Sometimes you want to have something that’s a little more sleek and sexy to drink and The Lemon Drop, a martini, is just that – sweet, sour, delicious, and strong. You’ll need a tiny bit more preparation time than you did for The Paloma, but trust me, it’s worth it.
Ingredients:
1 ½ ounces of vodka (about one shot glass)
½ ounce orange liqueur (like Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, etc.)
Sugar*
The juice of half a lemon, with twisted peel or wedge for garnish, optional
Ice
First, rim your glass with sugar. I used a margarita glass, but this is technically a martini. Use whatever wide mouth style glass you have. Put enough sugar on a shallow plate that’s wide enough for the edge of your glass to fit on it. Run a lemon wedge around the rim of your glass until it’s just moist. Dip the edge of the glass into the sugar.
Fill your cocktail shaker with crushed ice, and add the vodka, liqueur, sugar, and lemon juice. Shake well – really, really well! – to dissolve the sugar. Strain your drink into the sugar-rimmed glass.
*You can buy superfine sugar, an instantly dissolving sugar used specifically for drinks. Regular sugar will take longer to dissolve – you’ll have to shake long and hard. You can avoid all the shaking by making a basic simple syrup instead. Just boil equal parts sugar and water, stirring until fully dissolved. Let cool fully before using, and any leftover can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
Things to know when buying vodka, according to Jo:
A lot of things affect the quality of vodka, which is why price ranges so drastically. Different vodkas brands each have their own distinct smell, flavor, aftertaste, and burn, and can be grain or potato based, or even distilled from fruit. Any impurities in the distillation process that make it into the final product will affect the quality of the liquor.
Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules like there are for tequila – everyone has their own preference for which vodka is best. I’d suggest trying those teensy bottles at the register in your liquor store, or making good friends with your favorite bartender and trying lots of different shots, until you find one or two you like. It’s best to have an affordable, everyday brand for cocktails, and a pricier brand to sip for special occasions. I’m more of a tequila girl, and I chose this limited edition Absolut Citron because I really liked the bottle – it just worked out that it tasted great, too.
We all know THAT sporty girl. She loves a cold one after work. She is great at poker and down to smoke a cigar with the guys. She knows the stats about the latest game and completely bros out on the weekend. She is…the cool sporty girl. (Jamie’s note: I’m so NOT this girl. I had to ask Hannah when the Super Bowl is even on TV)
Now, while I will always prefer a skinny margarita over a Coors Light, I can’t help but have a tinge of envy when it comes to the world’s cool sporty girls. So this Sunday, I’m stepping up my game (no pun intended) and giving those cool sporty girls a run for their money. I am going to master the Super Bowl. “Master” might be an exaggeration, but I am going to know a fact or two to prove my knowledge before and after the Bruno Mars concert…I mean, halftime show. (Jamie’s note: I wish Beyonce were performing again, sigh).
Here is my SUPER BOWL FACT SHEET, so you too can be the cool sporty girl at your game-day party:
Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos: you can show your support with these super cute nail art ideas (try not to pick a team to root for based solely on the colors) (Jamie’s note: but if you DO, don’t tell any men that was your reasoning.)
Quarterbacks (or QB): Russell Wilson vs. Peyton Manning
KEY TERMS AND FACTS:
Both teams want to score by advancing into the opposing team’s endzone (at either end of the field with the big fork thing)
Offense– tries to score (like a goal or basket or home run in other sports) by entering the opposing team’s endzone
Defense– tries to protect their endzone, by smashing into (or tackling) the offensive players and making them fall or drop the ball, or by intercepting the ball (think monkey in the middle)
Each team gets 4 attempts, or downs, to travel 10 yards with the ball. They can pass (this is where the QB’s come in) or run with the ball. Once the player hits the ground, the play is over and the team has one less down. If they travel all 10 yards within the allotted 4 downs, then they get another 4 downs to try to cover an additional 10 yards and advance towards the other team’s endzone.
If the team doesn’t cover 10 yards within the 4 downs then the other team gets the ball and the whole thing starts all over.
If the team gets super close to the other team’s endzone before the end of their 4 downs, they can attempt kicking the ball between the goal posts (the big fork thing) for a field goal, worth 3 points.
Touchdown– worth 6 points when a team runs or catches the ball in the opposing team’s endzone.
After a touchdown, the team can gain an additional point by kicking the ball between the goal posts in the endzone or two points if they run or pass it in.
Now you are officially a cool girl. Just throw in an italicized word every now and then through a mouthful of chips and dip and you’ll be good to go.
Jamie’s note: I had to add in these super adorable chocolate covered strawberries that look life footballs (sorry, Hannah), but they’re a perfect and healthy game-time snack. If any men are reading this, completely ignore this photo. Go team.
I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day (case and point here, here, here and here), but when Annette, Rachael and I decided to throw a little GALentine’s party, I couldn’t say no. In true Jamie form, I’m clearly telling an inappropriate story in the above photo, but I had to share this pic because I LOVE our real smiles/laughs. Isn’t that was a GALentine’s party is all about? Body part stories aside, we did manage to get some great photos, so let us know what you think in the comments below…and have a happy Valentine’s Day.
Pouring the bubbly. We used Sophia Coppola’s super girly Blanc de Blanc
Of course, I made sure we were all properly red-lipped
Pink donuts of all sizes to bite on
Cheers!
We all loved Rachael’s gorgeous gold-rimmed champagne coupes. Can you even?
And now, we get to making our DIY Valentine’s Day cards…
I’m always really confused when I get sick. I mean, I live in California, the land of perpetual sunshine and 70 degree weather and especially since I don’t work in an office every day (aka germ infestation central), it’s odd that I would catch a bug. Well I woke up yesterday morning feeling like absolute crap; dry, scratchy throat, stuffed sinus’, watery eyes…sure, it could be the Santa Ana winds but regardless, I feel awful. Over the years I’ve developed these go-to’s for a good sick day, if that’s not a complete oxy-moron.
I’ll be honest when I say that I was certainly NOT a beauty expert back when I was in high school; in fact, I didn’t even care. I would read Seventeen, YM, Teen, Teen People, etc. and completely skip over the beauty section to go right to fashion. I mean…wow how things change, and with that said, even though I wasn’t particularly passionate about beauty, I DID have my go-to products. Putting this post together was truly a hilarious experience and I giggled at the site of these products, ALL of which I would still TOTALLY use. Just saying…
1. Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner: The brand has since re-done the packaging (this is the old version) but I’m still in love with the scent, and when they say that you associate smell with memory, they are NOT lying. I had a flash memory of being late to home room the last time I used this shampoo…it was both scary and awesome at the same time.
2. Wet ‘n Wild White Eyeliner: I don’t know why on earth I ever though white eyeliner, SOLO WHITE EYELINER AND NOTHING ELSE, was ever an ok look, but I did. If memory serves, I thought the white line would make my eyes look bigger but in reality, guys just wondered why I had white lines drawn on my top eyelid. Ahhh, the teen years…
3. Bath & Body Works Pearberry Body Splash: The scent of Pearberry was my jam in high school; of course, everyone had their favorite scent, but there was something about the Pearberry scent that I just LOVED, and still do.
4. Bonne Bell Lip Smackers: It’s still a classic but it was definitely an obsession for everyone in high school and I distinctly remember having a cupcake-flavored version that made all the girls jealous.
5. Hard Candy Nail Polish: Back in the day Hard Candy was a high-end nail polish and retailed for $18 a bottle which, for a high school student, was big bucks. I had a few select shades, one of which was called “mermaid” and was teal green. #memories.
6. Avon Odyssey Perfume: My mom bought me this perfume at a friend’s Avon party and I don’t know why I asked for it but I distinctly remember LOVING the scent.
