Alcohol: G'morning, Bloody Mary!

I'm not sure what posessed me, but I bought a bottle of tomato juice. Then 48 hours later it hit me: I should be able to whip up an awesome Bloody Mary with my standby stock of vodka.

You see, where this is going? You are impressed.

So I took a jigger (ounce and a half) of vodka, an ounce of Worcesthershire sauce, a dash of Louisana Hot Sauce and a dash of siracha, half a cup of tomato juice, 1/2 a lemon freshly squeezed and shook it up with some ice in my cocktail shaker. I strained the concotion into my glass added a slice of lemon, a celery stick and salt and pepper.

Ta-da!

It was delicious and went awesome with Mad Men season three re-runs. Almost like Sally made it for me.

Alcohol: The cocktails never taste so good

The good news: the cocktails.

The bad news: bowing to Salt Lake City culture and adding a sports channel to the TV.

After presenting my senior project my posse of Ava, Erin, Lilian and Manfriend indulged my love of classic cocktails at the Speak Easy.

The Speak Easy is a 20s inspired bar in Downtown Salt Lake City (63 West 100 South). My friend Alex joined us later in the night. He just got back from South Korea, so you can blame him for my current indecision about teaching there or in Taiwan.

We had a great time with a lovely group of people who also sat in our comfy corner. The Speak Easy is a small venue, but has never been very packed. The live band was great and the cover charge was a reasonable $3 for one or $5 for two.

The space is lined with great comfortable couches and small tables. There are cool vintage mirrors above the stage area. And a small dance floor for the dancers of the group. The club has a dress code, but isn't too strict about it. In the name of dressing nice though, it's a great excuse for a cocktail dress and heels. There is a TV playing sports above the bar, but it's easy to ignore with all the other cool vintage things to watch.

The bar tenders know how to treat you right and will set you up with any cocktail. I tried the Bee's Knees and it was delicious. Lemony, sweet, and pretty, too. It was a little sweet for my taste so I went with a Long Island next.

I've explained the baseline theory of cocktails before, any one who can make a Long Island can make a cocktail. I said it at the bar and I'll say it at the blog, "Speak Easy makes the best Long Island's in Salt Lake." These people aren't afraid of their alcohol and you can taste it.

I finished the night with a side car. I love the cognac, lemon mix.

I also tried Manfriend's Singapore Sling. It was definitely too Kool-Aid like for me, but he liked it enough to get a second.

The Speak Easy also serves beer on tap.

I had a great night with a great group of people. I highly recommend Speak Easy to anyone who wants a different bar experience in the city of sports bars.

Alcohol: Stirred, not shaken

The Martini

1 part dry vermouth

4 parts vodka

Kalamata olives

Toothpicks

Olive juice

Pour the vermouth and vodka into a chilled martini glass. Add one kalamata olive pierced with a toothpick. Stir. Add olive juice to make it dirty.

After spending the day at the Salt Flats and in Wendover, Manfriend and I picked up some vermouth and vodka for $27 at the Desert Discount Liquor Store in West Wendover. I've been led to believe that alcohol is cheaper outside the Great State of Utah, but that belief has been amended to only some alcohol is cheaper in Nevada-vodka isn't one of them, vermouth is.

We decided to try out our cocktail mixing talents and put together a classic martini since the cognac for a sidecar was more than I wanted to spend.

By the second martini, I decided I like mine best extra dry and extra dirty. Manfriend wouldn't even drink a dirty martini after smelling it so apparently olive juice isn't for everyone. The mixture of booze with booze took me down fast so in the future I'll definitely be a one martini woman.

But it sure was delicious.

Alcohol Review: Beer buzzes in Utah

So apparently there's this guy Dell Vance who really likes Utah and beer. I think we're soul mates. He opened the Beerhive Pub on 128 South Main Street in Downtown to share his favorite things with me.

Okay, maybe it's not all for me, but I'm going to pretend it is. I love this little place. The upstairs is comfortable and clean. There's also a nice mix of browns, reds and light in the decor. Seriously, a bar where you can see the people around you...amazing.

I visited the Beerhive with Patrick, Ava and Erin last weekend and it was a vast improvement over our first bar of choice the Green Pig. The vibe at the Beerhive is comfortable. It manages to feel like a bar where it's okay for the ladies to hang out by themselves without getting creepy comments and/or stares from the men who are also hanging out by themselves.

The beer menu is impressive with over 100 choices. I saw lots of beers I wanted to try, but in efforts to pay off my credit card I stuck with the cheap, local, on-tap brews and had some Uinta Cutthroat. (I'm down to the last credit card, people!)

We met some of Patrick's friends who were really cool and tried lots of tasty beers. All in all it made for a great night with a great server who was adorable, on top of things and fun.

Also I hear tell the food menu comes from Vienna Bistro and is made of Austrian goodness by their chef Frody Volgger so next time I head to the 'hive I'll have to try out some wiener schnitzel.

The photos come from City Weekly and SLCLunches.

Alcohol Review: No good Long Island, no good bar

Sometimes you walk into a place and you know you will never be back there unless someone drags you.

For me, that place is Lumpy's Downtown. I'm not a fan of giving bars, restaurants and pubs negative reviews. I usually go with people I love to hang out with and have a good time unless the food is seriously disgusting, the service ridiculously awful or the ambiance is simply bizarre. Lucky for Lumpy's they strike out on all three.

Triple T, Ava and I arrived around 11 p.m. The owner was filming a commercial for his bar so the bouncer asked us to wait outside. The wait wasn't long as the camera wasn't ready and a PA let the bouncer know the kids could go inside.

Inside we were greeted by too loud hip hop and beautiful TVs showing the nights preseason NFL game. Lumpy's is a sports bar with a dance floor (it's what their website says) although no one was dancing to the sounds of crap blasting in the air. I'm always happy to hang in a sports bar. I like men tackling each other in tight pants as much as the next guy, but the TVs on the tables felt invasive like they were there to distract customers in case they didn't like the other people at their table, which could be helpful given Lumpy's clientele.

Our waitress was quick and courteous to serve us our first round of Cape Cods. The vodka cranberry cocktail was good-well mixed with just enough vodka and lime to taste. Next, we tried the watermelon kamikaze. Triple T pointed out it looked nothing like the one served at the bar she works at, but it still tasted yummy. The cocktail was a little sweet for my taste. It's definitely on the list of dangerous cocktails you could drink and drink without ever tasting the alcohol. My next choice was the standard Long Island. It was terrible. There was tons of club soda, no coke and a lot of whiskey in the cocktail. The total bill was about $15 a little less than I would expect for three cocktails in Utah.

The Long Island was so terrible I have decided it is my baseline cocktail. If I can go to a bar and get a decent Long Island, then I will give the bar a second chance even if they are yelling, "Quiet on the set" while playing music so loudly you can't hear the person across the table from you.

And if all that's not enough, Lumpy's is the kind of bar where everyone comes to get laid-I'm passing judgement based on the number of skanks and tool boxes I saw. That sounds rude, but no one wants to see your hooha when you bend over. And terrible one liners from films and TV will never be good no matter how young the woman you say it to is.

If you ever want to go out and have a good time with your friends, Lumpy's isn't the place. On the other hand, if you just want to go out, get smashed and get sexed up then Lumpy's is the place.

Alcohol Review: Mixin' drinks ain't easy

I've always thought if I were alive during the 20s I would be a flapper and maybe that's why Speakeasy was so easy for me to love. Ava and I went to Speakeasy in downtown to check out the location with the 20s name and live jazz entertainment. I also needed to speak with the fabulous Rita Boudreau about doing vocals for my upcoming film "On the Other Side."

Speakeasy has amazing decor. The owners are dedicated to their Prohibition-era theme. "Casablanca" was playing on the pretty, HD, big screen TVs before the live act was on. The lights are dimmed low and even the chairs feel like something my great-grandmother may have owned.

After being denied a lemon drop because the bartenders didn't know what one was, I started out the night with a dirty vodka martini. Mostly, because I've never had a straight-up martini before as I usually take mine with apple. And with Humphrey Bogart staring down at me I was feeling brave about the vodka and olive mixture. (Yes, I know a martini usually has gin, but I chickened out and went with Grey Goose.)

It was okay. Not my favorite cocktail, but I can see why it's considered classic. I love olives and should've asked for extras. And judging from the few men who were there drinking martinis as well I'm guessing Speakeasy makes a good one.

Next I tried the night's special "Sparkly Cosmopolitan," which was described as a regular Cosmo with champagne. When I ordered the bartender said okay, then proceeded to look up the recipe in his handy-dandy flip book. I'm okay with this and I waited patiently--after all, Speakeasy is a fairly new club and most likely he's a fairly new bartender. My complaint? All the ingredients for the drink are listed on their menu so I fought the urge to just hand over the menu to the bartender. The recipe search meant the wait was a little long.

Once I got my pink, girly drink, I was happy to down the sweet drink. I love cosmos and they rank in my top cocktail list right after Long Islands and Cape Cods. The addition of champagne made the drink a little too sweet for my tastes, but the drink was mixed well.

My next adventurous drink was the sidecar to finish off the night. Another classic cocktail, I hadn't tried before. This drink was my favorite discovery of the night. It was sour and sweet with a mixture of cointreau and lemon. Ava didn't like the harsh aftertaste, but I thought it was a great finish to such a sour drink. Maybe I just like knowing there is alcohol in my drink.

At the end of the night, Speakeasy was a great bar for a girls' night out. We'll definitely be back again for more classic cocktails, 20s ambiance and great music. Hopefully between now and next time, the bartenders learn how to mix a few drinks so even the wait for the drink is easy.

Summer memories

I've been eating a lot of Otter Pops lately. And when I say a lot, what I mean to say is enough to have a blue covered tongue with drips of green down my shirt.

I still manage to eat the frozen treat like I'm six so it's inevitable my mouth and hands will be sticky and my shirt will be covered in goo. It's tough being coordinated some days. Besides, everyone knows blue and green are the best flavors of frozen water. Otter Pops are a sure-fire way to spark memories of the good ol' days: playing outside, eating mac and cheese and sucking on a Popsicle passing the slow, hot days of summer.

For a more grown up version of Otter Pops, try Erin's version of Strawberry Lemonade Slushies. It's super simple and very yummy.

In a blender add ice, frozen strawberries and lemonade. Blend until frozen and delicious. Pour into a glass. Enjoy.

For the happy sinners, add some vodka. We tried Ketel One in this mix and it was a great choice. Ketel is a fruitier vodka than most and mixes great with the strawberry lemon concoction.

She never had it so good

Maybe it's anti-Semitic, maybe she never had it so good. Either way, all I know is I love Jewish Thursday.

What's that? You've never heard of Jewish Thursday. Well, let me explain each Thursday a group of friends and I buy the cheapest wine we can find and drink it down. It's always a great night with fascinating conversation. We've managed to cover Ancient Egypt, the anti-Semitism of Jew Thursday, human rights and religion. Plus, there's always film talk.

Last Jew Thursday, Mikey and Stryder (that's his real name) brought us wine in a bottle. It was amazing! I can't serve wine in plastic that comes in a bottle so for once we broke out the real wine glasses.

Between the Barefoot Cabernet Savignon and the Barefoot Merlot, I liked the Merlot just a smidgen better. The Merlot was more mellow and seemed to have a smokier spiciness to me. They were both pretty good and apparently not too expensive at the liquor store.

Our next bottle was Yellowtail Cabernet sponsored by the motherhood-centric Jeff. I've had the Yellowtail before and it seems like a good stand-by choice for a red wine. At this point, I had switched to a plastic cup because all our guests were using the real wine glasses so I didn't get nearly the flavor. The whole wine is better from a wine glass rule is... well, a rule for a reason. However, I've never been horribly disappointed in a Yellowtail so there's no reason not to drink even if it is from a plastic cup.

And of course Jew Thursday means having a box of Franzia Classic White on hand. This time I could really taste the sugar and I'm a little sad to have disliked my favorite boxed wine so much. But like true Jews, next Thursday we'll be back to boxed wine.

What? She never had it so good.

This is the end, my friend.

Just a happy reminder from me and The Doors: Utah's Private Clubs are extinct today. Yes! Utah is one baby step closer to making adulthood legal. Let's play!