Category Archives: Happy Hour

5 Tasty and festive cocktails to ring in the New Year

As we prepare to ring in a new year, many people can’t wait to say goodbye to a very strange year. Whether you will be gathering with a small group or relaxing on the couch, one thing we can all agree on is that a cocktail in hand is a very fitting way to bid adieu to the challenges we have faced this year.

We’ve got 5 must-try libations perfect for the anticipation of better things to come. We hope you join us in a toast as we kick 2020 to the curb and welcome new beginnings and a fresh start.

Poinsettia Fizz

Poinsettia Fizz

Champagne is a staple for many New Year’s celebrations but you don’t have to settle for just a glass of bubbly. This 3-ingredient cocktail gives you the wonderful fizz we like from champagne, tart flavor from cranberry juice, and a boozy sweet kick from Gran Marnier. You’ll need:

  • 1 to 2 ounces cranberry juice
  • 1 ounce Grand Marnier (or orange liqueur)
  • Champagne or Prosecco, chilled
  • Fresh cranberries

Fill a Champagne glass with 1 to 2 ounces cranberry juice and 1 ounce Grand Marnier. Top with Champagne or Prosecco and garnish with cranberries.

 

Cider Sidecar

Cider Sidecar

The ultimate winter cocktail, Cognac, Cointreau, and apple cider are a delicious combination perfect for sitting around the fireplace and watching the countdown. Top it with just a splash of Champagne for an extra fancy twist.

  • 2 oz. fresh apple cider
  • 2 oz. cognac
  • 1 oz. Cointreau
  • 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
  • A strip of lemon zest and brandied cherries, for serving

Place cider, cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until 20 to 30 seconds until the shaker is frosty. Strain into a martini glass and top with zest and brandied cherries. Top with a splash of Champagne if desired.

Pineapple Margarita Sparklers

Pineapple Margarita Sparkler

Sweet and salty with just a little kick, this extra sparkly Margarita will transport you to a tropical island for your New Year’s countdown.

  • 1cup fresh pineapple chunks
  • 1cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1cup silver tequila
  • 1/2cup Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
  • 1bottle (750 ml) champagne
  • fresh mint, for serving

 

In a blender, combine pineapple, lime and lemon juice, and pulse to combine. Strain into a pitcher and add the tequila and Grand Marnier. Chill until ready to serve.

Just before serving, add the champagne then rim glasses with lime and then chili salt. Pour drinks in glasses and garnish with fresh or grilled pineapple slices and mint.

 

Chipotle Chili Salt

  • 1/4cup kosher or margarita salt
  • 1teaspoon chipotle chili powder (if you can’t find it, just mix equal parts of chipotle powder and chili powder)

 

On a shallow plate, combine the salt and chili powder.

 

Classic Martini

Martini

Sometimes foregoing the fancy cocktails and sticking to a classic standard is the best way to remember simpler times. This recipe is shaken – not stirred.

  • 5 ounces vodka or gin
  • .5 ounces dry vermouth
  • Olive or lemon twist for garnish

Pour ice, vodka or gin, and vermouth into a glass shaker. Shake and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with olives or lemon twist. Like it dirty? Add olive juice to taste and garnish with stuffed olives instead of lemon.

 

Boozy Hot Chocolate Buffet with Charcuterie Board

Cocoa

If it’s your sweet tooth that needs satisfying this New Year’s Eve, we’ve got just the ticket. Many Liqueurs’ or cream-based liquors mix great with hot chocolate so there is no recipe here. It’s the dress-up part that’s where the creativity comes. A Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board allows people to pick their own poisons. There is no right or wrong here. Have fun with it. Some ideas include:

  • A variety of alcohol choices like Baileys, Peppermint Schnapps, Frangelico, and Rum Chata (and/or whatever you like)
  • Crushed candy canes, mini marshmallows, colorful sprinkles, whipped cream, white and dark chocolate pieces, caramel sauce or caramel candies, buttermint candies crumbled cookies (such as Oreos, pirouettes, or shortbread.

Don’t forget to have a way to keep the cocoa hot!

 

From all of us at Pajama Company, Cheers to you! Happy New Year!

4 Summer Cocktails You Need to Try

Summer is here in full force which means its patio and picnic time.  Sure you can have beer and wine on-hand for your fun summer activities and get togethers, but there’s something about an icy, fruity cocktail during the warm summer months that just makes the mood perfect! Refreshing and delicious, these cocktail recipes will be the perfect addition to any event you have planned.

  1. Rainbow Sangria. A beautiful and colorful cocktail that not only looks pretty and tastes great, but as a bonus, you also get a full serving of nutritious fruit in every glass. We found this recipe at Delish.com.

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 Bottles Moscato – chilled

1/2 c. Triple Sec

Juice of 3 limes

1/4 c. granulated sugar

3 c. each blackberries & blueberries

6 kiwis, peeled and sliced

2 c. each diced pineapple, diced mango & halved strawberries

Directions

  • In a large pitcher, stir together white wine, triple sec, lime juice, and sugar until combined.
  • In tall glasses, layer blackberries, blueberries, kiwis, pineapple, mango, and strawberries.
  • Pour wine mixture over fruit and serve.
  1. Kentucky Lemonade. Nothing says summer like a refreshing glass of lemonade. This recipe takes this favorite hot weather staple and gives it a new twist. This recipe courtesy of The Chunky Chef is simple to make and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Kentucky Lemonade

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (from approximately 6 lemons)

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1/2-2/3 cup Bourbon (depending on your tastes)

6 cups ginger ale

additional lemon slices (for garnish)

 

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, combine granulated sugar and water and heat over MED heat.  Heat until sugar dissolves into water and mixture is clear.  Simmer 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat. Add lemon juice, mint leaves, and Bourbon, then let mixture cool.
  • Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a large pitcher to remove solid particles and mint leaves.  Add ginger ale and stir to combine.  Add ice and lemon slices and serve cold.
  • To serve as pictured:  Add a bit of water, lemon juice or light corn syrup to a shallow plate.  To another shallow plate, add coarse white sugar.  Dip the open end of glasses onto the liquid plate, then onto the sugar plate to create the sugar rim.  Serve drink over ice cubes, garnish with a lemon slice and sprig of mint.

 

  1. Island Breeze Cocktail. If your summer plans don’t involve heading to a tropical island, this cocktail form Crazy for Crust is the next best thing. With just a few ingredients you can make it either as a single drink or as a punch if you need a big batch for a picnic. Minus the palm trees, it’s just like you’re really there!

Island Breeze

Ingredients

To make one cocktail:

1-2 ounces vodka

6 ounces pineapple juice

Splash of cranberry juice

Pineapple and a maraschino cherry for garnish optional

To make as a punch:

36 ounces pineapple juice

12 ounces vodka more or less depending on how strong you want it

1/2 cup cranberry juice

Up to 1L Sparkling water or diet lemon-lime soda as a filler

 

Instructions

  • Pour all ingredients over ice, stir, and enjoy!

 

  1. Strawberry Mojito. With fresh Strawberries at peak flavor this time of year, you’ll get the feeling that you’re right there in the patch picking handfuls of juicy berries. Add a little rum, mint, and a few other ingredients and you’ll have the coolest, most refreshing beverage you could ever imagine. Thank you to the folks at Allrecipes for this one!

Strawberry Mojito

Ingredients

2 tablespoons white sugar, for rimming

2 large limes, quartered

½ bunch mint leaves

7 eaches strawberries, quartered

1 cup white sugar

1 cup white rum

2 cups club soda

8 cups ice cubes

 

Instructions

  • Pour 1/4 to 1/2 inch of sugar onto a small, shallow plate. Run one of the lime quarters around the rim of each cocktail glass, then dip the glasses into the sugar to rim; set aside.
  • Squeeze all of the lime quarters into a sturdy glass pitcher. Toss the juiced limes into the pitcher along with the mint, strawberries, and 1 cup of sugar. Crush the fruits together with a muddler to release the juices from the strawberries and the oil from the mint leaves. Stir in the rum and club soda until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into the sugared glasses over ice cubes to serve.

 

They say we’re in for a hot summer, but we know you’ll keep cool with these tasty concoctions. We sure will! If you have other cocktail recipes we need to know about, feel free to tell us about them here or share them with our community over on Facebook.

Cheers!

 

 

 

How to Host a Virtual Happy Hour

Working at home all day definitely has its perks. We don’t have to deal with traffic, you don’t have to rush around in the morning, and best of all we can work in our pajamas (that’s our favorite part)!

You might, however, be feeling a bit isolated, and missing your co-workers and friends as we practice our social distancing. A virtual happy hour may be just what you need to give your day some structure and create a lifeline between you and your loved ones.

So how do you host a virtual happy hour? It’s really pretty simple and an upside is that it’s a lot less expensive than going to a restaurant or bar!

Pick your platform. You’re going to need a chat platform to host your event and which one you use will depend on your guests. Zoom is the most popular option because you can send invites to anyone and its super easy to use. The one drawback is that if you don’t have a paid version, the free version only allows for a 40-minute group session which probably isn’t enough time to get truly happy . Facebook, Skype, and Google Hangouts are fine alternatives as long as everyone is comfortable with the interface you pick.

Margaritia Virtual HH

Have a theme. Although it’s not a must for your virtual happy hour, a theme can make the event that much more fun. Try a margarita night, a whiskey tasting, wine with the gals, or a pajama party. Make sure to dress for the event too. Wine night… get dolled up (make-up and all) and put on some of ‘going out’ clothes just like you would if you were meeting somewhere. Pajama theme… get comfy and have fun!

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Make it a real party. Send out invites, share the theme and request RSVPs. We also love the idea of having a “happy hour for a cause” where at the end, instead of tipping a bartender, attendees can donate to your chosen charitable cause or nonprofit through Paypal or Facebook.

Manage your guest list. There are 2 things you want to consider when deciding who will attend your shindig. First, make sure the attendees are compatible especially if you have different circles of friends. Happy hour is all about the conversation so you don’t want someone feeling left out because they don’t mesh with other guests. You’ll also want to limit the number of people joining in. A nice size group is around 10 people. This way you won’t have people talking over one another and the conversation can flow naturally.

Happy Hour (1)

Choose the ambiance. If you’re going to virtually hang out with your friends, you want to be able to see and hear them and you want them to see and hear you. Make sure to pick a well-lit area to place your laptop or mobile device and chose a location where background noise (think barking dogs or children playing) won’t get in the way of your conversations.

Keep the conversation light. It will be very easy to get on the topic of Coronavirus but try not to let that happen. This is all about the fun and escaping from the daily grind. It’s likely been a while since everyone has seen each other so use this time to catch up on what’s happening with everyone. You can talk about new recipes you’ve tried, movies you’ve watched, or books you’ve read. It may help to tell everyone in advance that there are topics you’d like to avoid so you can fully embrace the time together with your besties.

Choose the next host. Before you all sign off, ask if anyone would like to organize the next get together. Having something to look forward to makes everything we are all going through just a little more bearable.

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You’re not alone if you can’t wait for life to get back to normal and hopefully it will sooner than later. In the meantime, a virtual gathering is the best way to stay connected. You don’t have to limit them to happy hour either. Try a morning coffee clutch, an afternoon brunch, a dinner party or even a movie night. We need each other and together we’ll get through this.

 

Suffering from the Mondays? Here are 15 Cures!

by Becky Boyd, The Pajama Company Editor

“Monday is great if I can spend it in bed. I’m a man of simple pleasures, really.”

– Arthur Darvill

Mondays can be well, let’s face it…tough.

Especially in the height of the summer, when the sun is shining and all you want to do is play hooky! Monday might even make you might think of this scene from Office Space.

So just in case you’re suffering from a case of the Mondays, here are some little things you can to do to beat out those blues…

1. Wear your favorite outfit. The one you feel awesome in!

2. Bring in breakfast for you’re co-workers. Doing something nice for others will feel good!

3. Take a dance break!

4. Another meeting? Declare it a walking one and get outside.

5. Meet a friend at a fancy restaurant for lunch.

6. Work somewhere different. Escape the cubicle and head to the coffee shop!

7. Plan a Monday night Happy Hour. Why not?!

8. Wear your PJs to work! Add some heels and makeup and you’ll look fabulous.

9. Sleep in and go into the office late. You deserve it!

10. Take a lunch time yoga class.

11. Treat yourself to a colorful bouquet of flowers.

12. Take a Pajama Day!

13. Sneak out early and go to the movies.

14. Turn on some fun and uplifting music. Pick something you don’t normally listen to.

15. Take a break and treat yourself to something sweet! A decadent truffle? Gourmet cupcake?

Do at least one of these things and we’re betting your day will turn around. Oh, and you should know that you’re not alone on this Monday thing. Here are 18 Dogs Who Have a Case of the Mondays!

Photo Credit: ucumari via Compfight cc

Cheers to Friday!

by Becky Boyd, The Pajama Company Editor

Happy Friday!

There’s something about Fridays during the summer…they’re just a little sweeter. The weather is warm and sitting back with a nice cool cocktail is the perfect way to cap off the week!

Whip up a round of this delicious summer cocktail, add some Island music and great company, and head outdoors!

Watermelon Vodka Cooler

3 pounds watermelon, rind and seeds discarded and the flesh cut into pieces, plus thin slices of watermelon for garnish
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup Triple Sec
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

In a blender purée the watermelon pieces and strain the purée through a very fine sieve set over a pitcher, discarding the solids. (There should be about 2-1/3 cups juice). Stir in the vodka, the Triple Sec, and the lime juice, pour the cooler into long-stemmed glasses filled with ice cubes, and garnish each drink with a watermelon slice.

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Oh, and we have some really fun Happy Hour inspired pajamas that we think are just the cutest! We can’t help but share our picks!

The Cat’s Pajamas “Happy Hour”

Be As You Are “Martini Girl”

Be As You Are “Peace, Love & Happy Hour”

Photo Credit: sweetbeetandgreenbean via Compfight cc

Recipe Credit: Epicurious