Saturday 30 November 2013

{Host Your Own Cocktail Party}

When I was asked if I would host a cocktail party in my own house with Social and Cocktail, I didn't need to think twice! I love a good cocktail and I love to host parties...

Basically, Social and Cocktail will provide the cocktail bartender, a mobile bar, cocktail ingredients, glassware, ice etc and will make amazing cocktails in your home for you and your guests.

This is the bar!!!

After agreeing on a date, I was then tasked with selecting 5 cocktails from their menu, which they've helpfully categorised into Dessert, Vodka, Rum, Classics and Non-Alcoholic.

I picked:

  • Raspberry Mojito - Raspberry liqueur, white rum, lime juice, soda water, mint, sugar & raspberries
  • Passionfruit Daiquiri - Rum, Passoa, Lime juice & sugar syrup
  • Cosmopolitan - citrus vodka, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, lemon and sugar syrup
  • Toblerone Martini
  • Caipirinha - originated in Brazil where they are regarded as the national cocktail and contains Cachaca, sugar & lime
On the night, Evan & Damien arrived with Marc the photographer about an hour before the guests were due to set up the bar.

It was a bit like Transformers... and this is what the box became:


I had decided to use a scoring system for each cocktail for a bit of fun... so we each rated the cocktails in four different categories, AppearanceSmellInitial Taste and Overall Impression, giving them a score out of 5.

I had a few moustaches dotted about the place.... we're supporting Movember!

Evan doing his thing behind the bar!

The Toblerone Martini... really creamy and was so nice! (spot the tache on my son's baby photo in the background!!)

Enjoying my passion fruit dacquiri





Katie had a shot and made her own cocktail...


Half way through we took a break as I had made a big pot of chilli which was warm in the slow cooker and I served with nachos, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Just as well we all ate, as the evening wore in it proceeded to get messy! By the end of the night quite a few of us were playing Dance Central on the XBox!! Great fun.

So for the scoring...

Katie's comments were the funniest, the Toblerone Martini appealed to her oestrogen and for overall impression for the raspberry mojito, "marry me" was in her notes!!!



Here are the cocktails in order of preference with their total score *drum roll please*
  1. Passionfruit Daiquiri - 84%
  2. Raspberry Mojito - 81% 
  3. Caipirinha - 77%
  4. Cosmopolitan - 77%
  5. Toblerone Martini - 65%
The Toblerone Martini score surprises me as I really enjoyed it, but I guess it's not to everyone's taste.

Our only real suggestion would be that the order the drinks are served could have been given a bit more thought as we started with the creamy dessert cocktail, whereas it might have been nicer to put this in the middle of the other more alcoholic ones to mix things up a bit. 

But all in all we were thoroughly impressed.

The cocktails were all lovely - as you can see from the scores above - and everyone was uber impressed with the service.

I would definitely consider hiring a bar in the future. For £25 per person for 5 cocktails, you can't really go wrong. It's less that what you'd pay if you were in a bar in town and yet you don't even need to leave your house! Fantastic given the freezing weather and the wait that you can sometimes have in a cold taxi queue! Evan even cleared up after himself and at the end, the glasses, bar etc was all packed up and away it went. Very professional and I'm seriously really impressed. Great value for money I reckon.



The Social and Cocktail bartenders are all professionally trained and they focus on three key aims - service, mixology and entertainment. Evan was brilliant and we were all really impressed! He delivered on all three :-)




We were suffering the next day... so a cooked breakfast was in order!!

We enjoyed a cocktail party at home free of charge in exchange for this review. Opinions, as always, are my own and are honest.


Friday 29 November 2013

{Giveaway: Microsoft's Great British Type Off}

On average 45% of us start typing on our devices before 9am each day!

(I probably start around 7am, and can sometimes even been found tweeting at 2am if the kids are up!)

Microsoft's Great British Type Off lands in Glasgow on Saturday 7th December at Curry's Braehead, Glasgow. The tour is hitting 20 UK locations, so don't worry if you're not in Glasgow! Follow the tour on Twitter with the hashtag #GBTypeOff.

At the event, some of the newest keyboards will be exhibited which are designed to aid and improve typing speed and comfort. You can even test and try them out to discover what kind of typer you are. Plus, there will be some great prizes including a luxury holiday.

It's not a holiday, but the lovely people at Microsoft have gifted me a Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard & mouse to giveaway to one of my lovely readers, with an RRP of £99.99. You just need to follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below.



I can't make it along to the event unfortunately, so took the test at home. Turns out I'm the PERFECT TYPE!

The Ergonomic keyboard is ideal for me based on my answers, and I was sent the keyboard above to try. I think it will take some getting used to, but after just a quick shot (I was keen to get this post live!) I can tell it's going to be much better for my wrists than my current one. I'll keep you updated with how I get on!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK entrants only please.
There is only one prize and no cash alternative is available.
The giveaway ends on Sunday 8th December.

Good luck :-)

I was given a complimentary Microsoft Sculpt Desktop for myself as well as one for the giveaway as part of this blog post. Opinions are always my own and are honest. 

Thursday 28 November 2013

{St Andrew's Day Oot}

Thought I'd quickly follow up on my previous What's On Christmas and St Andrew's Day in Glasgow post to tell you about St Andrew's Day Oot.


















Over 130 venues and attractions in Scotland are running free and discounted entry to mark St Andrew's Day this weekend, including...
  • Edinburgh Dungeon
  • City Sightseeing Buses in Glasgow
  • Scottish Sealife Centre in Loch Lomond
  • Amazonia (rather fancy taking the kids here, and this weekend kids go free!)
...where you'll find either 2 for 1, kids go free or free entry.



































We love the Tall Ship & Riverside Museum - definitely worth a trip and these attractions are always free :-)

To find out more about what's going on in your area for St Andrew's Day... have a look at this website www.scotland.org/fun.






Wednesday 27 November 2013

{Arriba, Arriba...get down to the new Chiquitos at Glasgow Fort}



It's been a wee while since I've been to Glasgow Fort, but there have been some big changes.... there is a new section of the Fort with a TGI Friday, Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito and more.

I was asked to head to Chiquito Mexican Restaurant & Bar to check out their menu... my pleasure!!

It's been a long time since I've been to a Chiquito restaurant so was interested to check it out. When we arrived on Sunday evening it was reasonably busy - a few families with younger kids, some couples and groups of friends. We were seated at a booth by the window looking out over the the little garden terrace and fairy lights at the Fort. 

The decor was tasteful and despite knowing that the restaurant is part of a chain, it didn't feel that way - I liked that there weren't balloons and promotional material all over the place that you can sometimes find in larger chains. I did see that a family behind us were given colouring in paper and crayons for their young kids, so it's still family-friendly despite the restaurant feeling a bit more 'grown up'. 

The staff were attentive and we were talked through the various menu options. At the moment there is a festive offer with 2 courses for £15 and you can add a dessert for £3.50. Rather good deal in my opinion.

As the man & I checked out the menu, we were brought some flavoured popcorn to munch - it was yum, and a lovely touch.



We both ordered a Mojito and they were delightful (my word, not his, lol!). I thoroughly enjoyed it.

For starter I had Deep Filled Potato Skins with a spicy chicken filling and he had the Classic Nachos. Other options for the starters were Sweet Potato & Feta Taquito, Cantina Mushrooms or Hot Chicken Wings.

Nachos with Texan cheese sauce, jalapeno peppers and melted cheese. Topped with guacamole, sour cream and salsa! Amazing!


For main we had BBQ Pulled Pork Hot Baked Wrap with rice, side salad and coleslaw and the 'Street' Burrito. Other choices were Marinated Roast Chicken, Marinated Roast Cod, Tex Mex Burger or Stuffed Pepper. My only comment would be that my coleslaw portion was a bit measly, and the Street Burrito was served with nachos, guacamole and salsa (which is what we had for starter, we didn't think that through!) but according to the menu it was supposed to be served with rice too (the rice was inside the wrap instead of on the side). But that's me being pernickety.

Instead of dessert, we chose to have a Hot Chocolate with Churros for £4.25 - another offer that's currently running. Yum!

Portions were a decent size and the food was really good. The set menu was great value for money and I think there's something on there for everyone. Staff were all lovely and I was genuinely really impressed. 

The ladies were clean-ish (some of the cubicles were a bit messy) and it was only when in here that the restaurant felt like a chain with the promotional posters on the doors and walls.

The shops at Glasgow Fort are open until 10pm at the moment (8pm at weekends) and from 16th Dec - 23rd Dec they'll be open until midnight. There's plenty of parking and when it's busy there are attendants that help you find a space. I think it would be an ideal place to go for a spot of Christmas shopping, quick bite in one of the new restaurants (totally recommend you try Chiquito) and then there is a brand new Vue cinema... we went to see Gravity 3D after our meal. It was gripping and I really enjoyed my first full movie in 3D. There were lots of tears, but I think that's a sign of a good film!


Glasgow Fort Shopping Park
Glasgow
G34 9DL

I received a complimentary meal for two in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Thursday 21 November 2013

{What's On: Christmas & St Andrew's Day in Glasgow}

The other night I headed to St Enoch Square with a few colleagues to check out the Glasgow Christmas Market. There are 50 amazing stalls with tonnes of different food, drinks and gift ideas. This was my first visit to Glasgow's Christmas Market and I was suitably impressed. The space between the stalls is sufficient for manoeuvring a buggy so if you're visiting with kiddies during the day that definitely won't be an issue (unlike some of the markets I've been to...thinking Stockbridge in Edinburgh). The atmosphere at the Bavarian Beer Bar was fab... I thoroughly enjoyed my wee glass of Gluhwein. And the smell coming from all the different food stalls was amazing!! In the end we went to Bread Meats Bread for dinner, but I definitely will sample some of the food here at the Christmas Market before it closes on 23rd Dec.

Mulled wine at the Bavarian Beer Bar

Keeping with the food theme, the Kiltr Glasgow Street Feastival is also returning this month... Fri 29th (5pm-11pm), Sat 30th November (1pm-11pm) and Sun 1st December (1pm-11pm) at the Barras Art & Design Centre. This time in addition to the street food and DJs there is going to be a Christmas Shop. Check out more info here.


There are still tickets available for It's a Wonderful Life at Glasgow Film Theatre... I'm told this is a must see for a Glaswegian Christmas! 


The end of the month is also St Andrew's Day (30th Nov) and there are a variety of events happening throughout the city that weekend.

Check out the Glasgow Loves Christmas listing here. I know my two little ones would love the film screening of Brave. 


Get in the spirit and Saltire Yourself here!


Monday 18 November 2013

{Guest Post: The Winter Blues}


Today's guest post touches on the topic of a previous post of mine, technology and the impact it has on playtime. Karen's children are obviously older than mine as she talks of texting and Xboxes, but I agree that being inside because of miserable weather does not need to mean boredom. As my kiddies get older, I love the idea of starting a tradition of family game night... I also have lovely memories growing up of doing puzzles with my dad before bed. I picked up this game at the supermarket recently. We're yet to play it, but I thought with the penguins it was perfectly themed for winter! 

Anyway, enough of my blabbing... over to Karen:

Getting most kids’ out of the home during summer time is not a big deal. With the sun shining, ice creams vans parked on every corner in the UK, fun activities, music blaring and long days you don’t even need to give them that nudge they sometimes need! When winter arrives it seems harder and harder to keep them active as they would rather sit in front of the heater than pop down to the corner shop to get that desperately needed loaf of bread. As a parent of two, during winter I have to admit that after a long day at work all I want to do is curl up in bed and switch the telly on...but then where does that leave my children? Most of their winter is spent in front of the T.V, playing games, texting...just about anything that will reduce their boredom.

Family Movie Night {image source}

When I do have the energy I find that my short winter days are spent nagging them to do something productive and get out for a while. I get them off the T.V so they get their phones out. I take away their phones so they fire up the Xbox. I demand they switch off the Xbox and I wave my arms towards the front door like a mad woman and I can see their scepticism as the rain and wind darkens the skies and batters the window. At that moment I asked myself ‘Would I really go out in that weather?’ I think that every parent reading this will know what my answer would be.

It finally dawned on me that I had to change my attitude towards winter so I could teach my kids’ something. I thought back to my childhood winter days and knew what I had to do. No amount of pushing them out the door was going to do it. I understood that winter is opposite to summer in physicality and in the spiritual sense. The idea that both summer and winter balance each other out led me to make very small changes in our lives...without stepping out the door.

Changes began with simple conversations. After work rather than allowing everyone to escape to their individual rooms I would try and get them to sit down together at dinner and ask questions. After a few times filled with tired responses and moody faces I was delighted to see my kids were actually enjoying our little time together! Baby steps led to our winter being completely transformed and I started to look forward to the end of work to finish off that ongoing game of monopoly or that television series we were watching together.

Family game night {image source}

Thinking back I realise it was the small changes that brought me closer to my children during the winter. It finally dawned on me that it wasn’t my children that had to be taught a valuable 'lesson'...it was me. I made the effort to make my kids winter just that little bit more magical and maybe one day they will carry on the small traditions I introduced to them with their own children. So, to all parents out there have a happy family winter!

Author Bio
Former British Airways cabin crew member, Karen Rayner currently lives in Warwick with her husband and two children, Charlotte and Jack. She is the founder of Childrens Funky Furniture, an online furniture store which provides imaginative and creative furniture items that appeal to young children. Karen also writes extensively about how to create artistic and vibrant bedrooms that children can relate to and enjoy. Follow Karen on Google Plus.

Saturday 16 November 2013

{Baby It's Cold Outside}

I've been 'window shopping' (online!) and lusting after a winter coat which is cosy but equally smart enough for a day/night out. At the moment the only warm jacket I have is my North Face parka, which isn't ideal for heading out for dinner or drinks! On the other end of the scale, I have an amazing big black faux fur coat which was gifted to me by my good friend Perth Mummy, but it's really glam and I've love something that's in the middle of the two! Too much to ask??


Keeping with the faux fur theme (it is warm after all!), I love this black jacket from Phase Eight. I just wish there was something along these lines, but with a hood as I hate having to carry an umbrella!

Fern Faux Fur Jacket, £130 at House of Fraser

This grey coat from Biba at House of Fraser looks equally cosy:

But again, no hood :-(

This one from Next is less pricey and comes in at £70, but it doesn't look as cosy without the collar:


My other thought was to get a shorter parka with a hood which would hopefully be cosy, but smarter than my North Face. Something along the lines of this Mint Velvet parka perhaps... 


Or this fur lined one from Oasis, which is a much more reasonable £88:


Or how about a duffel coat with a hood, in navy unfortunately but fits the bill in terms of smart/casual I think:


And lastly, I wanted to share this beauty... totally glam and not what I'm looking for, but I love it! 


Tell me, what coat and jacket style are you wearing this winter? I need some inspiration! :-)

PS Thankfully tonight I don't need to head out into the cold, as Social and Cocktail are coming to mine for an intimate cocktail party with a few of my friends. Watch this space for more details...



Beauty with a Conscious

I volunteer most weeks with the Prince and Princess of Wales hospice, located in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, where I deliver a mindfulness m...