awkward vodka

How to Cope with a Quarter-Life Crisis

My fave website, Buzzfeed, posted an article last week that I couldn’t help but click on: 10 Signs You’re Having Your Quarter Life Crisis.

Guess what? Turns out we’re all having a bit of a quarter life crisis. Who doesn’t dream about doing something crazy or get terrified about the idea of making a budget? But no worries. You’re gurlfriends here at Awkward Vodka have got you covered. Here are some ways to cope with a quarter life crisis:

Everyone has a hot mess friend. Call her up for happy hour and just listen. It’ll make you feel better about your life.
Take a personal day. Sometimes you just need to clean up, do laundry, go grocery shopping and just get shit done to make your life feel more put together.
Get multiple ear piercings if you want to do something youthful, but are too scared to get a facial piercing.
If you hate Sundays, just drink the day away. It’ll still feel like the weekend, and you’ll be too busy trying to find a place that has karaoke on a Sunday night than thinking about going to work the next day.
Make up a business you plan on starting with a friend in the next couple of years. It might never happen, but it’s something to day dream about. Yes – Ray & I will have a salon full with a wedding planning, catering and photography business some day.
Go get a new hair style – something drastic like bangs.
Drink on weeknights. Make Wednesday the new Thursday, Thursday the new Friday and always Sunday Funday.
Do something really grown up like go to a wine tasting or cooking class. You can feel like a grown up and still get a little bit tipsy!
Try something new – it doesn’t have to be grown up, just new. It’ll help pull yourself out of a boring routine.
Know that it’ll pass. You won’t have a quarter-life crisis forever. I’ve heard that the best time of your life is really in your 30’s… so embrace that thought!

Some of these ideas are healthier than others, but all of them will successfully rid you of your quarter life crisis.

Good luck, friends!

Favorite Summer Drink: The Michael Phelps

The Michael Phelps: Weed & Water

Named after our favorite rebellious Olympian, the Weed & Water is a combination of Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka and water with a slice of lemon if you’re feeling fancy.

Other similar drinks to try this summer:

The John Daly – Combination of lemonade, iced tea and bourbon or lemonade and sweet tea vodka
Beer-Tini – Citrus vodka mixed with beer, lemonade and a splash of pineapple juice
Strip & Go Naked – Mix 6 cans of beer with 12 oz. of vodka and 12 oz. of lemonade concentrate. It may sound weird, but it’s really good – a great party drink!

What’s your favorite summer drink?

Sarah’s Favorite Things: Part 3

1. Snapchat – I tried really hard not to like this app because I knew it was created so teens could send inappropriate photos to each other, but it gets addicting. I send at least a couple photos of myself making dumb faces or stupid, annoying videos every day. The worst is when I’ve been drinking. Sorry friends, but I’m obsessed.

2. Drinking outside – GUYS! It’s finally summer, which means all I want to do is drink and eat on a roof, balcony, terrace or by the pool. My fave drink to have outside: Jeremiah weed, lemonade and water. It’s delicious and summery.

3. Cold Press – Perfect for the warm, muggy weather we’ve had in the past couple weeks, nothing starts my morning off right like a delicious cold press. My fave is the one from Jackson’s in Uptown Minneapolis, but, if you’re not in the Minneapolis area, try Caribou Coffee.

4. How I Met Your Mother – Ray borrowed me season 2 of How I Met Your Mother, and I was hooked immediately. I’ve already binge watched season 2 and most of season 1 (yup – started with season 2 – heard it was better than season 1).

5. McCoy’s Public House – Everything there is awesome. I would pay $100 for a soft pretzel, turkey sandwich, margarita pizza or spinach salad from McCoy’s right now. Did I mention they have half-priced bottles of wine on Wednesdays?

Fun 21st Birthday Gift!

Last week Thursday, my little sister finally turned the big 2-1. This is the day that she has been not-so-patiently waiting for since the majority of her friends have been frequenting bars for months (…or years).

After frantically booking a party bus, coordinating sleeping arrangements for the 800 people coming into town to celebrate the big day, making dinner/brunch reservations and attempting to clean my apartment, I realized I hadn’t even gotten her a birthday gift. As always, Pinterest saved the day. Searching “Gifts for a 21st Birthday” resulted in a number of fantastic ideas, my favorite being the Booze Bouquet (see below).

Even the most artistically-challenged person can quickly put together the Booze Bouquet following these quick & easy steps:

Purchase 10-20 mini bottles of booze. It’s fun to pick a variety because – in theory – the person just turning 21 doesn’t have a lot of experience trying out different types of alcohol.
Then go to your local craft store – I went to Michael’s – and purchase a flower pot, green Styrofoam, tissue paper and wooden sticks (I found them in the kids’ craft section).
Put tissue paper in the flower pot and place the green Styrofoam on top of it so the tissue paper sticks out.
Tape the mini bottles to the sticks. Use clear tape and wrap all the way around the mini-bottles if they won’t stay.
Stick the mini bottles into the green foam and you’re done!

If I wouldn’t have thought of this at the very last minute, I probably would have taken the time to write out “Happy 21st Birthday!” on the pot, added green tissue paper to cover up the styrofoam, put a couple shot glasses in the bottom of the pot and maybe add some other fun goodies on sticks like a couple chocolate bars.

There you have it. A quick & easy 21st Birthday gift the birthday girl – or guy – is sure to love. Moll sure did…

The Perfect Summer Bar: Replacing Slims

It’s June 13th, and I finally feel like it’s the first week of summer… except for the fact that I’m wearing tights and may or may not be contemplating turning on the heater under my desk…

Besides the shitty weather, the other reason why it doesn’t feel like summer is that there’s no Cowboy Slims patio to sit at while chugging down vodka diets and chowing on tots and queso dip.

So it’s time to finally get over Cowboy Slims and move on to a new bar. Only problem is we haven’t been able to find a perfect replacement.

Here are our strict criteria:

Happy Hour – needs to be reasonably priced and delicious
Delicious Food – Tater tots, queso, pulled pork sandwiches, cheese curds and/or fish tacos
Outdoor Seating – A rooftop or patio to sit on while enjoying summer weather is a must.
Good Crowd – Need a great crowd on weeknights and Sundays. We enjoy drinking outside of your typical Friday/Saturday night window.
Eccentric, Friendly Waitstaff – This includes refilling drinks when empty and not bringing the check after an hour of eating and drinking.
Delicious Brunch – Need to have a place that you can stay at until 2 a.m. and then show up again at 9 a.m. the next morning for delicious hash browns and some reminiscing.
Relaxed Dresscode – Everything from sweatpants to dresses should be accepted without judgement.
Good Music – I want top 40, dirty rap, twangy country and tween pop.
Hours – Needs to be open during the day. None of this only open after 4:00 p.m. BS.

We are going to be dedicating a series of posts to finding the perfect summer bar. Any suggestions we should be trying in the Minneapolis area?

Best Guest Spots on Will & Grace

Will & Grace is the best when it comes to the show’s celebrity guest star appearances. During its eight seasons there were countless times when famous people would show up and play hilarious one-time characters, or even better yet, themselves. Don’t believe me? Check out this enormous list on Wikipedia.

Since there’s nothing I love more than a good cameo, I picked out the top 8 Will & Grace guest spots. What are some of your favorites?

1. Matt Damon: Owen, Jack’s heterosexual rival, pretending to be gay to get a spot in the Manhattan Gay Men’s Chorus.

2. Kevin Bacon: Himself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw2ZM2KkjY0

3. Luke Perry: Aaron, a “hot gay nerd” bird-watcher on whom Jack develops a crush.

4. Britney Spears: Amber Louise, a conservative Christian and a “hardcore lesbian” as she describes herself, and a co-host to Jack on his talk show.

5. Ellen DeGeneres: Sister Louise, a nun to whom Will sells Grace’s uncle’s old car.

6. Neil Patrick Harris: Bill, the leader of a group of so-called “former” lesbians and gays.

7. Madonna: Liz, Karen’s room-mate.

8. Demi Moore: Sissy, Jack’s former babysitter.

16 Annoying Things About Being A Girl

The worst things: when the hair tie breaks and when a ponytail gives you a headache.

Thanks Buzzfeed. We agree.

Best Hangover Foods

Nothing cures a hangover like some delicious grub. Here’s our list of the best foods to cure a hangover:

Bagels: there really isn’t anything better than carb-loading after a night of booze-loading.

BLT and Chili (from Uptown Diner in Minneapolis): there’s nothing I crave more than a nice soup and sandwich when I’m hungover.

Cold Pizza: the happiest feeling in the world is finding pizza in the fridge when you wake up barely able to function. Microwaving is not required.

BBQ Kettle Chips: let’s be honest. I could put away a full bag of these while sober and not hungover.

Pasta: With sauce. Without sauce. Cold. Warm. Doesn’t really matter. Any type of pasta will rid you of a hangover in no time. Note: the best type of pasta is creamy mac ‘n cheese.

McDonalds Hash Browns: they could make a fortune by selling these 24 hours a day.

Subway 6 in. Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich on White Bread with Lettuce, Pickles, Salt and Pepper: I know it’s random, but try it. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Maybe add mayo if you like mayo? I don’t.

Egg Sandwiches: yum.

Crackers: when you can’t stomach any real food, chose plain crackers.

Bloody Mary: could be considered food depending on where you order it. The more extras the better.

Agree? Disagree? What do you snack on when you need to cure a hangover real fast?

Ten Commandments for Day Drinking

With Memorial Day coming up this Monday, we thought it would be appropriate to outline rules for day drinking…assuming most of our readers will be doing just that on Sunday and/or Monday.

1. Thou shalt not skip meals. You most definitely don’t want to be the first person to pass out. Eating a balanced meal before beginning to drink is key.

2. Drink water. Don’t fight it. You want to make it all day? Drink water early and often.

3. Thou shalt not visit the ATM. Set aside bar money before you start drinking. Otherwise you’ll end up regretting the unnecessary $300 withdraw the next morning.

4. Thou shalt not take shots. Unless you want to blackout, these are completely uncalled for while drinking all day.

5. Dress appropriately. Two words of advice when picking out your outfit for the day – drinking room.

6. Thou shalt not mix alcohols. If you do, it will not end well.

7. Charge thy phone. You don’t want to be stranded at the end of the night with a dead phone. Trust me.

8. Keep thy wallet/phone/money/ID on you at all times. When drinking all day, it is very easy to lose track of these items. Be sure to keep them in a clutch, purse or pocket.

9. Thou salt not take a nap. YOU WILL NEVER WAKE UP. Well at least in time to continue drinking. And if you do, you’ll be crabby and no one will want you around.

10. Thou shalt not bring additional alcohol to the bar. You will be drinking enough all day, and as much as your drunk self might disagree, it is not a good idea to go to the bathroom and take pulls from your secret stash at any point in the day.

SUMMERTIME! It’s Finally Here…

Each year I seem to have one great weekend – spent mostly outdoors – that just tells me that summer is here. This year I didn’t think it would ever happen, but it finally did!

On Saturday I was in Milwaukee to see Eric Church and Kenny Chesney in concert at Miller Park. Nothing screams summer like country music, drinking outside, tailgating and baseball (stadiums).

We arrived in Milwaukee early on Saturday morning, drank a bunch ‘o Vodka at the hotel and were on our way to Miller Park for tailgating. Lucky for the three of us on the left in this photo, the child on the right is still 20 so we had ourselves a DD all evening.

Tailgating was interesting since we didn’t have a grill, chairs, tables or any actual meal-like food. So we snacked on chips & salsa, chocolate-covered pretzels, veggies & dip and popcorn. Nom Nom. We also played the iPod Game and Ring of Fire – which helped us get nice and drunk before heading into the concert.

Before heading into Miller Park for the concert, A-squared took a quick beer bong to make sure they were sufficiently wasted… They were.

The show was AMAZE-BALLS. It was so good. It was my first time seeing Eric Church, and he did not disappoint. He sang all my faves: Smoke A Little Smoke, Guys Like Me, Creepin’ and Lotta Boot Left to Fill.

I’ve seen Kenny Chesney a few times, and he’s fantastic. He puts on an awesome show – extremely entertaining. I never realize how many great songs he has until I see him in concert and know all the words to every song. He definitely could have performed for an extra hour or two.

So – after this weekend – I am able to say that it is officially SUMMERTIME.

Now go get yourself a drink and find some place nice outside to sit…