Happy Hour Friday: Bebbo Cocktail

I don't know where the name Bebbo comes from, but it's cute and the drink is delicious. I love the addition of honey, and depending on the honey you use the drink will vary greatly. This is from the Cocktails+ iPhone app which I highly recommend you buy if you're a drink app geek like me. Many of the cocktails in it are creations of Jamie Boudreau, but this one is by Ted Haigh from his book Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails; From Alamagoozlum Cocktail to the Zombie.

Hey, do you like my new No.8 lamp? I scored it at Backyard Salvage, my new favorite Austin haunt for recycled home goods and building materials. The owners' primary business is demolishing houses; they keep any good stuff left behind and sell it to people like me. Everything from ceiling fans to confessional booths to old theatre seats -- to No.8 lamps.

Bebbo Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. gin
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. honey
1/3 oz. fresh orange juice
maraschino cherry

Stir without ice to dissolve the honey, then add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Don't Hate Me because I'm Beautiful...

My sister gave me the most awesome, incredible birthday present this weekend--a framed, autographed, personalized 8 x 10 glossy of my personal style icon:


I have to admit I was a little perplexed as to why it said "Linda Gray" instead of "Sue Ellen."

All this time, I thought Dallas was a reality show...

Doesn't Sue Ellen, I mean "Linda" look fabulous?

Retro-luxe is Watching...

The Future is Unwritten, documentary about Joe Strummer of the seminal punk rock band, the Clash. The documentary uses archival footage and interviews to chronicle Strummer's journey from hippy, adventurous art student, to surly punk rock warlord and frontman of the Clash, to his middle-aged deep depression and quest for meaning and musical endeavors in his post-Clash life before his untimely death of a heart attack in 2002. Much of this movie is comprised of interviews with aging, former punk rockers sitting around campfires. That part, not so sexy. The archival footage of the Clash and the vintage interviews with the Clash are extremely sexy.

Big idea here: it's complicated being a punk rock warlord, particularly one with a conscience. Punk rock and massive success don't mix so well because massive success is not punk rock. Other take-aways: The Clash rocked. They also looked fabulous doing it with their great hair and great style. They went beyond the fray in their ability to bring ideological intelligent themes to a genre where for most the only message was "Fuck you." The Clash said, "Fuck you because..." and it was refreshing.

How sexy was Paul Simonon?


Found here.


Found here.

Happy Hour Friday: Mint Julep

Mint Julep. Mint Joo-lip. The name of the drink rolls off the tongue as readily as that bourbon goes down. This is a true southern cocktail, friends. Never mind that Mint Juleps are are associated with that Derby Day bullshit (I hate horse racing and I wish it was illegal); I like to think of juleps as independently fabulous, regardless of that association. Often thought of as backward and dimwitted, us southerners can actually lay claim to several important cultural contributions such as the julep, Andre 3000 of Outkast, and Al Gore and his environmental crusades. We got it goin' on down here.

In the south, mint grows like a weed in herb gardens, pots on the porch, or alongside houses near drippy faucets, dying back in the winter but always returning in the spring ready to offer itself up for juleps. The Mint Julep is a cocktail you can experiment with, adding infused bourbons or simple syrups (my friend Lara adds peach infused simple syrup and muddles fresh mint instead). Adjust it to your liking. This is one to make your own.

"They say that you may always know the grave of a Virginian as, from the quantity of julep he has drunk, mint invariably springs up where he has been buried."

Quote attributed to Capt. Marryat, C.B., 1840

From Flip 'N Drink, the cocktail app by Gary Regan

Mint Julep

2 oz. bourbon

1 oz. mint infused simple syrup

5-6 sprigs of mint for garnish

lots of crushed ice

straw

Add crushed ice to a julep or collins glass until 2/3 full. Add the bourbon and simple syrup and stir well. Add more crushed ice until it piles over the top of the glass. Add the mint garnish and a straw.


To make mint infused syrup:
Bring to a boil 1 c. water, 1c. sugar and one bunch of fresh mint. Simmer for 5 minutes, cool, and strain into a bottle. Add a little vodka to stabilize it and it will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks, maybe longer if your lucky.

Mid-Week Mid-Century Finds

I like these!


Vintage metal farm table, $140

Hanging lamp, $70

Fainting couch, $199

Retro bar cart, $140

Green 1950s chair, $55

Orange sleeper sofa, $200

One Rad Ride...

I've recently been contemplating such existential questions as "What does my ride say about me?" I think my ride, a 2002 Honda Accord (silver), communicates to the world a boring message of apathy and, regrettably, conformity, with just a touch of incredulous rage:

"Hi! I'm a middle class, working mother of two with NO TIME to clean up those Doritos and Legos pieces strewn all over the car, much less time to have the front bumper repaired after that ASSHOLE ran into me with the kids in the car and DID NOT STOP in front of the Mighty Fine Hamburgers at the Megalomart shopping center. Carseats, check. We're safe, practical, and (save for the front end) indistinguishable from all the other mundane silver Honda Accords in the parking lot. Though we TRY to look cool with the KOOP radio sticker on the back of the car, I think you know we're just PHONING IT IN."

It could be worse, I suppose...Minivans broadcast, "On my way to the soccer game!" and Volvo station wagons scream, "I'm real pretentious!" or worse, "I'm a hippy!" (depending on your model). In fairness to us all, however, it's not like there are ANY COOL CARS out there in the world today. Nor have there been in the last 10 to 15 years or so. And those classic cars require upkeep, friends!

I learned recently that my friend Hugh, may be parting with his '97 Lincoln Mark VIII. How rad would that be? Just check out the tail lights...The exciting, two door feature would do wonders for my plan to discourage my children from getting in the car with me ever again. This bitch goes fast too, with a V8 engine. I wonder how many cup holders it has...



What are you driving?

Happy Hour Friday: Singapore Sling

Image jacked from MSNBC.com

I have a confession to make: I have fantasies about being a flight attendant. And you know what else? I want to be a Singapore Airlines flight attendant. Look at those ladies! Can you even imagine Southwest or American Airlines flight attendants decked out like that? These women, practically painted into their batik print gowns and oozing with sexiness and class, are clearly the creme de la creme. They also happen to get to travel all over the world regularly (which is my true fantasy - traveling the globe all year long). Can it really be so bad to wait on grumpy passengers for 8 to 14 hour flights in exchange for free global travel? Wait, don't answer that.

A few weeks ago I had a golden opportunity to visit South Korea with a good friend who happens to be originally from Seoul. She was visiting her sister in Seoul for 3 weeks and invited me out, hooked me up with a low-fare deal on Singapore Air, and treated me to the ultimate Korean site-seeing extravaganza for 10 days. On my flight out I was thrilled to see that Singapore Air was serving Singapore Sling cocktails, going so far as to list the ingredients on the menu. I couldn't wait to see that drink cart rolling down the aisle so I could make a toast to my own good fortune: getting out of Dodge and going somewhere I had never been before.

But then here came that cart, and much to my dismay the Singapore Sling was a bottle of premixed scary looking glowing "Singapore Sling" liquid.

I passed on the cocktail.

Here's the real, delicious deal.

Singapore Sling

2 ounces Beefeater gin

1/2 oz. Cherry Heering

1/4 oz. Benedictine

1/2 0z. triple sec

2 oz. pineapple juice

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

Angostura bitters to taste

club soda

Shake all ingredients over ice except club soda and strain into an ice filled collins glass. Top with club soda.

Linda!

If you know me, you know that I love the '70s AM radio hits. Love them. And another thing I love is that our local radio station plays those hits of the '70s all weekend long. Every weekend. As if there wasn't enough to love about THE WEEKEND already!

And at least once during that time, I get to hear this classic by Miss Linda Ronstadt. She was boss. (Do you like "boss" as an alternative to "awesome"? I need a new word.)

Goodbye, Lena Horne

Etsy Love: Pantsuits for Spring!

Because a pantsuit adds that extra panache...


Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Happy Hour Friday: Pisco Sour

Continuing in the classic cocktail vein this week I present to you the Pisco Sour. Friends, I am in love with this drink. Pisco is a south American brandy and it is funk -ay. Not at all what you might expect in a brandy, its slightly musky and earthy tones are is well complemented by lemon juice and simple syrup in this drink. The bitters - an integral aromatic addition - must only be added at the end and might well be considered the best part of the drink. Another one of the classics being rediscovered by bartenders, you might find it on the cocktail menu of the new trendy restaurant that has just opened down the street.

Pisco Sour

2 oz. Pisco brandy

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1 raw egg white

Angostura bitters as a garnish

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a few drops of bitters.

Vintage Lampshades

Today's post features my friend Annie of Deadly Nightshades, where you can get vintage-style, fiberglass lampshades at a reasonable price. She also owns Time After Time, an incredible vintage clothing store located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. GQ voted Time After Time one of the 25 best vintage stores in America. You can read about it here. Time After Time has been in Chapel Hill on Franklin Street for 28 years!

How did you get into the lampshade business?

I started to make shades cause I got so sick of finding lamps with shitty shades on them. I figured even if no one else wanted them I could at least make them for myself and for lamps we got to sell in the store. It was basically figuring it out by trial and error and some strokes of good luck. We happened to get a hole puncher from an old shade factory form the 40's. The fiberglass was hard to find.... I only know of one place in America that sells it. That is why we sell it by the yard, for people who might want to make or repair their own shades or make Japanese screens or general crafting. I tried lots of different dye but good old Rit has worked the best for me.

The "Rectangle Eddie" found here.

What is the process like?

Well, it's not rocket science. All our fiberglass is white so I have to dye it. Shades are custom made. Figuring out measurements can be tricky and always makes me wish I had paid more attention in geometry class. The finished product is exciting. People come up with combinations I would never have thought up and many times I am surprised by how awesome they look.

The "Soup Pot" found here.
Any tips for care of these sort of lampshades, vintage or otherwise? I'll often see an awesome vintage lamp but the shades are dirty...
Here are some tips from our website. Another tip that is not there is to just hit at the shade with an old white tube sock!

Check 'em out, yall! They also do custom jobs.

Retro-luxe is Watching...

The Rockford Files!


Photo found here.

The Rockford residence: a crappy trailer on Malibu beach. Rockford described it best: "It's cheap, tax-deductible, earthquake-proof and when I get a case out of town, I take it with me."


Rockford was also fond of wearing off-the-rack blazers.

Found here.

He advertised in the yellow pages.

Found here.

His vehicle of choice, a gold Pontiac Firebird Esprit, was not too shabby. There's a car chase in every episode. My 7 year old always gets excited to see what he calls the "Rockford," when he shifts into reverse, speeds up backwards in a straight line and sharply turns his wheels, leading to a 180 degrees spin. Then Rockford shifts back into forward gear and punches it. According to Wikipedia, Secret Service agents use this one a lot and refer to it as the "J-Turn."

Found here.


The Rockford Files remains one of the best detective/police dramas to date. We love the well-developed characters played by strong actors, and get a kick of out seeing guest actors like Isaac Hayes, Linda Evans and Joan Van Ark.

Photo found here.

Character Angel Martin, played by Stewart Margolin, is one of our favorites. Here's classic Angel:



Writer Juanita Bartlett composed excellent scripts and maintained a unique balance of comedy and poignant drama throughout. You can rent Rockford Files on Netflix or watch seasons 1-3 for free on Hulu.