Cocktail Party

Manhattan Cocktail // I can't wait to find the perfect bar cart for our apartment // The PDT Cocktail Book 

Keep Calm + Pour Drinks // The Volstead is as delicious as it is pretty + witty // Punch

I love this Demeter fragrance // Pink Lady makes for a pretty glass // The Great Gatsby

I've been on a cocktail kick recently. It started with the acquisition of two gorgeous new books: Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl & The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender's Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy. Actually, I may have been subconsciously absorbing all of the Luhrmann-infused Jazz Age-y goodness of The Great Gatsby for a while now, too. Nothing will make you crave some cocktails and glamorous parties like the birthplace of it all; long live the Roaring '20s!

The truth is, I'm a booze girl. Some people like wine or beer. I like booze. I can handle beer if the setting is right and I do appreciate some good wine. But I really prefer a nice, crisp, not-too-saccharine cocktail. Vodka and tonics are my standby, but I'm always game for something new. I really, really wish I could afford to drink my way through the PDT book week by week and make a new series just for that. (The Mister informs me that this cannot happen on our current budget, however. Sad face.)

I think cocktails also hold a special place in my heart because of the way they make me feel. A little gritty, a little glamorous, and very adult. I get to be a Bond girl with my tumbler in hand, listening to the fizz of tonic water and the clinking of ice. Given, I do prefer to drink my martinis in jeans instead of a little black dress and I may sport tattoos instead of diamonds or pearls... but there is a glamour to kicking back in the evening with drink in hand as I snuggle down next to husband on the sofa. And it doesn't take top-shelf brands and oodles of cash to achieve this feeling; I'm a pro at sourcing great tasting, bottom-shelf liquor to achieve my needs.

What about you? What's your cocktail of choice? Do you have a go to recipe book for your gatherings? Has Gatsby inspired any of these same feelings in you?