I'm moving on, I want the world to know, la la la laaa....

My motto right now should be boxes, upon boxes, upon boxes! If you were me right now, sitting here in our TriBeCa apartment, you would look at boxes and more boxes, no matter what direction you would look in.

I like being organized and having every little item in its very own, little place and home. Needless to say that this disaster of an apartment is driving me a tiny bit (A LOT) insane!! So right now, I'm taking a little break from speaking to realtors on the phone, assembling boxes, wrapping things in bubble wrap, stacking more boxes and creating a somewhat organized chaos. Btw - I LOVE popping the bubbles in the bubble wrap. What is it that is so satisfying about popping bubbles?? It makes no sense - but it's completely addicting, isn't it? Anyway, moving on... as I am packing I get an email from a friend asking me for the Julie's Thanksgiving 2010 Cocktail recipe. And a light bulb went off in my head. It suddenly dawned on me! A good old Happy Hour or "Packing Day" cocktail would make this entire process so much more fun :)! Let's be honest here, this cocktail is fantastic ANYTIME, and as far as I'm concerned it doesn't have to be Thanksgiving. It is so refreshing, so delicious, simply tastebud-tantalizing. Heck, if you find yourself packing one day, have this drink and think of me :)! I promise you, packing will be more fun. I still have all the ingredients left over from Thanksgiving; packing-day-cocktail time it is!
All you need is:

• Lemons
• Limes
• Mint
• Sugar
• Club Soda or Tonic Water
• Ginger syrup
• Your choice of vodka

Here is what you do: In a glass add (2) slices of lemon, (2) slices of limes, a handful of mint leaves and (2) tablespoons of sugar and muddle them together. If you don't have a muddler, just use a spoon, that's what I did. Or anything that you think is good for smushing all the ingredients together (I know I'm getting quite technical here LOL). The sugar will start dissolving during this process. Add (2) shots of your choice of vodka (any citrus vodkas would be delicious too) and some ice cubes and top with club soda or tonic water and finish off with a splash of ginger syrup. Ginger syrup is quite easy to make. Take (1) cup of water, (1) cup of sugar, a few slices of ginger and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Don't bother peeling the ginger. It's only there for flavor and won't end up in the drink anyway. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes and voila, you have ginger syrup. Let it cool completely before you add it to your drink.

Garnish and drink!! Happy Packing-Day or Doing-Laundry-Day or Whatever-you-are-doing-at-the-moment drinking!!

J

Refreshing Cucumber Lime Drink with Vodka or VeeV

With the summer heating up, and the big July 4th weekend quickly approaching, this is the perfect drink to cool you down! It's refreshing and delicious!! It's making me thirsty just looking at it!

Compliments of Kitty goes to Charlotte:

• a pitcher
• some limes - i'd say 2-3 sliced and put in the bottom of the pitcher
• a few mint leaves
• thick cucumber slices - or a handful of thinly sliced ones - i use about 6 or 7 slices
• a little sugar - maybe a tablespoon or so, enough to get some juices from the above ingredients flowing
• Vodka or VeeV - boy prefers ketel one, i prefer anything clear and in the freezer
• soda water -optional

what you're gonna do, is put all of the ingredients except for the vodka and soda water in the pitcher, then take a wooden spoon and think of that pesky co-worker that annoys you, and start smashing.

really go for it! this is therapy people..get it all out!

once you have a good amount of juice in the bottom of the pitcher, add your vodka, stir, pour over ice with a splash of soda for a little fizz, and serve with a fresh cucumber or mint leaf and enjoy!

I encourage you to try VeeV, if you haven’t already. It is made from the Acai berry, which is stuffed with all kinds of antioxidants and yumminess. I think it adds a nice tropical touch to the drink and makes it extra refreshing.

Happy drinking!!

J

Vita Coco - Obsession #2

Hey guys!

Just wanted to share with you the coconut water I am positively obsessed with: Vita Coco! It is 100% pure coconut water. Besides the fact that it is delicious and refreshing it is also super healthy for you! It has less sugar and 15 times more potassium than any sports drink. It's also packed with vitamin C and all that other good stuff. SB and I buy cases of it and keep our fridge stocked with it. SB who used to be a Gatorade addict is now a Vita Coco convert. If SB can do it, so can you!

It's apparently also the choice of drink of the U.S. World Cup soccer team (according to Jozy Altidore)!

Happy drinking!!

J

P.S.: It's also great for hangovers ;)