Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shot

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shot

By Erin

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shot

Try a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shot this summer! Cool down on a hot summer day with one of these delicious shots of bliss. Featuring delicious, juicy strawberries from Melissa’s Produce! I will be featuring one fun summer cocktail or shot every Thirsty Thursday for the next 8 weeks or so to make the most of these hot summer days and nights!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shots Yield: 2
Prep Time: 4 min
Total Time: 4 min

Ingredients:
2 oz. Baileys Strawberry and Cream 1 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz. Creme De Cacao
1 oz Strawberry syrup
2 oz Half & Half
Simple syrup
Chocolate sprinkles

Directions:
Garnish the edge of the shot glass with simple syrup and chocolate shavings.
In a cocktail shaker add the Baileys, Godiva, Creme De Cacao, strawberry syrup and half & half.
Shake to combine.
Pour into your shot glasses.

Enjoy some chocolate strawberry bliss!

In honor of Disneyland’s birthday, next week be on the look out for a fun, traditional Disney drink that any Disney fan will recognize. No Disneyland trip is complete without one of these! 😉

Princess Cruises: Now Pouring Globally Inspired Cocktails by Rob Floyd

Princess Cruises: Now Pouring Globally Inspired Cocktails by Rob Floyd

By Erin

*I was invited as media to come sample the new beverage menu with Princess Cruises. All thoughts and opinions remain my own!*

 What’s the best way to beat the heat wave we’ve been having? Go on a cruise with Princess Cruises! Even more exciting is that Princess Cruises is now pouring globally inspired Cocktails by master mixologist Rob Floyd! Cool off with one of the many refreshing beverages that have been added to the menus. Destination-specific ingredients have been carefully selected to tantalize guests’ taste buds with flavors from every corner of the world. In addition to the new cocktails, the line has added 20 new high-end and exotic spirits, 39 new wines by the glass, and 17 new international and craft beers to the new menu.

These fun new menus will be featured throughout the bars and lounges aboard Princess ships and will offer the best cruise vacation experience at sea. One thing that I love the most about traveling is enjoying the food and drinks that are local to the area that I am visiting. Food tourism has become a big thing. Getting cool pictures of the area and making memories to last a lifetime are important, but so is the culinary experience of the culture one is visiting. Princess Cruises understands this and includes flavors from every corner of the world that go with the destination you are cruising to. I love that!

Floyd believes spectacular drinks combine the best of “The Three T’s.” First is “Taste,” as interesting ingredient combinations produce delicious flavors. The second element, “Technique,” refers to the skill and craft that goes into creating each drink. And last but not least the “Tale;” a creative and fascinating inspiration behind each unique cocktail. I love that each drink has it’s own special story to tell.

Whether traveling to Mexico, Italy, or the South Pacific, these globally designed cocktails have the flavors to inspire. Initial offerings are to include:

  • Mayan Heat: PatrĂłn Silver tequila, Triple Sec, lime juice, agave syrup, muddled jalapeño

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City Taven & Sprinkles Cupcakes in DTLA at FIGat7th! | @FIGat7th #FIGat7th

City Taven & Sprinkles Cupcakes in DTLA at FIGat7th!

By Erin

*Disclosure: I was invited out to FIGat7th to try out a couple different places for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own. :)*

Fall is here and the holidays are just around the corner! As Thanksgiving festivities and yuletide cocktail ideas dance in our heads as to what to serve at holiday parties, FIGat7th’s restaurants and eateries have great options for your upcoming winter and holiday food festivities, or if you just want a delicious meal out without any fuss to enjoy the holidays with.

The restaurants at FIGat7th are cooking up with the most fresh and seasonal ingredients to create up a collection of amazing signature dishes. Located in DTLA (Downtown LA) at 7th + Figueroa, it is a bit of a hidden gem in the heart of downtown, not too far from the Staples Center (but without the huge price tag for parking as you can park all day for only $5 with validation on weekends and after 4pm on week days! You really can’t beat that price in the DTLA area!)

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Our first stop was to City Tavern, which is located on the lower level of the mall. Once you enter this large space with exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood floors & walls, with wooden tables and chairs, you will forget you are in a mall. It’s like a little oasis in the big city.

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We came on a Sunday and they were serving brunch. Brunch is served until 3pm on Sundays. Obviously as you can see from above, I had to have a mimosa. What would a Sunday Funday Brunch be without some yummy mimosas? 😉 My friend and I both love cheese, so we decided to start out with the farmhouse cheese boardwhich is off of the “SHARE” part of the menu, consisted of: cheeses, crisps, and accompaniments. It was the perfect way to start out our meal.

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Another one off the “SHARE” portion of the menu that we decided to sample were the Deviled Eggs! Chopped bacon, housemade hot sauce and chives made for a unique twist on the deviled egg!

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Next, we opted for the kale and quinoa salad that is in the “GREENS” section of the menu. Besides quinoa  and kale; apples, raisins, walnuts, and apple cider vinaigrette topped this one. It made for a nice, light, and very tasty course.

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Moving onto some of the main courses during brunch, one that caught our eye was the fried chicken and biscuit from the “RISE & SHINE” part of the menu. The fried chicken was amazing, crispy on the outside while the meat inside was so tender and juicy, while the county sausage gravy and biscuit were so heavenly!

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If you’re looking for more of a burger or sandwich, then give this lovely number a shot! The pastrami swiss burger from the “HELD” part on the menu will make your taste buds happy. Smoked pastrami, swiss cheese, creamy coleslaw, on a whole grain bun with mustard aioli makes up this tasty piece.

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At this point, we were starting to get pretty full, so we decided to call it a day at City Tavern so that we would still have room for some cupcakes at the Sprinkles Cupcakes upstairs. 🙂

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With so many different fun flavors to choose from, it was so hard to pick two to try! They all look so yummy and delicious!

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I ended up going with the seasonal choice, Pumpkin Spice (on the left, which is available through November 30th) and the Cuban Coffee flavors. Oh my, there are no words to describe how utterly delicious a Sprinkles cupcake is. If you’ve had one before, then you know what I mean. They were both fantastic, I enjoyed every last moist, flavorful morsel of each one of these cupcakes. The Pumpkin cupcake is laced with fragrant ginger, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon and is topped with a sweet cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The Cuban Coffee is a Belgian light chocolate cake topped with a powerful dark roast coffee frosting and subtle notes of cinnamon and cocoa. After having these, we were stuffed and decided to a little bit of shopping before heading back home.

What would you have at City Tavern for Brunch? What flavor cupcakes would you choose at Sprinkles? FIGat7th has a flavor everyone can enjoy this holiday season! 🙂