i just thought these glasses were so original. (which means ten stores will copy them for next season and sell them for 1/4 the price. but, these adorable specimens might just be odd enough that they won’t appeal to mass market and hence won’t be worth knocking off…)

but do you see the bellies on these babies? perfect for the to-be-mom, or spare-tired mate, or me.

$85 available at BERGDORF GOODMAN on 5th and 59th.

finally got my butt over to APOTHEKE. opened in september, this health conscious establishment is a virgo, of course! APOTHEKE’S pharmaceutical concept perfectly manifests the traits of the most perfectionistic sign. no medicinal detail is forgotten, from the ancient caduceus logo to the science beaker lamps, to the bottles of ancient herbs stored on the top shelf—every element is consistent with the trendier than hell apothecary theme. if any sign were to prescribe a drink a day to keep the doctor away, it would be virgo…

i didn’t get his sign, but albert trummer is certainly the showman… sag? leo? aries perhaps? this man can flare bartend. he sauteed the bar in absinthe, and threw a match on it! he then poured himself a glass of absinthe—which he promptly lit up. he proceeded to light an army of absinthe filled glasses on fire. when he’d had his fill of fire mr. trummer dowsed the wild beast with a gargantuan bottle of dom. once i saw the flames start to die down, my heart started beating again. by that time i’d located every exit in the joint— just in case. (i have a thing with fire.) we all got to sample the flambeed glasses of gooey, syrupy absinthe along with champagne to wash it down with.

but how are the drinks? they’re very good. when i first arrived i was feeling tired, so i prescribed myself a FIVE POINTS, which is listed on the prescription list as a “stimulant.” (house elixir #4 with hibiscus, italian bitters, new york state grapes, house-pressed sugar cane-infused cachaca.) not sure if it was the drink or the wall of fire less than an arm’s length away, but it worked.

the best holiday windows are consecutively BERGDORF GOODMAN’S. this year, one of the windows concerned a chapter on alcohol—and of course—this window was designed by pisces, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN! pisces is the zodiac sign of the alcoholic. (i even list mr. mcqueen on the back of my pisces COCKTAIL CANDLE box as a FAMOUS FELLOW DRUNK). the charts of alcoholics were studied and it was found that those with a prominent placement of PISCES in their chart were more prone to the disease. PISCES rules the planet of NEPTUNE and is an escapist, dreamy, disconnected, other-worldly personality. PISCES men are sexy as hell-and they design the most fantastic clothes ; ) but so how cool is this window though?!

bendel’s store theme this season is the cocktail, and a promenade through this landmark shopping destination makes that clear. there are cocktail displays EVERYWHERE. if you can’t get there in person, take a stroll through the pics below.

the front windows invite the shopper into a retail wonderland with a product-filled martini glass pyramid and candy-filled glasses…

wow, bendels recycled wine corks… they look terrific painted white, resembling a lovely layer of fresh champagne snow afoot a mountain of perfectly frosted martini glasses.

how awesome are these pin-up martini girls sitting in their glasses?

and last but in no way least, the walls are adorned with my very own ZODIAC COCKTAIL graphics! on the 3rd floor, there are all sorts of astrology and alcohol-themed goodies… including our COCKTAIL CANDLES and SHOT CANDLES.

cheers to a divine 2010!

we are honored to be part of HENRI BENDEL’S holiday offering this season! please find our SHOT GLASS CANDLES on BENDEL’S 3rd floor in the personalization shop. not only that, but i’m delighted, and beyone flattered, to see my very own barstrology illustrations adorning the wall of this famously stylish store… cheers to good taste, and good tasting cocktails!

intoxicated zodiac’s celestial cocktail SHOT GLASS CANDLE makes a great stocking stuffer for $14… view scorpio’s at the bottom of this post.

home to the world's most cosmopolitan fashionistas

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….!

well, i wasn’t exactly a speeding bullet on the news of these sleek shot glasses ($22). they’ve been blogged to bits all over the web, but i stumbled on them recently and it was love at first sight. ironic though, because can you think of any two things that go together less than drinking and shooting? ever see Apocalypse Now… well don’t.

so, what exactly is it that makes guns so sexy? the fact that we (or, I) find something so lethal to be alluring is a curiosity. i guess it’s the power to end life. power’s an aphrodisiac so “they” say…

shooting a gun is kind of empowering, i highly recommend it. and hell, with all this talk of a revolution it might be good to have a little metal friend. that said, if i carried a gun in my purse i’d shoot my pinky off at best. i’m totally psyched they opened a shooting club in manhattan. if you want to have fun with some real bullets head on over to manhattan’s new shooting club, WEST SIDE PISTOL RANGE.

VIA URBAN GIRL SQUAD

VIA BARSTOOLS

join “today show” correspondent jill rappaport, Q1043 radio personality maria milito, “the wonder team” from animal planet’s “underdog to wonderdog,” “law and order’s” richard belzer, award-winning hip hop choreographer shane sparks, best known for his work as a judge and choreographer on the american television dance competitions “so you think you can dance” and “america’s best dance crew,” and other special guests for the 2nd annual animal care affair gala.

starring fashionably dressed dogs in the Bella Starlet Dog Clothes & Bows—the world’s first ever celebrity dog line!

food, drinks, silent auction, fashion show… thursday october 22nd from 7-11pm. sponsored open bar 7-10. tickets $75. benefits nyc’s homeless and rescued pets.

long overdue posting! IZ featured Gifts & Decorative Accessories show recap:

nyc’s MANHATTAN COCKTAIL CLASSIC is right around the corner. new york’s heavy weight mixologists are taking a nod from the now famous and highly successful TALES OF THE COCKTAIL in new orleans. apparently, the big apple is not to be outdone by the big easy!

there are still spots available, so sign up for some awesomely interesting cocktail classes to be held at the reputable ASTOR CENTER.

you might have heard that bartenders are the new rock stars, so don’t miss out on your chance to rub elbows with this new elite. attend one of the drunken bashes – ahem – i mean networking events too… you heard me right: as this celebration is taking place in the month of october, it is a libra. for those of you who aren’t familiar with the traits of libra, it is the sign of drunken cavorting, hapless flirting, and far more fun than one should humanly have. cheers!

register at THE MANHATTAN COCKTAIL CLASSIC.