped a photo of this cotton candy stand. The fluffy sweetness brought back childhood memories of summertime carnivals and the pastels evoked an immediate calling for warm weather wear.

I got to thinking about what a cotton candy cocktail would taste like, and quickly discovered several other folks are way ahead of my amateur sweet tooth. While taste-testing the confectionery fizz, I suggest dressing yourself up in similar soft-hued tones like Eli Saab’s haute couture 2012.

Make the cotton candy martini-confit just like this:

2 ounces vanilla vodka
1/4 cup juice (pineapple or blueberry)
3 tablespoons grenadine
1 1/2 cups club soda
Sugar
Ice

Combine vodka, juice and grenadine in a shaker
Divide between tall glasses
Rim glasses with coarse sugar
Fill with small ice cubes
Garnish with cotton candy!



Image Credits: 1.Jenny by design 2.Eli Saab/unknown 3.Unknown

Friday Frock and Fizz

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Drape yourself, lovelies. Valentino’s polka dot is at the top of my list because of the timeless detail and sophistication. Complement this feminine frock with a Viennese Coffee Float. A classy concoction, the fizz is pure fun paired with a couture dot.



Make it at home like this:


For The Flavored Ice Cream:

    • 2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened
    • 1/2 cup strongly brewed cold espresso
    • 1/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella works)

  • For The Hazelnut Whipped Cream:

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella works)

  • For The Syrup:

    • 1 cup sugar
    • 2 cinnamon sticks
    • 2 tablespoons Jamaican rum

  • To Assemble Each Drink:

    • 24 ounces strongly brewed hot coffee
    • 1 cup unsweetened whipped cream
    • Vietnamese or regular ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
  1. Make the flavored ice cream: Stir together ice cream, espresso, and hazelnut spread in an airtight container. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour (up to 1 week).
  2. Make the syrup: Stir sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in rum. Let cool completely. Strain into an airtight container; discard cinnamon sticks. Refrigerate overnight (up to 1 month).
  3. Make the hazelnut whipped cream: Put cream and hazelnut spread into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-low speed until light brown and well combined, about 5 minutes. Raise speed to medium-high; beat until soft peaks form.
  4. To assemble each drink: Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, put 3 scoops ice cream into a small coffee cup or 6-ounce glass. Pour in 1 tablespoon syrup, then 3 ounces hot coffee. Add a dollop of hazelnut whipped cream and a dollop of plain whipped cream; swirl together with a spoon. Drizzle more syrup over top; sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve immediately, garnished with marshmallows.
    Image Credits: Frock: Unknown; Valentino SS 2011 // Fizz: Martha Stewart Weddings

Mid-week Menu

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Individual Prosciutto and Spinach Pies came into my life after opening an issue of Coastal Living magazine. Their original recipe is the perfect dinner pie, only requiring 15 minutes of prep and 14 minutes to bake. I’ve had a hectic week, in preparation for a big work trip to London, and this little dish has been the cure to eating well without a ton of available time.


Make them at home like this:

  • 12 thin slices prosciutto, halved crosswise (about 1/2 pound)
  • 10 eggs, lightly beaten 
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
  • 1 cup loosely packed spinach, stems trimmed and roughly chopped 
  • 1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese 

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan or 12 ramekins. Place prosciutto slices into bottoms and up sides of cups, overlapping in a crisscross pattern.
  • 2. Combine eggs, salt, and pepper. Divide spinach and cheese among muffin cups. Pour egg mixture evenly into muffin cups.
  • 3. Bake pies 14 to 16 minutes or until just set. Let stand about 5 minutes. Loosen pies by running a knife around the edges of each cup, and then lift out of pan with a small spatula. Serve immediately.
Image Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner via Coastal Living May 2012

Friday Frock and Fizz

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Yes, Friday has arrived, and the fizz featured today may quickly become a fun favorite. I ordered the Dancing Fox last Saturday after wandering into Hopeland in Brooklyn. The entire afternoon was a pleasant surprise of Boerum Hill’s food, fashion, and home decor, all with the dance of a fox. The cocktail goes something like this:

DANCING FOX
Blueberry Vodka
Muddled Fresh Blueberries
Mint
Lime Juice
Seltzer

The Dancing Fox can be tamed or enlivened by an anglaise pencil dress. Sexy and sassy, you can’t go wrong. This dress is low-key sophistication with high-brow style. Cheers!

Image Credits: ASOS

Friday Frock and Fizz

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Yes, lovelies, I realize this isn’t – technically – a frock, however it has the feel and flow of a true frock experience. So, bare with me. Ohne Titel’s stripes offer an optical illusion and a lesson in geometry. Pair it with a fizz from London designer William Yeoward’s American Bar and you’ve got yourself a sun crushed combination of glamour and glorious color. The book is a diary of the world’s most sophisticated cocktails, each page delivering a separate sip of pleasure.

The Berkeley Blue Bar’s Sun Crushed fizz stands out for me.

Make it at home like this:

3 orange slices
2 bar spoons brown sugar
10 red currants
2 bar spoons lemon juice
2 oz. pomegranate liqueur
Champagne, to top up

*Muddle together the orange, brown sugar and red currants in a highball glass.
*Add lemon juice, pomegranate liqueur and crushed ice.
*Stir.
*Top up with Champagne, add more ice, and garnish with red currants or an orange slice.

Cheers!

Image Credits: Frock: Imaxtree // Fizz: Cico Books

 

NYC Ice Cream

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Poppy (my maternal grandfather) loved saying: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream! Up until his late 80s, he indulged in whole-milk, pure ice cream on a daily-or-weekly basis, yet always maintained a lean physique. I inherited the ice cream hobby from him, and wish he was around to join me at The Meatball Shop. I know he would melt for their homemade ice cream sandwiches.

The mix-and-match list of sandwich choices and ice cream options are all winners. I usually go for the chocolate chip cookie paired with mint ice cream. My mouth waters as I type this up for you.

Recently, I had dinner with one of my nearest & dearest girlfriends at The Meatball Shop on Greenwich Avenue. Just as we received our dessert, general manager and co-owner, Michael Chernow, popped by our table to tell us we were sending out good vibes. We chatted him up for a minute, mostly praising his model meatball and ideal ice cream. His energy seemed as fresh and real as the food he serves up.


Image Credit: Hannah Whitaker/New York Magazine; Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano/Halley Resources

Friday Frock and Fizz

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This little number, designed by Alice Cheng, is one of my go-to frocks. Sexy, casual and always chic. You can find the dress in Brooklyn at one of my favorite boutiques, A.Cheng. I own the leather wrap belt, too, and highly recommend it for the extra twist of originality.

Dress this frock up in the evening or down in the afternoon, fitting for a Sunday brunch with a bit of fizz. I’ll be sipping a Bloody Mary soon enough; good ahead, indulge with me!

Make it at home like this:
1 1/2 oz of Vodka
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp horseradish
Tomato juice
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
Celery salt
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

Image Credits: 1 / 2 / 3

Friday Frock and Fizz

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This frock lights up my brain waves. The pop of color. The embroidered tulle. The accordion-pleaded skirt. Ah-mazing, kids, is all I have to say today. The Nanette Lepore number gives me everything I desire of  femininity coupled with an original sophistication. Well, maybe I’d want to sip a Pisco Sour…

When I first found the Lepore frock, I was reminiscing of my time in South America last March. I had my first Pisco Sour, ever, in Miami. And, Miami was my departure city en route to the wilds of Brazil. I recommend the Peruvian-Style Pisco Sour. Make it at home just like this:

Juice of 1/2 Lime
1 tablespoon of pasteurized egg white
2 tablespoons of sugar, or more to taste
1/4 cup crushed ice
2 ounces Peruvian pisco
Angostura bitters

Cheers! And: Happy Weekend.

Friday Frock and Fizz

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Lavender love is in the air. Enjoy the weekend, enjoy Yuna Yang’s gorgeous designs and enjoy a blooming cocktail. The concoction above is being served at Ai Fiori in New York City. The Violet Valéry can be created as an at-home fizz by combining the following in a shaker: 3/4 oz. each Banks rum, lime juice, Cocchi Americano, and 1/2 oz. each Crème Yvette and honey syrup (4 parts honey to 1 part hot water). Shake with ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a violet or another edible flower. Cheers!


Image Credits: Frock: Yuna Yang / Fizz: Danny Kim for New York Grubstreet

Friday Frock and Fizz

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Peplum and Pimm’s No.1. are on my mind as the weather becomes warmer and we all fall into the season of Spring. I began making Pimm’s Cup a few years ago, and it quickly became my go-to drink for entertaining guests. Founder James Pimm, an owner of a London oyster bar, first invented the cocktail using gin, quinine, and a secret mixture of herbs and botanicals. 

My personal favorite Pimm’s Cup recipe is The Original Victorian Pimm’s: 

One Part Pimm’s
Two Parts Traditional Lemonade (Americans often substitute with Sprite; I recommend Ginger Beer)
Orange Slices
Lemon Slices
Cucumber Slices
Mint Leaves


Speaking of entertaining guests…my idea of the perfect party hostess pinafore is a peplum styled frock. Originating in ancient Greece, it is a seasoned silhouette offering a woman a modern-day advantage. Peplum dresses present a fit and a flare. I love the idea of sipping a Pimm fizz while wearing this worthy trend.

Buy this peplum via Asos.
If you are feeling frisky and risky, after mixing your fizz, give it a go to sew your own peplum frock. I purchase most of my Vogue pattern books at the Brooklyn Flea, but you can find a similar pattern here. Please report back if you take the peplum plunge; cheers!