DiSaronno wears Trussardi

When they holidays come, it's a sure bet that liquor stores will have displays of a variety of products that are fit for celebrating or for gifting. Some of the most interesting are the limited-edition boxed products, some of which include extras, like fancy glasses.

When the nice folks at DiSaronno emailed me about their limited edition bottles, covered with a design by a fashion designer, I thought, well, sure, I'll take a free sample.

I've loved DiSaronno for a long time. It's great over ice, and there are plenty of cocktails where it fits the glass, too. It's sweet and a little nutty, and it has a nice warmth without being harsh. While I normally think if it as a winter drink, I've also seen it used in an "Italian Margarita" which included lime juice for a refreshing, summery cocktail.

Luckily, the bottles I got were full and not just samples of the design. Lucky, lucky me, right? Not only did I get a single boxed bottle, but also a set that included some pretty glasses, and some three packs of little bottles that would make awesome stocking stuffers. Look for 'em next time you're shopping for beverages - they'd all be darned easy to wrap.

Trussardi is an Italian fashion house, so it's a good pair for the liquor, and the colors are interesting with bright yellow, bright and light pink, pale blue, and orange, among other colors. My inner hippie approves. These are not your usual Christmas colors, so it will look good behind the bar long after the tree is kindling and the presents are no longer new and shiny.

Why yes, I did get these at no cost to me.

Voga Wine and Sparkling Ice Lemonade

As a food blogger, sometimes I get, well, food to sample. And drinks. 

Not long ago, I received a package with Voga wines and Sparkling Ice Lemonade. The idea is that you'd make a wine cocktail using the wine and the lemonade. And presumably something else. But after trying the wine and lemonade together, I didn't think it needed anything else. It was pretty tasty just like that.

On the other hand, if I was serving this to company, I'd probably have some lemon or lime slices as a garnish. Or maybe some cherries on a skewer.

Wine cocktails can be potent, or they can be light, depending on what you add. In this case, the cocktail is very light, both in alcohol content, and in calories. The Ice lemonades are calorie-free, so they don't add calories to the drink. And obviously, adding a non-alcoholic beverage to the wine lowers the overall alcohol content.

Add some ice, if you like, and it's even lighter.

The Voga wine was nice all by itself, and I have to say that I liked the bottle design. Yes, you shouldn't buy a wine because of a bottle. But it is different. And fun. The bottle is sealed with the cork, but it also has a screw-on cap.

This combo would be fun for a party, either pre-mixed, or as a mix-your-own bar, since there are several flavors of the Ice lemonade and of course there are a variety of wines. This would also make a nice gift item or hostess gift.

Who's it for: Wine drinkers. Lemonade drinkers who'd like a little fizz.

Pros: Nice wine, unique bottle. No-calorie lemonade.

Cons: I know some folks don't like no-calorie beverages. I generally don't drink them, but unlike some, this didn't have a weird taste that I've detected in other brands.

Wishes: None that I can think of.

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.

Chateau La Paws Wine

Snickers the hunting dog spots her prey

As a food blogger, I get a lot of fun stuff sent to me. My husband reaps the benefits, because most of what I get is cooking-related, and he likes to eat.

But Snickers, although she does her job and warns me when FedEx or UPS trucks are approaching, seldom gets anything.

Snickers, if you don't already know, is the dog-in-residence. The four-footed family member.

Checking to see if anyone's watching.

Snickers came into our lives when things were pretty grim. My husband was seriously ill in the hospital, and while he was there, I made the hard decision to put our old dog down. It was the right decision for her, but left a hole in my heart.

Coming home from the hospital every night to an empty house was almost more than I could bear. The house seemed unbelievably huge and empty. I stopped by the local Humane Society on my way to the hospital one day, and browsed. I went back another day and took a dog for a walk.

"She's a little shy," they told me. "It might take some time for her to warm up to you. We took a walk, and then I sat on one of the benches, and she crawled up on my lap and cuddled.

Score!

I handed her back, went to the hospital, and couldn't stop thinking about that dog. So I told my husband I had an errand to run, and went back to the Humane Society and adopted our new dog. I had bowls and toys and a dog bed, all too big for her. But she didn't seem to mind.

I put one of my husband's unwashed shirts into her dog bed so she could get used to his presence. That first night when I went to bed, she crawled right into her new bed and we settled down for the night. Just about the time I was falling asleep, I felt a little thump on the bed as she jumped up and settled next to my feet.

So much for the "no dogs in the bed" rule, but it was very comforting to have her there.

I told my husband nothing about the old dog or the new one for a long time. He had plenty of other things to deal with - I didn't want him feeling sad about the loss of our longtime companion, and I wanted the introduction to the new dog to be a happy one. And, frankly, I worried just a little bit. Would she like him?

I needn't have worried. She snuggles up to him just as much as she snuggles up to me.

So today, a box arrived that was intended for both me and Snickers, much to her delight. For me, there were bottles of Chateau La Paws wine, and she got some treats and some tennis balls. Chateau La Paws supports no-kill shelters, and Snickers endorses Chateau La Paws. Or at least she endorses the snacks.

I haven't done much more than sample the wine, but I have to say that these would be great to bring to parties or potlucks or BYOB events. The dog photos on the bottles would be sure conversation starters.

While I don't make a lot of cocktails using wine (sangria is nice, though!) a wine spritzer is nice for summer. You can change it up a bit my adding fresh fruit or fruit juice, but it's just as lovely all on its own.

Wine Spritzer

1 1/2 ounces Chateau La Paws Chardonnay (you could also use the red wine, if you prefer)
2 ounces fruit juice (I used a cranberry/raspberry blend - citrus would be nice, as well)
Seltzer or sparkling water (lemon-lime soda would be fine, for a sweeter drink, or ginger ale for something with more zing)
Lemon, lime, or orange slice, for garnish

Fill a tall glass with ice, add the wine, add the juice, and fill the glass with seltzer or sparkling water.

Garnish with your favorite citrus (and you can add a squeeze to the drink, as well).

Serve and enjoy!

Really refreshing on a hot summer day!

I received these products from the winery at no cost to me. Snickers didn't pay for hers, either.

For more cocktails (including some of mine) check out thebar.com.

Last-Minute "Wrapping"

So, imagine that you're about to head out the door to an open house, housewarming, holiday cocktail party, or ... whatever.

You've picked up a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black for your hosts. The only gift bags left are the ones that look like they're for a toddler. You have scraps of wrapping paper. You're not about to go buy more wrapping paper now. No way.

But you don't want to hand your hosts a nice bottle in a brown paper bag.

So you get crafty.

This requires one box of any size the bottle will fit into with the neck sticking out (it forms the chimney). Just cut the two smaller flaps to form the triangular front and back pointy parts of the house (the peaks? is that what they're called?)

Then put the bottle in the box along with some packing material to hold it in place. Or more gifts. Cookies are nice. Then fold the other two box flaps and tape or glue them to the triangular front and back.

You'll have a hole in middle of that top portion, unless your box had weird long flaps. Use an extra piece of cardboard or even some aluminum foil to form that last piece you need. This is just "wrapping" so it doesn't need to withstand hurricane-force winds.

Find some white tissue paper or some baking parchment to form a snowy roof. I crumpled mine and then cut the edges into spikes to form icicles. Wavy cuts would be fine. It's not fine art.

Attach the paper the to roof, and you're good to go.

Or, if you like, you can decorate the house. Write things on it. Draw a door and some windows. Add some lights on a string, a wreath, or a Christmas tree.

Or draw stick figures of the family you're visiting.

Or write random holiday greetings in multiple languages all over the box.

Or have everyone in your household write their own message. Or ... whatever is fun and easy for you.

Then go to your party.

Seriously, if you're artistic and you've got loads of time, you could paint the box in all sorts of fancy ways. But if you're on the way out the door, this is clever and different and easy and if you don't want to decorate, just tape the box together, put that roof on, and run out the door.

Have a great holiday!

The nice folks at Johnnie Walker recently sent me a bottle. So I stuck it in a box. I'm crafty like that.