the magical acai berry is dark in color and pleasant in taste. it doesn’t pack a punch, but persuades your palette to enjoy its flavor on an even keel. just like the god of saturn would prefer you to do in every area of your life. the god, saturn, is known as the lord of time, and goes by the name old man winter as well. he’s slow. he takes 29 years to orbit alone, and is the Furthest planet to be seen with the naked eye. he’s frigid, gassy, and surrounds himself with rings of ice. but saturn is arguably the most powerful planet in our solar system, rivaled only by pluto (who’s not a true planet). the acai berry has been declared the number one super fruit by those “in the know.” this brazilian berry is small, but strong.

here’s some saturn trivia:
***the word Saturnine means: a) cold and steady in mood; slow to act or change b) of a gloomy or surly disposition c) having a sardonic aspect a saturnine smile.

***We have all been born on the day of our choosing. if you entered this world on saturn’s day, Saturday, then you’ll work hard for a living.

***Satan’s role as an adversary was to wander the Earth in pursuit of those who did not keep the faith and who broke God’s law. Word has it he was authorized to test and tempt humans to demonstrate their lack of moral goodness.

so, dear aquarius, were’nt you the happy little camper when the outer planet of uranus was discovered? yep, William Herschel, a virgo, chanced upon it back in 1781, changing aquarius forever. through study and meditation it was found that uranus was the missing ruler of aquarius, and you are now happily considered to be ruled by both planets: uranus and saturn.

the sombering traits that saturn lent your character will never be taken away–but only augmented by the loving and effervescent uranus. the interesting combination of steely saturn and open-armed uranus makes for a quirky personality… that is perhaps why some aquarius are such strange birds. i can usually rationalize the actions of a person by their zodiac sign, but with aquarius, that tactic doesn’t always work. some of these eccentric and unpredictable characters make absolutely no sense to me! not naming names, but i’d certainly like to disclose some of my family members right about now… cheers to aquarius!

ASTRAL KISS:
2 cups veev acai liqueur
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 1/2 cups elderflower juice
1 1/2 cups lychee syrup
champagne

combine all in pitcher, stirring well. chill in fridge until ready to use. pour 2/3rds flute full and top with 1/3 champagne. drop a whole lychee nut into the bottom of the glass.

***elderflower juice is made from elderflower concentrate found at IKEA.
***lychee syrup is simply the juice in a can of lychees.

this is also an easy Mocktail to make for the kiddies… just make the recipe without alcohol, so they can tipple too!

happy earth day fellow terrans! today i bring your attention to INOCENTE TEQUILA, which translated mean free from sin or wrongdoing. this organically grown tequila comes in a hand blown 100% recycled glass bottle intended to be upcycled into a decorative vase, or to store vinegar, etc. a natural cork is used in each bottle, and each one is packaged (or not packaged) without a cardboard box to save trees. the agave is grown using only natural products and the soil is nurtured in the same manner. i love INOCENTE because it has a subtle smokiness to it, (usually reserved for mezcals), even though it is a blanco tequila.

even martha likes a good thing when she sees it… INOCENTE TEQUILA, is featured in may’s LIVING magazine. yeah, i wonder where martha got the zodiac cocktail idea?

our trunk show was so successful last weekend that we’re doing it again~come visit gwen at henri bendel this april 15-18 (thursday, friday, saturday, sunday) and check out our celestial cocktail candles in person… cheers! (bendels is located on the corner of 56th street and 5th avenue next to harry winston. hours: thursday/friday/saturday 10am-8pm, sunday noon-7pm. IZ will be located on the ground floor)

meet IZ’s newest guest blogger: the lovely dr. christina grant!

Just when I think there isn’t anything new going on, I get to awaken to a fresh perspective. I recently spent a weekend with a group of 80-somethings. Well, not the entire weekend, but a good portion of it. My mother-in-law, Sue, a gentle-but-mysterious Scorpio (who has never had to color her long dark hair) is now 80. We surprised her one moon-lit Friday night with a party attended by a group of about 50 people. “Amazing an 80-year-old has so many friends!” I heard someone quip. Most of the attendees were indeed her friends, the others were family and her sons’ friends who she knew since they were in grade school.
photo credit
I got to meet many of Sue’s friends, a couple of whom had difficulty navigating the few stairs leading up to the party venue, but all of whom were as mentally spry and fun-loving as teenagers. Dollie, a direct and sassy Aries, is one of Sue’s Stanford friends that lives, not surprisingly, on her own in San Francisco. Just like a ram, she still hikes Bay Area trails. Hip, fashionable, and smart, she wasted no time starting up conversation. “You know what I did last April when I turned 80 to avoid a surprise event like this?” she asked me. “I ran off to Egypt.” Egypt? At 80? Later, I told a friend, “I wasn’t aware of the prejudice I’ve had. I bought into the assumption that we all get decrepit and senile, presumably around age 75.”

But Sue, Dollie, and the others taught me otherwise. Wise and loving, sparkling eyes standing out in wrinkled, knowing skin, I learned some things from my elders this weekend. I learned that life can be fun and interesting and engaging well beyond middle age. Maybe more fun than it is right now. That friendships can last forever. I learned that it isn’t unusual for an 80-year-old woman to be beautiful, stylish, engaging, smart, interesting, funny, and in-the-know. And I had been concerned about entering my mid-40s.

The following night we hosted a smaller dinner party at our house in Sue’s honor. Guests included her 84-year-old sister Claire, here from Geneva nimbly traveling the States visiting friends and family, and 80-year-old Trudy, another one of Sue’s best friends. Nothing about these women was any different than the rest of us except they are calm, patient, and wise. Nothing got past them, either. There is something reassuring about being with these capable, aged women. If they haven’t seen it all, they’ve at least heard about it. As the evening wound down, I was sad to see them go, Claire promising we’d meet again soon.

Many times I’ve considered writing about honoring our elders, because it is something our society doesn’t do. Instead, we ignore them, toss them aside; they are the invisible ones in our worship-the-youth culture. Is this practice we have of valuing youth over wisdom enlightened? We need our elders to teach us, to fill the great void of depth and meaning our culture faces, to be our stability just as they are in indigenous cultures. When will we let them?

I had the great good fortune that weekend of spending time with folks who grew up during the Great Depression, lived through World War II, educated themselves, then experienced decades of interesting events and change while keeping hopeful and engaged in life. If only I could see them on a regular basis, perhaps I’d never think that there isn’t anything different going on in life. No, Dollie would have Egyptian adventures to tell while knowing the best plays and museum exhibits in the city, Sue would know why Stanford beat Cal and why Obama had to send a few more troops to Afghanistan, Claire would demonstrate how at 84 one can keep her mind as spry as a college student, and Trudy would exemplify how to remain calm through anything while preparing crab (“do you have a hammer?”) for a friend’s birthday dinner.

in honor of the gin in this cocktail… how sick is this necklace? buy it! in celebration of women’s golden years, let’s toast with the MERRY WIDOW…cheers to ageless living!

MERRY WIDOW NO.1
0.5 tsp Benedictine
1.0 dash Orange Bitters
1.25 oz. Gin
1.0 each Peel Twist Lemon
0.5 tsp Sambuca
1.25 oz. Dry Vermouth

Stir all ingredients (except lemon peel) with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add the twist of lemon peel and serve.

Dr. Christina Grant is a holistic healer and spiritual counselor who uses astrology in her work to help people better understand their purpose and life circumstances. She works in person and by phone. She has helped hundreds of people attain physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being through personal transformation. Her writing is published nationwide. To learn more, see WWW.CHRISTINAGRANT.COM

we finally got some cocaine liqueur over here! but, the narcotic property has been removed… F@*%K! that said, the new and groundbreaking bad ass liqueur, AGWA DE BOLIVIA, does retain some of its alkaline properties. meaning, this magic potion will still induce a different kind of (and i gather quite pleasant) state of intoxication. i’m sure this claim is true because my parents visited the andes (yes, we hate them) and my mum came down with elevation sickness. the locals gave her COCA TEA to drink and she reports it to have worked like a charm. she even brought some home with her… just in case she decided to climb any more mountains.

AGWA is made from wild harvested Bolivian Coca Leaves, which are shipped under armed guard from Bolivia and handcrafted in Amsterdam. world renowned for its unique taste and the secret energy that lies in all its drinks. $32.99+ visit AGWA DE BOLIVIA here…

make a 420′tini here…

what this drink lacks in appearance, it makes up for in flavor. WOW! if you are a chocoholic, then this glass of goop is for you.

i was perusing my natal birth chart yesterday, when i came upon my SATURN QUINCUNX URANUS position… apparently meaning that yours truly has a “disobedient spirit.” IE: chronic irritability, nervous energy, refusal to accept authority, and a resistance to living a “normal life”– (these were some of the nicer traits). so, awesome! however, there was some hope for me… yes, i went on to read, it is possible for those with my astrological affliction to harmonize their inner tension and live a peaceful life. well, i think i found a way to help me harmonize, and i called it the DISOBEDIENT SPIRIT.

the hazelnut is ruled by mercury–so says nicholas culpeper–in his seventeenth-century book: heal thyself. mercury happens to rule gemini, and such a naughty name deserves an equally heady sign to go with it. oh gemini, gemini, wherefore art thou cocktail? the unscrupulous twins are the tricksters of the zodiac, and if any sign is going to be referred to as disobedient, let it be gemini!

DISOBEDIENT SPIRIT:
1 part vodka
1 part melted nutella*
1 part coconut creamer*

shake HARD over ice and strain into glass. harmonize your ass off.

***my latest discovery is coconut creamer. it’s amazing, and it’s GMO-free, and it doesn’t cause tumors. (soy causes tumors, rice is genetically modified, almonds have arsenic in the skin from the peeling process, dairy has RBGH3 growth hormone). to be honest i have not tried hemp milk, it just doesn’t get me exited. but coconut creamer? i just couldn’t resist! look for it in the health food store. you will so not be disappointed.

***to melt nutella, submerge the glass jar in a pan of water and simmer until nutella is melted. then just scoop it into the shaker. if the nutella is in a plastic jar it will melt just the same if you don’t mind phylates. i’d recommend scooping out the nutella and heating it in a double boiler. if you don’t have one, use a small pot inside of another slightly larger pot with water instead.

THE NEW YORK TIMES announced today that the MANHATTAN COCKTAIL CLASSIC is back, so save the date: May 14 to 18… the “best” seminars sell out fast, so in light of that sobering fact, get your tix asap. for a full schedule of events visit MANHATTAN COCKTAIL CLASSIC. bottoms up!