Bourbon Slush

The week of Christmas. Not a dust bunny in sight, the silver is polished and all I need to do is sit back and enjoy the season.

Who am I kidding?

The house is a mess, the holiday hand towels are MIA and the Christmas Eve menu has yet to be planned (though it will be fish of some kind). None of that really matters because the bar is fully stocked with everyone's favorites, although what gets everyone in the spirit for an evening filled with family togetherness is Bourbon Slush.

It's festive, easy, can be made a day ahead and is good for a crowd. Since it is a popular party favorite, there are lots of versions. The one I use from Cooks.com:

1 (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade
2 c. strong tea (3 tea bags)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. bourbon
7 c. water
1 bottle maraschino cherries, drained (optional)

Freeze until slush, stirring occasionally and serve with 7-Up or Sprite. For those of you classy enough to actually own a punch bowl, it makes a nice presentation on the cocktail table. I serve it in highball glasses, pour in the soda and give it a quick stir with a cocktail swizzler, or, at our house, a chop stick.

The earthiness of the bourbon mellowed by the tea coupled with the tartness of the lemonade sweetened by the sugar makes a very sippable and delicious frozen delight. If you do decide to add in the cherries keep in mind they soak up the bourbon. One Christmas my mom, who is not much of a drinker, ate just the "fruit" which put her in in such high spirits our family had not witnessed since the Reagan era.

For those of you worried about the overindulgence of holiday season, it's got vitamin C from orange juice, water for hydration and antioxidants from tea. And bourbon does not contain any additives, preservatives or artificial colors.



Maybe Bourbon Slush is already a favorite to toast to family and friends or perhaps it will become a new one.

xxoo and Fa la la la la,

Jill

Skif International

Finding an ownable look can be challenging. Trendy without looking like everybody else. Age Appropriate without being F&D (Frumpy & Dumpy) or a Cougar. Now that it's winter, my standard uniform is a pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater. In order not to look completely boring, I put on a sweater from Skif International and my drab outfit is transformed into an actual "look".

Skif International, has hand made knit wear that is funky (its sweaters were featured in the Matrix film), unique and comfortable.
The retail shop, housed in a former furniture store, is located on Marconi Street in the St. Louis' The Hill neighborhood across from DiGregorio's Italian Market (another fave). Walk into the store and you'll find it's part retail part workshop - as unfussy as the clothes. Be prepared to spend some time in order to see the full range of offerings, when I go there I do one lap to take it all in and then another to find what I want to try on and then a third to see if there is anything I missed. In addition to the fabulous sweaters, you can find jackets, pants, dresses, hats and scarves. If you aren't sure how the clothes all look together ask Nina Ganci, the owner, or one of the other sales associates for help. I was in the store the other day for a pre-Christmas scope out and spied a beautiful sweater that could be worn three different ways; the way it was intended, backwards and as a poncho. Many of Skif's sweaters can be worn almost all year round. One sweater that I've had for at least 7 years is worn with a long sleeve tee and skinny jeans in the winter, with a cami and cropped leggings in the spring/summer.

If you want to jazz up your significant others wardrobe, Skif would be a great place to start. Nina has a great selection of mens' sweaters.

For those who want to design their own look, Skif also sells its yarn as well.

Not in St. Louis? Skif does sell its sweaters at botiques in a few different markets. You can also contact Skif at 314-773-4001.

Skif International is definitely one of my favorites. Perhaps it will become one of yours as well.

Talk to you next week.

xxoo,

Jill