[Link: The Illustrations of Chet Phillips]

Baby, it’s cold outside, and nothing says “Wintertime” to me quite like a hot-rum toddy or coffee grog served up in a ceramic skull. Here are two fine examples for your dipsomaniacal delectation.

I whipped up the coffee grog using the basic recipe for the Volcano House Hot-buttered Rum drink in Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log, but I subbed Cruzan Blackstrap rum for the Myer’s Dark called for in the recipe, and added 3/4 oz. of Patrón XO Café (a surprisingly delicious coffee-flavored tequila). I dubbed the resulting beverage the “Popocatépetl”, after a 17,000-foot volcano in Mexico.

The Hot Zombie recipe is from Sippin’ Safari. It contains lime and pineapple juice, passionfruit syrup, gold Jamaican rum, brown sugar, hot water, a pat of butter, and a cinnamon stick. Delicious, easy to make, and even though it’s served hot, it still tastes much like the Speviak Zombie, which is also in Sippin’ Safari.

I’ve found some mighty odd cocktail ephemera in my many years of puttering around antique stores and thrift sales, but this box of 50 cocktail napkins, juxtaposing quotations from Shakespeare with mildly-risqué cartoons of dames and drunkards, really takes the martini olive. Seldom have the words of the immortal Bard been used to less salubrious effect.

I’ve scanned the best ones, and uploaded them to a gallery for your viewing pleasure.

Bottoms up!

[Link: Shakespeare Howls Cocktail Napkins]

For all of you who are in wonderful San Francisco at the moment, you shouldn’t miss the Storeroom for all your holiday shopping. A brilliant idea by the fabulous folk over at Citizen Citizen, the Storeroom features some of the best selection of design inspired gifts we’ve seen in a while at up to 50% [...]

Need a handy way to remind hubby of date night? Leave a love note? Or, how about place seatings at your next dinner party? Either way, we love these clever little Soy Wax candles which come with a
chalk pack. $19.50 at Delight.

THEO (short for Theosarus) is not your run of the mill piggy bank. He’s designed in Berlin, made in Germany and currently the rave in Tokyo where Theo was singled out for his oinkness. Color us amused. Currently living at theosaurus.de.