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Who doesn’t love to raise a glass with friends and family during the holidays? Here are a few tips to make those holiday moments stress free. Cheers! 

Champagne is always on my NYE agenda, but I like to mix it up with some Spirit too!  Sandra Spalding

Champagne is always on my NYE agenda, but I like to mix it up with some Spirit too! Every year I drink good vintage champagne, but I will start the night with some sort of bubbly cocktail.

I love Hollywood glam. However, in a day and age, when all media is splashed with gory details of celebrity love and loss, I hate playing into being a spectator, with a few exceptions. One of those is Oscar night. It is a well orchestrated day of handsomely clad men, gorgeously gowned & jeweled women and don’t forget Oscar. I am also a movie lover and so Oscar night, is actually Oscar day for someone like me.

First, making sure the DVR has no conflicting recordings, I set up the E-Red carpet to tape all day long. Then I make myself a Bloody Maria, True Grit Style (see recipe below). Once the afternoon arrives, I park it on the couch for a little break and watch the red carpet footage, super fast forward style!

What do Billy Gibbons and Charlie Sexton have in common? Guitars yes, but they are also investors in Pura Vida Tequila. In a day and age when celebrity endorsements of spirit products are growing, you have to wonder if it’s just about the money, or if they actually believe in the product they are selling. Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the day with Billy Gibbons and trust me, he believes in Pura Vida.

The “art” that comes out of LA can be plastic, but the craft behind it can be genuine.  It’s a beautiful thing when the genuine is embraced by the public, because then it has the opportunity to proliferate. When speaking of art in terms of food or drink, you need a consumer in order to allow for a cycle. Take Austin for instance…there is a growing number dedicated to the creation of authentic food and drink experiences, but often times, these bars and restaurants struggle because they do not have the consumer base. As Austin’s population grows that has and will continue to change. In LA, and other major cities, you have a large enough consumer base to support the creativity. Specifically of course I speak of the cocktail, and I want to mention 213 ventures. CEO Ced Moses, son of Abstract Expressionist, Ed Moses, is making Art in his own right. And people are buying it.

I did it! Last year, I made a New Year’s resolution to which I actually stuck. I just went back and read my first installment of SIT at the BAR from January of last year. My resolution was to get certified, which I did, and to continue to write, which I have. Interesting too, that this year, on my quest to consume fresh and natural food and drink, I lost weight. Without really even trying, I lost about 10 pounds. This is amazing for someone like me, who has obsessed her whole life about diet and exercise.

Ever walk into a bar and feel a little intimidated to order a cocktail? Maybe a too cool scene? Or  too vast of a selection? Whatever it is, if you have a good host, they will guide you to choose the perfect cocktail.

This installment of SIT at the BAR was going to be our first video blog. I wasn’t just going to SIT at the BAR, but rather, I was going to hang out at “Tales of the Cocktail” in New Orleans with bartenders from all over the country and talk philosophy and passion, and make it all into a slick video, with the help of my creative partner, Brent Herrmann. However, the day before I left town, I found out that Brent passed away suddenly the night before. Brent was a very special person; everyone at Twin Liquors respected, appreciated and knew him well. He was I.T. so he went around fixing everyone’s problems. That’s who he was, a problem solver. What started out as I.T. led to web developing, and eventually, he became part of our creative marketing team. He was responsible for the “Sandra & Jessica” videos, the “Dan Aykroyd, Crystal Head Tour” video and so much more. He always had a plan and was ready to execute.