I had the pleasure of being in charge of cocktails at the first annual ADL Holiday Party, hosted by friend/blogger, Jacqueline Palmer, last week…so no, ya can’t go (this year) but what you can do is take this cocktail recipe and DIY cocktail station knowledge for you own festivities! Because really, why stress over keeping guests topped off while also playing life catch up when you can alleviate some responsibility? Please… help yourself out, and try this out at your next party!! 🙏💯
The Facts
Style: Belgian Strong (Red) Ale
ABV: 10%
Brewer: To Øl
Location: Denmark
Another beer brought to America by the infamous Shelton Brothers (aka the ones behind my all-time favorite, overly mentioned Mikkeller beers 😄). Going to briefly nerd out on this label with you for a hot second 😬…
To øl brewery is a gypsy brewery because they don’t own their own brewing facilities but basically crash other breweries with spare capacity. Tobias and Tore (the founders) were high school buds and students of Mikel (Mikkeller) when they all decided to go into the brewing business. Starting with brewing in the school kitchen and home brewing, soon they launched Mikkeller followed by the To øl label and made a serious name for themselves in the beer industry. 👏🙌👏
OK OK I know, you’re all snoooooze but how cool is that?! The answer is, only cool if you give a shit about beer hahaha. 😜So onto the flavor…
TASTE TEST: Darker than expected, opaque, little bit of sediment. Smells sweet, probably the high ABV. Smells like roses, winter spice, patchouli, musty grapes. Bittersweet is the big first initial taste reaction. Bitter to sweet to bitter, yes the ending mouthfeel is more bitter (not to be confused with hoppy). Cherry notes with toasted flavor. Well balanced, not as sweet or complex as some other beers with this color and ABV – it’s more straightforward; like tastes close to a reg Belgian ale, still yeasty and musty, but just slightly sweeter and heavier.
So let’s all do Santa a solid this year and swap out his milk for some Shameless Santa. 👍🍺 🎅 We all know he could use a god damn drink after flying around on that freezing sleigh shouting…”Merry Sippin’ Sunday to all!! Let’s all drink good beer and get beer bellies and be shameless about it!!”
(It’s the holidays after all and I for one am going to take a page out of Santa’s book and get a belly so big there’s no point in caring anymore….shameless 🍻😊)
Stuff // Beer: Shameless Santa (Found at Healthy Spirits Castro and Richmond) //
Colors (left to right) // Pantone 200C / Pantone 437C / Pantone 656C / Pantone 7743C / Pantone 188C //
Going somewhere this holiday season? Don’t forget to pack these things to make your travels more comfy (and fun! aka liquored induced). I’ll be heading to New Hampshire for Christmas and Cabo for New Years so quite the drastic climate change lol but no matter where I’m going, these are the items that I just can’t live without when I travel!
Shop my list of travel essentials below!
Happy Holidays everyone and safe travels!🎅🎄 I hope you all have a wonderful time with your friends and families this year! xox
Each year everyone makes a pact with themselves they wont leave their christmas shopping for the last minute…but every year you do, (still have to do ALL of mine, ugh😣) So this year I have decided to accept the inevitable and prevent the… well, preventable, by not saving my holiday outfit selections to hours before the party.
(Seriously, nothing is worse than than being late for a party, still trying to find that missing earring, uber driver is outside waiting but your skinny shoe strap heels wont buckle – BEEN there, no thank you).
The holidays always succeed in making me dust off my heels and force myself to dress up. Ok fine, not forced. I’ll admit I do love dressing up, I just don’t do it often. With that said, I think an great way to nail a “dressier” holiday look is with a festive top and black skirt – leather black if you wanna be less conservative (always 😉).
Festive top [fes-tiv top]
noun.
1. something to cover your “upper half” that’s lacy, shiny, sparkly, satin, or embroidered
check my snapchat (@chasingkendall) for more festive top ideas
2. ✨👚✨
Now that we got that cleared up… I’m going rosy this Christmas!🌹Maybe I was inspired by Pantone’s color of the year choice or maybe I was inspired by sequins, or maybe pink or maybe just: Dior. 🙌 Okay def the first and the last haha, but try branching out and not wearing red dress (🙀🙀🙀).
So join me in the pledge!! Which is: to accept the fact that gift shopping is just going to be done last minute but not accept making outfits the night of for holiday parties. (Now THAT is stressful 😜)
And on that note, I’m going to go get on my Christmas shopping! Happy Holidays everyone!!🍸🎄 X
Wearing // Heels: Zara / Skirt: Skingraft / Shirt: Dior / Jacket: All Saints (similar: here, here, here) / Bag: Chanel //
Colors (left to right) // Pantone 5175U / Pantone 2965U / Pantone 532C / Pantone 402C / Pantone 476C //
Is it just me or do bourbon drinks just taste SO much better in the winter?! Tons emerge with the colder weather, or maybe its just the idea of sipping an old fashioned by the fire that I love. 😍🔥
Shhhh, this Sippin’ Sunday I’m going to let you in on a little secret…A great way to start making “cool” cocktails is to build off their original recipes. I always “modify,” if you will…and in that regard, since persimmons are in season, why not mix them into one of the greatest cocktails?! 😉
Ingredients:
1 ripe persimmon
2 oz Bourbon
2 teaspoons simple syrup
3-7 dashes of orange or regular bitters (I’ve made it with both)
2 pinches of pumpkin pie spice (or substitute cinnamon)
cinammon stick garnish
Process:
I’ve literally made this cocktail 4 times now it’s THAT easy and delicious. Minimal effort, maximum reward, ultra-max if you can sip it in front of a fire and christmas tree. Speaking of which, that is sounding beyond phenomenal right now with all this rain! Ding ding I see my future; so I highly suggest picking up a persimmon and joining me in sippin’ a spiced persimmon old fashioned this Sunday! 😚🍸🔥🎄
Stuff // Four Roses Bourbon / Pumpkin Pie Spice / Orange Bitters / Angostura Bitters / Large Ice Cube Trays: Crate & Barrel / Glasses: Thrifted (Similar: here, here) //
Colors (left to right) // Pantone 1345C / Pantone 138U / Pantone 4755C / Pantone 483C / Pantone 7627C //
Ahh, buying a Christmas tree, everyone has to do it. Well if you don’t then you’re SUPER duper lame (unless of course you don’t celebrate christmas, then all is forgiven 😉 ) I like to get mine the very second it turns December so I can revel in its glittery glory ALL month long. ✨ So if you haven’t gotten a tree…. HURRY HURRY! Buttt if you haven’t yet, thats good cause I’m about to make your tree snatching experience THAT much better. A “proper” tree picking if you will….🎄 😜🎄
It was just one of those weekends! The kind that you think will be so relaxing but then you end up constantly running around, always late to the next thing (stresssssscity). I guess it’s just “that time of the year” …but does that ongoing rush warrant running the entire loop of your block on a rainy morning in just a brown fuzzy robe, barefoot with electric toothbrush in mouth?! 😳 Probably not…. (Yes, you’re looking at SF’s newest addition to the crazy crackhead troop!)
So in efforts to get ahead of the game in ONE aspect of the holiday season (cause let’s be real, buying gifts will always be last minute 😁) I’m going actually plan some holiday party outfits NOT the day of! Woo! *Patting back* 👍
Here’s holiday outfit numero uno! Boho girl meets holiday chic with a splash of Latin American Christmas (…maybe all the tin ornaments my mom covers the tree with are finally rubbing off their latin flare). The bohemian girl dresses up for Xmas! a boho inspired look but twisted holiday chic.
So “how to” boho holiday? Simply put… something along the lines of….I suppose it would include…..wide leg (or flared) pants, a floppy dark colored hat, winter florals, velvet (a plus alwaysssss no matter the look), comfortable and lower heeled shoes, an eccentric bag and most DEF a bolo tie.
🎄❤️💃 Boho girl X holiday chic 💃❤️🎄
Wearing // Boots: Prada (similar) / Pants: Sandro Paris (similar) / Shirt: Afterlife Boutique (similar) / Jacket: Sandro Paris / Hat: Afterlife Boutique / Necklace: Afterlife Boutique / Sunglasses: AJ Morgan Eyewear (from Afterlife Boutique) Similar: here, here //
Colors (left to right) // Pantone 7421C / Pantone 5463C / Pantone 427C / Pantone 567C / Pantone 409C //
Photography // Dawn Elizabeth Photography
