Alcohol – awkward vodka

10 Things that Happen in Your Late 20s

Since turning 26 and officially entering my “late twenties” in November, I’ve noticed subtly changes happening with myself and the people around me.

Getting together with friends has started to consist of work out classes, cooking and catching up on TV instead of happy hours that last until midnight.
You’re expected to know about politics and what’s happening in the world.
Hangovers last forever! My hangover the day after my 26th birthday was the longest hangover I’ve ever had. It’s not uncommon for me to still feel a bit queezy on a Monday morning after a party-filled Saturday night.
Starting to pay more attention to wrinkle creams because each day is a day closer to 30 and – you know – it’s never too early to start a skin-care regiment…
My metabolism has gotten slow! Anyone else remember eating a whole bag of chips and a pint of ice cream for dinner in college? Now I’m lucky if I can eat a quarter of each without feeling guilt in the form of gut rot.
There’s a different type of peer pressure plaguing your life. In college you had to be the life of the party and then – BAM – all of a sudden you’re supposed to be getting married, having children and buying houses.
Crushes on teenage boy bands start to sound…eh…a little strange. My love for One Direction didn’t seem as weird in my early twenties, but all of a sudden now I’m a creeper.
It’s considered a crazy, wild night if I’m still at the bar when the lights come on at 2am. Just a year ago, staying out until 2am was the norm.
Your group of friends gets smaller and smaller because people are getting busy with husbands, kids and just being tired from life.
And finally: people are getting pregnant on purpose.

New Fave Drink: Vodka + Water + Special Ingredient

Vodka diet coke has been my favorite drink since I started drinking. It’s so easy and delicious. However, everyone likes to try out something new every once & awhile.

My new favorite drink: vodka water.

Well not just vodka water, but vodka + water + a squirt of MiO water flavoring

Why I love this drink:

Water – Since the drink is mostly water, you don’t get as dehydrated when drinking it. It’s the perfect drink for a day-party.
Delicious – It’s so good. So far I’ve had strawberry and mango, and both are really yummy.
Choices – You can change the flavor of a regular drink by adding lemons or limes, but this drink really gives you options.
Low Cal – There are zero cals in MiO and water, so the only cals you’re drinking is from the Vodka.
Gut Rot-Free – After a day of drinking something delicious and fruity like a strawberry daiquiri or cosmo, you probably get a bit of a tummy ache. That totally doesn’t happen with this drink! So awesome.

So try it out! You’ll love it.

Camping Tips For The Girl Who Doesn’t Camp

Every summer I commit to going camping. I don’t camp. I don’t like bugs, no electricity, no showers/bathrooms and sleeping on the ground. So why do I always agree to go camping? I love drinking outdoors with my friends… but I would just prefer sleeping in my own bed or at a hotel instead of on the ground with the bugs. Gross.

So if you end up submitting yourself to a weekend of outdoor “fun”, here are camping tips for the girl who doesn’t camp:

Alcohol. Just make sure that there’s lots of it and start drinking early in the day. This makes sleeping on the ground a lot easier.

Shower as late as possible before you leave. I’d rather stay dirty than shower in a campsite bathroom. If you’re leaving to go camping right after work, take a long lunch and go home and shower at noon.

Must-Pack Items: Hair ties, tooth brush, facial pads, sunscreen, bug spray (lots of it), swim suit, flashlight, toilet paper, towel. Tip: “forget” tennis shoes so it’s easy to sit out during physical activities.

Check the Weather & Pack Accordingly. If it’s supposed to be above 90, below 50 or storming, just bail.

Bring Water. Keep hydrated if you’re drinking all day outside in the heat.

If you’re tent is big enough, Use an Air Mattress. Doesn’t make sleeping on the ground completely better, but it helps.

Go With a Camp Fire Expert. If you have to be outdoors for large amounts of time like this, make sure someone can build a fire. A campfire is a nice way to trick yourself into thinking your warm and toasty inside your living room. Bonus, fire helps cook a lot of delicious food.

Pack Comfort Food. When you’re sitting drunk by the fire getting bitten up by bugs, chomping on your favorite bag of BBQ chips, goldfish or cookies will make you feel better about the current situation.

Forget about Looking Good. Don’t bring make-up or any nice clothing you wouldn’t want to get all smokey, sweaty and dirty. It’s just not worth it.

BRING S’MORES FIXIN’S. Nom.

Any tips you’d like to share with me so I survive camping weekends?

How to Drink like a 21-Year-Old

A combination of my sister turning 21 and the fact that it’s summer, which means it’s always time for excessive drinking, have added up to making me act like a 21-year-old one too many times in the past couple weeks. Therefore, I have mastered how to drink like a 21-year-old:

Step #1: Be sure to have a variety of different alcohols to drink throughout the night. Pick up some cider, beer and wine. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the hard stuff later…

Step #2: Chug something before going out to the bars. Chug Anything. I usually choose something inappropriate like red wine. Bonus points if it spills all over you.

Step #3: After drinking all your beer & wine, it’s obviously time to go out in public and drink hard liquor. By this time, you’ll probably be stumbling around like a complete idiot.

Step #4: Once you’re drunk and should probably stop drinking, don’t. Start buying shots. Buy them for everyone. You don’t have any money in your bank account? Who cares!

Step #5: Dance. Dance anywhere whether or not it has a dance floor. And don’t stop dancing until 2 a.m. unless it’s to take shots.

Step #6: Find something delicious to eat like Mickey D’s or T. Bell and eat WAAAAY too much of it.

Step #7: Pass out.

Ugh. What a mess.

Seriously… don’t do this.

Tips for Bar Hopping in the Sweltering Heat

It’s almost 4th of July weekend which means excessive day drinking outside with family and friends in the sweltering heat. If you’re like me and can’t stand it outside when the temp is a degree over 80, follow these tips & tricks for surviving hot-weather drinking this weekend:

As much as I hate to say it, Rule #1 is Drink Water! Have at least a couple glasses of water while you’re drinking in 80-plus degree temps.

Stock your purse: Bobby pins, hair ties, a headband and/or a little bottle of hair spray. Humidity = Huge Hair. Be prepared to tame it a couple times throughout the day or night.

Dress appropriately. Wear shorts, tanks, sundress or a skirt. Avoid layers! None of those white tank top, undershirts. Also, make sure whatever you wear is sweat-proof. You don’t want gross sweat stains ruining your buzz.

Sweating happens, but it doesn’t have to ruin your make-up. Here some hot weather make-up tips: Use a Primer to help hold the make-up on your face; Don’t use dark eye make-up; Use waterproof mascara; and Bring powder with to the bar to dab on your face throughout the evening.

Just like our cold-weather bar hopping rule, make sure you have a cab driver’s personal cell number so you’re not stuck out in the heat waiting to catch a ride.

Take air conditioning breaks. Stop in a restaurant, bathroom, strip mall, a stranger’s car, for 10 minutes to cool down. The nice little break will have you feeling refreshed and ready to continue drinking.

Accessorize with cute sunglasses and hats. This rule almost exclusively applies to day drinking unless you’re really drunk or a tool.

Any rules we missed for hot-weather bar hopping?

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?

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…

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.

Things I’ve Sacraficed for a Good Drink

1. My Pride: Buying a small, juice box-shaped box of wine and bringing it into Whole Foods while I eat my pay-by-weight salad bar is not above me.

2. Mascara: My eye lashes may be a bit less bold for a few days, but it’s worth it to grab a vodka drink after a long day at work.

3. Exercise: This goes without saying. I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve chosen happy hour before a good workout. It’s BS when people saying they’re in better shape in the summer than winter. People who chose hitting the gym or going for a run instead of drinking outside for 5 hours after work have more will power than I do.

4. My Health: Have you ever been like almost-sick and you know that all you need it one night of good sleep and you’ll be healthy? But you totally ignore this and go drink anyways because your best friends are going to be going out without you and you don’t want to miss being in all the fun instagram pics and getting badges for checking-in together 10 times in one night…

5. Groceries: Don’t have enough money to buy groceries, but of course I have enough money to pay for five $5 Vodka Diets on a Wednesday evening.

6. Sober Plans: Sorry we had plans to go to a movie. Someone else invited me to get drinks.

7. A Savings Account: Ek – what’s more important? Planning for the future or drinking now? Mm…

8. Sleep: Even if I have to wake up to workout, go to work, drive 4 hours or go shopping with friends, I’ll still talk myself into going out for a drink or two which always turns into 8 or 10. So what if I only get a couple hours of “sleep”?

9. My Apartment: Clothes are thrown everywhere, laundry half done, dishes piled up in the sink. And it stays this way for days at a time because – now that the weather is nice – happy hour is much more appealing than going home and cleaning.

Confession time. What have you sacrificed for a delicious alcoholic beverage?