Frills 'n' Spills: cocktails

Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts

25....

As you may have seen, I turn the grand old age of 25 on Monday and this entire weekend has been spent with some of my favourite people, eating drinking and being all round merry. I am taking a mini break to eat my way through this amazing owl shaped cake (my friend Lucinda is so talented!) and drink a few more cocktails. See you in a few days...!

P.S. Aspire Style are also celebrating their birthday this week although they are a few years younger than me and have £10 off their 10 top sellers which I may be treating myself to with my birthday money!

Edinburgh: the food and drink...

One of the (many) reasons why I love Twitter and the blogging community is how helpful everyone is! After I put a shout out on Twitter asking for recommendations for places to eat in Edinburgh, I had lot of really fab ideas and a list as long as my arm, of places we wanted to visit. We were lucky enough to get some restaurant vouchers for Christmas (best presents EVER!) and saved them up for our hols. Apologies for the Instagram shots, I was having too much fun stuffing my face to take proper pictures ;)

I know that St Andrews is not technically in Edinburgh, but this Sunday night pud set the tone for the rest of the week: award-winning mint choc chip from Janettas Ice Cream Parlour.

After dumping all of our stuff in our hotel, we headed straight to the National Gallery and enjoyed some cake in the sunshine. Very expensive but a lovely way to ease ourselves into a week of eating and drinking huge amounts! ;)

We decided to go for breakfast at Beanscene on our first day as it came highly recommended by lots of people and we both loved it. Fab atmosphere, brilliant food and really reasonable prices too. Well worth a visit if you can get to one!

You can't go to Scotland without having an IrnBru (or two!) One of my favourite drinks, I blame my Dad's Scottish roots...

Wagamamas is one of our favourite restaurants and although we loved the food (as always) the service in the Edinburgh branch was pretty awful :( This was massively disappointing as I have never had a bad experience with them up till now.

On our way back from a fab evening meal at Bella Italia, we decided to head to the Itchycoo Bar at the Radisson Blu and I tried their signature cocktail: it had Islay Botanist gin, Absolut citron, apple juice and lemonade and it was delicious!

I really don't think there is a better named cafe anywhere in the world! Has Beans was ace and really pretty inside, they had a gorgeous map on the wall that I wanted to run off with!

You don't get better comfort food than scrambled egg and beans on toast!

The Pioneer burger at Holyrood 9a was absolutely fantastic, the best thing I have eaten in weeks. It was a burger with sauteed rosemary, wild mushrooms, crispy bacon, Swiss cheese and garlic mayo, I am drooling at the mere thought of it! Another fab place with an amazing selection of beer (not really my thing) and burgers (oh yes) - I wish this was my local pub!

French martinis always remind me of the lovely Lil, my Aussie blogger pals and a certain Aussome night on the London Eye ahem. These were delicious, I could definitely get used to drinking them! I now also have a special fondness for Holyrood 9a, as the lovely Daisy recognised me and came and said hello which totally made my evening! ❤

The Lazy Hostess...

Although I love having friends and family over to visit, I am the world's laziest hostess. Whilst I love fancy meals and admire anyone who has the brainpower to work out meal timings (Mark) and delicious recipes, I am not one of them. If we ever have people over, I tend to go with my tried-and-tested combination of pizzas, homemade bread, lots of nibbly snacks and plenty of booze. It's not fancy but it sure is fun!

This bread is always the pièce de résistance of any social gatherings that we have. I sometimes use a packet mix of Parmesan and sundried tomato but if I am feeling more adventurous I use our bread-maker to mix up a dough using 1 tsp of yeast, 14 oz of strong white flour, 15 g of butter, 1 tbsp of milk powder, 1 tbsp pf sugar, 1 tsp of salt and 280 ml of water. I sometimes add garlic or rosemary but tomato and cheese really is the best combination! Once it has made a dough (45 minutes) I knead the mixture and add it to a tray in roll shapes and bake for 15 minutes. These quantities can make a loaf or a 'tear and share' bread but the latter is better if you have a group of people over. I really love our bread-maker and the fact that you can have fresh bread within an hour never fails to cheer me up!

The contents of our alcohol cabinet taking up a good portion of the table (ahem). We usually just buy lots of crisps, a big bag of salad and cook some new potatoes to keep everyone nice and full- no-one has complained of being hungry yet!

When I was offered the opportunity to review 'The Lazy Hostess'- Babe Scott's new book, I was intrigued. It promises to cover everything from drinks, to food and even inspiration for your outfit. (I wore a snazzy jumper and jeans combo for this meet up!) Although I cringed at some of the phrases used to describe the book (putting the 'ho' into 'hostess' being the main one) I actually really like it. The book is filled with fun quotes and easy to follow cocktail recipes (always key for me as I never know what to make/buy!)

In the name of science (!) Sophie and I decided to try and make the sinister sounding 'Mafia's Kiss' which had only 3 ingredients. I am a massive fan of Amaretto and cranberry juice so anything that manages to combine these two ingredients will definitely get my seal of approval!

I would guess that the majority of people would have at least 1 out of the three ingredients required for this cocktail so it is ideal if you need to make something at short notice that still looks and tastes fancy. Thank goodness for Mark who managed to take a photo of this before we drank the entire jug and spent the rest of the evening giggling our way through Tangled and Dirty Dancing! I particularly like the fact that the book gives quantities for both individual drinks and pitchers, it definitely helps to be able to scale your quantities up or down!

Use equal parts of vodka and amaretto and then top up with cranberry juice for a truly delicious cocktail! (I am writing this at work and can't remember the exact quantities the recipe says to use but I will update this when I get home...)

This book would be the perfect gift for someone heading off to uni or just moving into their own house- it is fun but still comprehensive enough to ensure that your party goes with a bang!

What is your signature cocktail?

P.S. This book was sent to me for review

A Jubilee jamboree... (PICTURE HEAVY)

♥ I finally got my hair cut! I went to Blushes in Cheltenham after a few people recommended it to be and I couldn't be happier, the blowdry lasted well into the next morning,even in a sweaty club...very impressive!

♥ I went out on Saturday night for a much overdue drink and dance with some of my closest friends, we went out to celebrate Mike's birthday and it was really lovely, there really is nothing better...

♥ Mark, me and Oli

♥ Dr. Evil

♥ Jess and Mark

♥ Pete, Mark and me

♥ Pete, me and a rather fab Jubilee hat...

♥ Oli and Jess

♥ A few too many drinks methinks...

♥ Vodka cranberry, me, Oli and Pete

♥ My shiny face due to too many cocktails, Oli and Jess

♥ Group photo!

♥ Orange juice, the morning after the night before...

♥ Pains au chocolat

♥ Bunting and a pretty dress c/o Asda. I was offered the choice of lots of pretty dresses but I loved the cute print and flattering shape of this one the best...

♥ A classic cat eye and red lips to flatter the 50s style of the dress...

♥ They also sent me a fantastic tea party kit including a tablecloth, some Emma Bridgewater fudge and the most darling commemorative tea-cup (definitely a future heirloom!)

How did you celebrate the Jubilee?

Maria's party essentials: the print dress...

This dress should really have it's own category here on the blog as it has been featured before but then that is what my party essentials are all about! I always think that people assume a print dress is less versatile because it is more distinctive than a little black dress but as with anything, it is all about how you style it. For me, this dress has always been that perfect mix of demure and flirty and has been my go-to outfit for many a party...

Paired with black tights it is perfect for family meals at a local pub and with heels and bare legs, perfect for a date or a trip to a bar!

Patent black court shoes and a classic quilted bag (if only mine was real Chanel!) keep the look classic and leave the focus on the dress.

I love the contrast of the dreamy pastels of the dress with the rather garish bright pink of my blusher and slick of black eyeliner. I think this would also look great paired with a smokey eye and lots of mascara for a more dramatic night-time look...

Outtake of the day: courtesy of a sharp gust of wind and a mouthful of hair... it's all glamour here!

Do you have a favourite printed dress? Is it more versatile than an L.B.D?

Maria's party essentials: the playsuit...

Around this time of year everyone ends up with more social events to attend than the rest of the year added together [well I do at least!] and it can be difficult to find enough outfits to wear without going out and spending a fortune. Hopefully this mini-series of posts will give you some inspiration on how to revamp your wardrobe for that festive feel!

Picture courtesy of Jazmine! L-R: Harriet, me, Kat and Amy :)

I first wore this playsuit to the Tabio blogger event and it is one of the easiest items to style up for an evening party. Just add some snazzy tights and a spot of blingy jewellery and you have an outfit that manages to be sexy without flashing too much flesh, always a win in my book!

Playsuit: My Yard, hold-ups: c/o MyTights, shoes: New Look

Luckily, the fact that this is a block colour allows for a lot of freedom with the accessories and I think this would look great with some leopard print or sequins too...

I think patterned hold-ups are even better than patterned tights! I think these would add an edge to an outfit without taking away from the gorgeous draped shape. My Yard have a gorgeous burgundy playsuit in at the moment which I think would look absolutely gorgeous layered up with chunky gold jewellery and a sheer black shirt.

A close up of the gorgeous patterned lace ( I love these Jonathon Aston hold ups for a similar look) I always associate lace with Christmas and party occasions but I am looking to the gorgeous Reena for some lace tights inspiration for everyday wear.

One of my favourite photos of me and Danni, just before we finished uni ♥ It just goes to prove how versatile the playsuit can be... Another party, the same playsuit! ;)

What are your party essentials? Do you own a playsuit?

These are the times we will remember...

There is no greater pleasure, than spending time with some of your best friends and I was lucky enough to do this last weekend. I am lucky enough to have a close-knit group of friends at home (who I have known for years) and we are all still very close despite being scattered across the country and when we meet up, it is as if we have never been apart. I can honestly say that food, drink and plenty of fun with your best friends is just what the doctor ordered...