Boozy Book Review: Zen and Tonic

On Drinking to Your Health

Did you know that before people drank wine and cocktails as recreational intoxicants, they were using them as medicine? Do you know how to tell whether your produce is organic, conventional or GMO by simply reading the label? These two tips are among many helpful tidbits found in Jules Aron's Zen And Tonic: Savory and Fresh Cocktails for the Enlightened Drinker. 

I recently came across a few Instagram posts mentioning Zen and Tonic and requested a copy for review. Honestly, I'm glad I did. In addition to beautiful cocktail imagery by Gyorgy Papp and imaginative cocktails made with natural ingredients, Jules AKA the Healthy Bartender packed the pages of her hardcover ode to drinking with great tips and helpful tidbits about everything from fruits and herbs to ice and glasses. For example:

Aron also provides recipes for syrups and infusions to use in cocktails, along with a list of health benefits for many of the fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and flowers used in the recipes. Most importantly, though, she stresses the importance of moderation and reminds readers that her recipes shouldn't be used to cure or treat diseases (smart!). 

My favorite aspect of the book, though, is that while its language and content is easily understandable for someone who's not in the liquor and spirits industry, it doesn't pander or condescend. In fact I found it quite enjoyable despite already knowing much of the health-related info (I'm in to living la vida healthy). As we enter summer, with all its soirees and barbecues, it's probably worth getting a copy... you'll be the star of every BYOB event. Trust me. Zen and Tonic is published by the Countryman Press and has a suggested retail of $24.95. You can purchase it in the Shoes N Booze Shop, on Amazon or at various locations. In the meantime, here's the title cocktail.

*All images were taken from the pages of Zen and Tonic. Though I took pictures of them with my own camera, photography credit for the originals goes to Gyorgy Papp.

For your Boozy Book Club: You Deserve a Drink by Mamrie Hart

You Deserve It

When the introduction to a book informs you that said book has a written-in drinking game, you know you're in for trouble... and a good time. Youtube star and avid drinker, Mamrie Hart's "You Deserve a Drink: Boozy Misadventures and Tales of Debauchery" (released today by Plume Books and available at Amazon.com for $12.57) clearly takes its title seriously. Before delving into the collection of drinking and hangover stories, readers are instructed to take a drink whenever Hart references an old television show, talks about a food product that could be purchased at 7-Eleven or uses a slang term for a reproductive organ (consider yourself warned. She does a good amount of all three). Additionally, each tale comes with its own cocktail recipe. (Either take small sips, or be prepared for drunkenness around page 12.)  Here are our top 5 reasons to start  a boozy book club and make YDAD your first book to read (in no particular order and typed while sipping a bloody mary):

1. The lesson in Chapter 1: After a drunken night leads to a chipped tooth and a life wake-up call. Hart comes to the hard realization that hard-partying friends may not be her best bet. "Sometimes, the person you've got to protect yourself from the most is yourself."
   
2. Topless Tuesdays: Mamrie had always wanted to start some kind of club. After any failures, she finally got it right in college with Topless Tuesdays. They eventually had their own official membership acceptance protocol. First thing about this: a club that encourages a liberation from social constructs is crazy cool. Second, the idea of a group of folks gathering once a week to enjoy the act of learnign something new is totally kick-ass.
   
3. The writing is pun-in-a-million. (Mamrie, we hope we did you proud with that one.) Seriously, though, if you love a good pun the way the SNB squad does, you will get a kick (or 5) out of this book. Seriously... all types of pun envy over here. Mamrie Hart is the queen of puns.
   
4. Quickshots!: No complex cocktail recipes. Only instructions to take a reader's-choice shot- straight and a few abbreviated anecdotes. Call it drinkers' digest.
   
5. No need to read in sequential order. Seriously, with this book you can jump around. (90s music reference. Pretend I'm talking about TV and take a drink!) Since the stories aren't in sequential order, you (and your book club) can litterally skip from chapter 1 to chapter 10 and back to chapter 4 (depending on what cocktail ingredients are readily available on when you meet on Topless Tuesday). See what we did there?

Now that you have our top 5 reasons, please excuse us while we chat with Mamrie for a bit.

Mamrie, first off, we can't wait until we can swap troll stories with you... actually we can't wait until we actually have trolls instead of just spammers. (You're nobody 'til somebody hates on you, right? Secondly, do we drink when there are references to old movies as well as old TV shows? Lastly, in the first "Quickshots" chapter, you instruct us to take a shot, and then two lines down, you insert a trigger word. For that, dear friend, we are tempted to affectionately call you a trigger word. All jokes aside, dear, thanks for sharing your debacles with us. They help us see we're not alone, and if we keep a sense of humor about things, they might just turn into a dope ass book.

Guest Post: Claudia Mora Reviews "From Stilettos to the Stock Exchange"

The Right Steps

Here at Shoes N Booze, we're all about women following their dreams and creating not only the businesses, but also the lives they desire. With that in mind, I invited one of my favorite serial entrepreneurs, Claudia Mora, to review a complimentary copy of Foot Petals founder, Tina Aldatz's new book, From Stilettos to the Stock Exchange: Inside the Life of a Serial Entrepreneur. Mora was hooked at first glance, so much so that she read it twice just to make sure she absorbed all the personal lessons and business tips possible. "Not only does Tina give us an in-depth, front row seat to the trials and tribulations she has endured in her personal life, she also gives us the big sister, business mentor, 'learn from my mistakes' inside scoop on how to start and run a business," says the pubilicist, salon owner and leader of the League of Extraordinary Latinas.

 Here are her top five takeaways from the 164-page tome. 

1. Never let  your current situation dictate your future. — Tina Aldatz grew up with a law-breaking, drug-addicted father and an alcoholic mother who never seemed to stay in one place long enough to build stable friendships. Nonetheless, Tina turned her life around in a way most would think impossible. Throughout her journey to success one thing remained, her love and loyalty to her family. Never holding any grudges or resent for her parents' issues, she remained the rock for her family and still managed to navigate the journey to success. Ms. Aldatz said it best - "I cannot express enough how one must not be deterred by the hand life deals them, as even the most unpromising spread still has the potential of winning the game if it is played right." With hard work, dedication, determination and most importantly, self confidence, anything is possible.
2. There really is always a silver lining. Find it. — At a young age, Tina was at the beach with her family. Playfully running after her aunt, Tina's feet sunk into the scorching sand and she ended up with third degree burns and was wheelchair bound for six months. Because of her resulting sensitive foot soles, Tina was a huge consumer of insoles for her shoes. She had a separate pair for each pair of heels she owned. One day, on a date, her insoles slipped out and her date exclaimed 'Ewwww'. Indeed, these insoles were tragic looking. That very night, Tina came up with the idea that would change her life forever and make her a millionaire... Foot Petals. You might not understand the reasoning behind some of the events in your life right away, but at some point along your journey, you realize why they happened.
3. Bartering in Business is Smart Business. — Tina knew she was onto something big but lacked a budget and had already spent her start-up money on production, this is where she learned the art of bartering. Tina used her resources and relationships to barter the services she needed. A friend of hers was starting up her own boutique PR firm but didn't have a place to stay. Tina offered her a rent free living in return for PR for Foot Petals. She offered 5 percent of her company to her graphic designer in return for her services. Tina knew her company would be successful, so losing a bit in the beginning meant nothing to her. In business, you sometimes need to lose, to win. Tina always envisioned the bigger picture.
4. Mother knows best... most of the time. — Tina's mother wasn't necessarily the best role model for a child to have, but one thing she did do was instill a certain confidence in Tina that would help her throughout her life. Her mother always made sure to tell her: "You are smart. You are pretty. You can do what others do, but better." Tina carried these words with her and truly believed them. She understood that confidence is key, and along with resilience and determination, nothing could (or did) get in the way of Tina accomplishing her goals. In business, a confident person controls the room, the confidence exudes from your person and you are automatically trusted. Tina's confidence in herself and her business saved Foot Petals from failing when she took a flight to Remington Corporation and secured a partnership with the production company. She said in the book, "I have exactly negative $332 to my name. I haven't been paid in six months. I have taken care of three family members, including my father. For the past three weeks, I've lived on beans, rice and tortillas. Sometimes tequila... There is nothing that I wouldn't do to make this company a success."
   
5. Tequila - The Latina Entrepreneurs drink of choice. — The go-to celebration drink for Tina, and quite honestly, for myself is Tequila! Tina celebrated the "Grade A" Self Magazine review with Tequila, the partnership with Remington Corporation with Tequila and created a company culture with Tequila, she introduced Margarita Fridays to the Foot Petals team. It is truly important to celebrate your successes and the team that supports you toward them. Why not with Tequila?!

From Stilettos to the Stock Exchange: Inside the Life of a Serial Entrepreneur was recently released by Apparel Insiders Publishing. Click HERE to purchase a copy. 

What's your favorite drink for celebrating successes? What's one main phrase your repeat to yourself during tough times?

Booze Book Review: Skinny Cocktails

 

Hey, Good Bookin’!

 

For some, the end of summer means an end to calorie counting and rigorous gym routines (chunky sweaters hide extra pounds, right?). However, others don’t let lower numbers on the thermometer mean higher numbers on the scale. Does that mean you have to forego yummy Autumn cocktails and warm sippers? Not if expert bartenders, Jaclyn Wilson Foley & Ray Foley, have anything to say about it. They recently released “Skinny Cocktails,” (via Sourcebooks) a pretty comprehensive pocket guide to diet friendly cocktail recipes with carb and calorie counts for lots of beers, spirits and mixers.

There are at least 250 cocktail options in this book, listed in alphabetical order, so it’s not short on choices. My favorite parts of it, though, are the lists of zero-carb liquors and the top 10 low calorie liquors (which are both pretty close to the front, so you can find it easily). I also like that it’s really compact (only a little bigger than my hand), so you can keep it in your purse and refer to it when you’re out. The only thing I’d change: I wish the cocktails were categorized by liquor type instead of being listed alphabetically. Granted, there’s a liquor index in the back, but who remembers to look back there after a Maker’s Mark Manhattan (170 Calories) or two?

If you want to tipple without tipping the scales (remember, colored skinny jeans and skinny cords are a must-wear this Fall,not to mention sleek sweater dresses),  “Skinny Cocktails” is definitely worth the $6.99. I actually carried it with me on a few outings, and it really came in handy. Oh, another caveat- keep your eye out for covetous friends. Mine have tried stealing my complimentary copy on more than one occasion.

 

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