Fruit flavored waters

I recently went to a friend's house for lunch, and she served a pitcher of water with watermelon slices. Refreshing with a touch of sweetness. This summer, wouldn't it be nice to have flavored waters in the fridge to make drinking water more delicious? You could use slices of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, strawberries, raspberries, mint, cucumber, whatever! What are your favorites? xo Update: Thanks to the readers who suggested pineapple and clementine--yum.

Fruit flavored waters

I recently went to a friend's house for lunch, and she served a pitcher of water with watermelon slices. Refreshing with a touch of sweetness. This summer, wouldn't it be nice to have flavored waters in the fridge to make drinking water more delicious? You could use slices of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, strawberries, raspberries, mint, cucumber, whatever! What are your favorites? xo Update: Thanks to the readers who suggested pineapple and clementine--yum.

Summer Sparkler

With a whopping 100 degrees and my mom visiting, it was the perfect weekend to try out a new cocktail. After long walks in the heat, this sparkler quickly became our favourite treat to enjoy during breezy balcony evenings. It has Italian prosecco (yum!), refreshing lavender, mint and lemon syrup that you pre-simmer and it's topped off with a bit of cold club soda for the bubbles-factor. (Full recipe here).

Doesn’t it sound refreshing? Loves, what’s your favourite summer cocktail/drink? xo

P.S: Missed you last Friday:) So glad to be back to the regular schedule!
P.P.S: Two more posts are coming up today and if you fancy trying another fun cocktail - this one is awesome too.

(Recipe by Marissa Lippert via Nectar)

Summer Essential #1: Water bottle

I'm excited to announce a new series on Cup of Jo: Summer Essentials, where I'll be sharing some awesome things (beach towels, swimsuits, peach lipstick) that you might like this summer. Hope you enjoy it!

First up: Water bottles. BKR bottles, made in San Francisco, are bright and modern. The bottles are glass but have a silicone sleeve, so they won't break; and water tastes so good from a glass bottle, versus plastic or stainless-steel (which can cause that metallic flavor). At $28, it's not cheap, but will end up being less expensive--and better for the planet--than buying one-use bottles of water all summer. Plus, they're so beautiful to carrry around; I have the red one!

Thoughts? Do you have a water bottle?

P.S. Alex actually wrote this article back in 2007.

(Via Momfilter)

Summer Essential #1: Water bottle

I'm excited to announce a new series on Cup of Jo: Summer Essentials, where I'll be sharing some awesome things (beach towels, swimsuits, peach lipstick) that you might like this summer. Hope you enjoy it!

First up: Water bottles. BKR bottles, made in San Francisco, are bright and modern. The bottles are glass but have a silicone sleeve, so they won't break; and water tastes so good from a glass bottle, versus plastic or stainless-steel (which can cause that metallic flavor). At $28, it's not cheap, but will end up being less expensive--and better for the planet--than buying one-use bottles of water all summer. Plus, they're so beautiful to carrry around; I have the red one!

Thoughts? Do you have a water bottle?

P.S. Alex actually wrote this article back in 2007.

(Via Momfilter)

Entertaining: When do you serve coffee and tea?

Here is an interesting dinner party etiquette. Did you know that the most traditional and common way to serve coffee or tea during a dinner party is just after dessert? The rule is that you should wait till your guests finish eating and only then you bring on the hot beverages.

Balazs and I like to be more practical, so we tend to offer coffee up front as soon as our guests arrive. It’s probably because most of them are huge coffee lovers anyway and they are always up for it. The good part is that while Balazs takes care of brewing, I get a few extra minutes to sort out the table.

And of course, we also serve another portion of coffee/tea just before the dessert for the same reason. Some of the guests like to enjoy it with the dessert while others have a quick espresso shot before-hand and then they pair up their sweet treat with a glass of wine.

I’m totally curious, how do you do it? I know that there are so many ways depending on cultures. So do tell, when do you serve coffee or tea while having people over for a dinner? Can't wait to read your customs. xo

P.S: Tricks and tips to a perfect dinner party and this snazzy progressive-dinner in Paris.
P.P.S: All things coffee and the photo below made me giggle.

(via The Kitchn. Photos by Leo Patrone for Kinfolk, 16House & Luisa Brimble)

6 wine bottle stoppers

Our babysitter noticed how much I like wine (busted) and gave me three lady bottle stoppers for my last birthday. They make me smile every time I walk through our kitchen. Bottle stoppers make great gifts when going to a dinner party or wedding, and are also just sweet to have on your kitchen counter, chilling in a half-bottle of red.

Nine favorites, clockwise, above: Fish, anchor, piggie, lady, flower, bird. (And this thirsty bird is so cute, too!)
(Layout by Jennifer Hagler for Cup of Jo. Thanks to Emily Hsieh for scouting help. Comic by Christopher Weyant)

6 wine bottle stoppers

Our babysitter noticed how much I like wine (busted) and gave me three lady bottle stoppers for my last birthday. They make me smile every time I walk through our kitchen. Bottle stoppers make great gifts when going to a dinner party or wedding, and are also just sweet to have on your kitchen counter, chilling in a half-bottle of red.

Nine favorites, clockwise, above: Fish, anchor, piggie, lady, flower, bird. (And this thirsty bird is so cute, too!)
(Layout by Jennifer Hagler for Cup of Jo. Thanks to Emily Hsieh for scouting help. Comic by Christopher Weyant)

How drunk can you get at your office party?

Do you have an office holiday party? I've always heard crazy stories about them, but I haven't worked in an office for four years (I miss it!). Anyway, this chart made me laugh. Where do you fit in?
(Top photo by Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos, 1966)

How drunk can you get at your office party?

Do you have an office holiday party? I've always heard crazy stories about them, but I haven't worked in an office for four years (I miss it!). Anyway, this chart made me laugh. Where do you fit in?
(Top photo by Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos, 1966)

What's your hangover cure?

Holiday parties are coming up, and with glasses of bubbly come hangovers. What's your hangover remedy? Mine used to be a giant Chipotle burrito (#classy), but I've now learned two genius cures that really seem to work...
* Toast. Before going to bed, make a piece of burnt toast, and wash it down with a big glass of water. The burnt part of the toast is carbon, which absorbs many of the toxins that give you that terrible hangover.
* Reflexology. When you wake up, rub the outer edge of your right foot, halfway between the middle of your foot and your pinky toe. This is the reflex point to the liver. You may notice some "crunchy" texture, which is a sign that some congestion is in the area. Kind of gross! But also kind of awesome!

P.S. Toby. :)

What's your hangover cure?

Holiday parties are coming up, and with glasses of bubbly come hangovers. What's your hangover remedy? Mine used to be a giant Chipotle burrito (#classy), but I've now learned two genius cures that really seem to work...
* Toast. Before going to bed, make a piece of burnt toast, and wash it down with a big glass of water. The burnt part of the toast is carbon, which absorbs many of the toxins that give you that terrible hangover.
* Reflexology. When you wake up, rub the outer edge of your right foot, halfway between the middle of your foot and your pinky toe. This is the reflex point to the liver. You may notice some "crunchy" texture, which is a sign that some congestion is in the area. Kind of gross! But also kind of awesome!

P.S. Toby. :)

Tip #2: How to make Champagne extra bubbly

Here's a trick: If you have a leftover half bottle of Champagne (or Prosecco) that's getting flat, and you want to bring the bubbles back, drop a raisin into the bottle. Any carbon dioxide that's left in the wine will stick to the raisin's ridges and release as tiny bubbles. Cool, right?

(Tip via Real Simple)

Tip #2: How to make Champagne extra bubbly

Here's a trick: If you have a leftover half bottle of Champagne (or Prosecco) that's getting flat, and you want to bring the bubbles back, drop a raisin into the bottle. Any carbon dioxide that's left in the wine will stick to the raisin's ridges and release as tiny bubbles. Cool, right?

(Tip via Real Simple)

Wildflower ice cubes

When you have friends over, what a beautiful idea to freeze flowers (or raspberries or mint) into ice cubes for their water glasses. Here's the how-to.

Wildflower ice cubes

When you have friends over, what a beautiful idea to freeze flowers (or raspberries or mint) into ice cubes for their water glasses. Here's the how-to.

Toby drinks seltzer.

My mom took Toby to a Thai restaurant in Brooklyn, and he tried some seltzer. He didn't know what to make of the bubbles and kind of hated it, but couldn't stop drinking. Ahh, to be a toddler.

P.S. It reminds me of this, but with more hair!

Toby drinks seltzer.

My mom took Toby to a Thai restaurant in Brooklyn, and he tried some seltzer. He didn't know what to make of the bubbles and kind of hated it, but couldn't stop drinking. Ahh, to be a toddler.

P.S. It reminds me of this, but with more hair!

Gift for guys

If you want to thank a guy or send a gift to a man, but you know he's not the flowers-and-chocolate type, you can now send meat and beer! Thanks Bro is a funny new online shop that will deliver a six pack (think: Dogfish Head, Lagunitas) and fancy beef jerky. What a brilliant idea.

Gift for guys

If you want to thank a guy or send a gift to a man, but you know he's not the flowers-and-chocolate type, you can now send meat and beer! Thanks Bro is a funny new online shop that will deliver a six pack (think: Dogfish Head, Lagunitas) and fancy beef jerky. What a brilliant idea.