the liquid muse herself asked if moi if i’d care to contribute an original cocktail to her latest book, THE BUBBLY BRIDE. perhaps you’ve heard of PREGGATINIS by natalie bovis-nelson? that was her first book. both are good reads with useful material to boot.

with wedding season right around the corner, you’d be wise to stock up on copies of THE BUBBLY BRIDE. for $16.95, every star struck lover deserves a tipple how-to as cute as this one! cheers to the happy couple…

studies show that inhaling lavender impairs our mental processing ability. in other words, it’s relaxing… good for a wedding? chill out bridezilla! it’s also kind of funny that lavender belongs to virgo, the virgin ; ) white wedding with lavender cocktails–how perfect!

CHILL PILL:
1 oz lavender bud-infused vodka
1 oz lavender bud syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
lavender water spray or rinse
lavender soda

combine lavender bud-infused vodka, lavender bud syrup, lemon juice and shake over ice. prepare champagne flute with rinse of lavender water, or mist inside of glass with lavender water spray. strain into lavender-misted / lavender-rinsed flute and top with fair amount of lavender soda. stir briefly and serve. garnish with sprig of lavender or purple flower if available.

lavender vodka: infuse 750 ml vodka with 3 cups dried lavender buds (available at health food stores or online) allow to sit for several days and strain.

lavender syrup: bring to boil 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup dried lavender buds and remove from heat. allow to infuse for 1/2 hour and strain. add splash vodka to act as preservative and store in fridge. note that using white sugar over raw will give a prettier pink color, while the latter will make for a darker hue.

lavender water: available at health food stores or online. for greater control and speed, i prefer misting over rinsing of glass. transfer lavender water into small spray bottle that is dark in color and store in fridge.

La Palapa just released its very own cookbook! owners Barbara Sibley & Margaritte Malfy co-authored ANTOJITOSBY, FESTIVE AND FLAVORFUL MEXICAN
SMALL PLATES, which includes several of la palapa’s best recipes. such as their ridiculously delicious MANGO MEZCAL PALOMA.

i once reviewed the astrology of La Palapa in my post here. because it opened in august, the west village LA PALAPA a is a Leo!

Barbara & Margaritte are celebrating their publication by serving complimentary antojitos and margaritas tuesday, november 10th, 5 to 7 pm:
LA PALAPA EAST VILLAGE
77 Saint Marks’s Place • RSVP 212.777.2537
(SIGNED COPIES OF THE COOKBOOK WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE $22.99)

¿Cómo se dice “appetizers”? Antojitos, of course! The north-of-the-border love affair with Mexican food heats up with this luscious collection of 75 authentic Mexican small plates, invigorating salsas, and refreshing drinks from two of Greenwich Village’s favorite restaurateurs. Barbara Sibley and Margaritte Malfy are chef/owners of the fabulously popular La Palapa restaurants in New York City, where they deliver addictively authentic Mexican fare-food for people who love fresh, soulful cooking.

Traditional and artisanal, the recipes in Antojitos were collected from Barbara and Margaritte’s many years of traveling and living in Mexico.
No one does antojitos like Barbara and Margaritte. A stylish design filled with colorful Mexican folk art and food photographs round out this spicy treat of a book.

Just in time for christmas—perfect for the latin Lovers on your list….!

today a very famous LEO signed her latest cook book for me… martha stewart has always been one of my favorite american icons. perhaps it’s because we both have a scorpio ascendant in our charts — i’ve blogged her DIY projects several times on this site. i just love her magazine, her product lines, her love for pets, her animal rights activist daughter, and most recently, her fondness for astrological libations. yes you heard me correctly… the june and november issues of martha’s LIVING magazine feature a cocktail recipe for both gemini and scorpio! i’ve been going on about astro tipples for years now, and there’s always room for another perspective on an infinitely interesting subject. hey, who doesn’t love to drink with the stars? welcome to the party martha!

MARTHA STEWART’S DINNER AT HOME is brand spanking new, and today was martha’s very first signing to promote the book. she dedicates the book “to all the homemakers in america, pressed for time yet caring for their families.” my favorite feature of the book is the way it’s divided according to the four seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter, which makes eating seasonally just that little bit easier. martha then creates 13 four course menus for each season, making sure to include carnivore, vegetarian and vegan meals among them. along the way, she highlights certain foods such as rhubarb — pointing out that this vegetable is not a fruit! vanilla stewed rhubarb, mint pesto, rosemary yorkshire puddings, minty green tea milkshakes, coffee with cognac and cardamom and tequila-soaked lemon sorbet are just a few mouth-watering recipes to be found in this handy collection. ($35)

jet setter extraordinaire, anne fritz, of the JET SET GIRLS took a peek inside my carry on bag recently. i’m flattered to be featured on such a chic lifestyle blog! here i am with my latest thrift shop find (that cost me only $1 if you can believe it?). i’m asked what’s in the bag–that i just can’t live without–during my flight. and you know what they say: you can tell a lot about a woman from the contents of her purse (or in this case, flight bag). so are you like totally DYING from curiosity or what? don’t torture yourself, check out my bag’s innards here…

VIA SHE GOT STYLE

this spring i designed a marriage sign shot glass candle for arielle & russell. their nuptuals were performed on may 2nd, making their sacred union a taurus. then this august i helped shelly & brendan realize their leo dream-wedding: “navigating by the stars.” see pics below of both weddings, but first let me explain the concept of marriage sign astrology: everything with a beginning has a sign. hence, the day on which you exchange vows determines your marriage’s sign.

the bride and groom’s sign have don’t have much to do with their marriage sign, all though their marriage sign can impact their “couple personality.” for example, my sister is a reserved, shrewd, sensitive cancer. she got married under the sign of leo and now she’s throwing parties. normally this would have been out of character for her, but not only is there a new husband in her new life, but a new celestial influence… she just gave her hubby a set of MARRIAGE SIGN SHOT GLASSES for their tenth anniversary!

for more on marriage sign astrology check out my nuptual readings, or buy STAR GUIDE TO WEDDINGS by april elliott kent, or, visit IT’S ABOUT TIMING to calculate the most auspicious time for you and your partner to get hitched. whatever you do, think twice about saying i do on saturday. the day of saturday is ruled by saturn, the harsh planet of constriction.

arielle was really into the fact that intoxicated zodiac donates a portion of their proceeds to animal-related charity–AND–that we are also environmentally friendly. soy wax candle, recycled paper, the whole nine…. let’s raise our glasses to arielle and russell… cheers!

TAURUS MARRIAGE SIGN READING PRINTED ON GLASS:
“A Taurus Marriage: Arielle & Russell
When a wedding is held Apr 20-May 20, that marriage belongs to Taurus.
Thus, this union is permanently imbued with these Taurean traits:
SENSUALITY GRATIFICATION LUXURY RELIABILITY STRENGTH
BULLISH DETERMINATION… A toast to the stellar couple… Cheers!”

below we have the leo marriage sign shot glass i designed for shelly & brendan. we actually printed leo’s celestial cocktail recipe, rose geranium gimlet, on the back instead of a reading.

we decorated the cake with constellations… one of which was leo. notice the boat cake topper…

MRS. SHELLY DIY, used compasses instead of traditional place cards. she glued the name and table of each guest inside the compass and instructed guests to take them home.

the seas were explored by starlight and compass…

a nautical globe to set the mood in cocktail hour…

instead of a lame old guest book, we found a colossal manuscript from taschen with ancient maps of the heavens and seas printed inside. every page of this incredible book was either beautiful, informative or outright awesome. guests signed their names to which ever page they saw fit. (the feather pen was from michaels.)

on the deck, we set up a telescope. this was a HUGE hit with the kids, and i highly recommend it for any wedding just to keep ‘em busy. (forgot to snap a pic, so photo credit here)

MRS. SHELLY DIY created the three-sided menu stands. on one side she printed the constellation. on the other side she listed the history of the discovery of the constellation. and on the third side (sorry i forgot to snap a pic again), she listed the menu. all the while pasting glittery, sparkly stars across the whole thing. how leo! did i mention shelly’s a leo?

a toast to this stellar couple’s future indeed! cheers shelly & brendan…

genius idea ms. liquid muse. genius. finally, a mocktail book with seriously top notch creative and tasty recipes… i’m talking about PREGGATINIS by natalie bovis nelson. for only $16.95 you can give a hipper, cooler, awesomer baby shower gift than she’ll get from anyone else. in fact, i’m thinking about getting knocked up just so i can unwrap a copy of PREGGATINIS at my baby shower. not. get your copy out PREGGATINIS here…

MAMARITA:
2 tbsp rim salt
1 oz agave nectar
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz orange juice
3 oz limeade
1 lime wedge

salt rim a margarita glass and set aside. stir agave nectar and lemon juice in the bottom of a mixing glass until the nectar dissolves. add orange juice, limeade, and ice, then shake vigorously. strain into the margarita glass and serve with a lime wedge.

DE-VIRGINIZE FOR DAD:
turn the MAMARITA ino the LIQUID MUSE MARGARITA by leaving out the limeade and orange juice. ill a cocktail shaker wit ice and vigorously shake 2 1/2 oz tequila, 1/2 oz orange flavoured liqueur, 1 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz agave. strain into a salt rimmed glass and garnish.

Anindita Mitra writes for the THE TELEGRAPH in calcutta, india. she’s a sagittarius… the sign of both mental and physical travel, and she virtually travelled across the globe to research her cocktail blogosphere piece. well written and interesting, the article mentions yours truly along with the other KAISER, ms thing the LIQUID MUSE, none other than JAMIE BOUDREAU, my ACHING HEAD, the one and only CAMPER ENGLISH, mixology monday founder PAUL CLARKE and COCKTAILIANS. cheers to us all, and thanks anindita! check the article out here…thanks for the pic alcademics…

my favorite celebrity taurus is Shirley MacLaine. some think she’s a nut. i think she’s both brilliant and courageous. if you haven’t read her best selling book EL CAMINO, it’s both interesting, informative and inspirational. a real good read… like shirley herself, a real good taurus. but a real unusual taurus, or so i thought. for this earthiest of signs, her head surprisingly up in the clouds.

but… apparently, “because we live in a predominantly confused, wounded, and materialistic world that we think Taurus is mainly about money, possessions, and sensual indulgences. But Taurus is also a powerful symbol for enlightenment, and as we begin to wake up, it becomes more important to see Taurus and the 2nd House as referring to the potential for the truest inner peace, and therefore as well as to the obstacles to this real freedom.” VIA ASTROLOGYFORTHESOUL

Whoever said Taureans were predictable didn’t know Shirley MacLaine. But this atypical award winning Terms of Endearment actress, author, dancer, and spiritual seeker is typically Taurean in her quest for inner peace – a journey she’s taken to task. Material bound Taurus Shirley is famous for her earthy stability. Yet look deeper into her easy way in the world of natural things and see a supernatural connection. Shirley talks of past lives, like having been Charlemagne’s lover, or being guided by angels. Like most actresses early in their career, Shirley’s body image was closely tied to her self-worth, so self-love became a lifetime pursuit for Shirley. The body’s imperfections are raw material for Taurus; in appreciating her natural flaws with love and reverence, Taurus connects to her own unshakeable confidence, a security that cannot be bought or sold. Confidence indeed, this head-in-the-stars star is no shrinking violet. Wisdom, maturity, and celebrity have given Shirley her formidable diva reputation, something she proudly claims. “I’m a diva. If someone isn’t doing something right, I tell them and they do it my way. I’ve earned the right”. Can you say no bull? VIA MSN

shirley’s all-important rising sign is virgo, angel of truth and guardian of purity. her taurus/virgo combo really makes sense!

ironically, two different people recently brought the new fortune-telling phenonomon known as DICEOLOGY to my attention.

one is steven wagonheim who has just released a series of six books on his revolutionary new method of divination utilizing the humble dice. a former dungeons and dragons addict, steven grew to love the many sides of multiple sided dice. i had no idea that a 12-sided dice existed––did you?! he has also been blessed with a good pyschic ability and a love for–and understanding of astrology–numerology, cartouche and tarot. with 25 years of life-long research, he’s combined them all in DICEOLOGY, an innovative new brand of astrological divination. (6/$35.95) swing by david’s site for more info: DICEOLOGY.

the second person is JEAN NASOL, new york dice reader & advisor. any gambling addict will tell you, the lure of the dice is irresistable. i felt that magnetic pull of the dice as an hour and half whizzed by. as i asked each question aloud, i would pensively shake the dice and fatefully toss them for jean to analyze. her method of diceology is fascinating, and without a doubt, slightly addictive in an extremely fun way! one dice shows the planet involved, another shows the zodiac sign, and yet another shows a number. when all three are combined, including the order in which they sit, the anwer to the query is revealed. jean’s rates are very reasonable. if you’re in new york, call for an interesting and enlightening DICE READING the next time you need some celestial advice: 917.703.2911.

while all colors are powerful, orange is exceptionally so. i suppose it is no coincidence that the mighty sign of leo is associated with the color orange. the second chakra is our seat of power, our gut, our intuition–and it is orange. when our inner orange speaks, we would do well to listen. monks don orange colored robes as a sign of wisdom. not just intelligence, but wisdom learned or channeled from a higher source, or even our higher selves. you’re loving this, aren’t you leo? lordess of the zodiac, lady marmalade!

LADY MARMALADE is one of my all time fave songs known best for it’s naughty, aggressive and oversexed lyrics (especially for it’s time). “voulez-vous coucher avec moi c’est soir?” or in english, “would you make love to me tonight?” well, wouldn’t you know–the color orange also symbolizes pleasure, as in unquenchable lust. considering leo is essentially a big ball of orange fur, i’m thinking this pussy cat’s pretty good in the sack. am i right leo?

LADY MARMALADE

1 oz scotch
1 1/2 tbsp marmalade
1 oz honey syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice

stir exceedingly well, or shake vigorously over ice. strain into ice packed-lowball glass.

***honey syrup: 1 c water, 1/2 c honey. heat on stove until dissolved (should be a few minutes on simmer). add splash of vodka and store in fridge.

wanna know about the spiritual manifestations of the color orange, or any other color for that matter? read TONY & TINA COLOR ENERGY. via intoxicated zodiac