“The Great Gatsby” film, based on the great American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, follows Nick Carraway as he moves to NYC in the spring of 1922 and lands next door to millionaire Jay Gatsby. As Nick chases his own American dream, he is caught up in the world of the Gatsby aka the world of the rich and sometimes deceitful.

The movie was released today, so whether you’re having a Gatsby party before watching the movie or just having a Gatsby party in general, check out some of my Gatsby-inspired cocktail creations below. Click on the links for the recipes.

Gatsby Dirty Gimlet

Sparkling Daisy

Fitzgerald Gin Fizz

Ingredients:

- 2 oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
- 1 oz of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 oz of olive juice
- wedge of lime
- olives on a cocktail skewer

Method:

1. Combine Lime Juice, Olive Juice and Tanqueray London Dry in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake until well chilled.
2. Pour in a Collins glass over plenty of ice.
3. Garnish with lime wedge and skewered olives.

Ingredients:

- 1 oz Elderflower Liqueur
- Splash of lemon juice
- Top off with Champagne or Prosecco
- 1.5 tsp. Edible Gold Dust

Method:

1. To create a gold glass rim: mix 1 tsp edible gold dust with a few drops of elderflower liqueur to form a thick liquid
2. Dredge the rim of the Champagne glass in the liquid to coat edge making sure the gold liquid is thick enough so that it doesn’t drip. To thicken, add more gold dust and to dilute, add more elderflower liqueur
3. Add the elderflower liqueur and lemon juice and 1/4 tsp of edible gold dust into a cocktail shaker over ice and shake until well chilled
4. Pour into gold rimmed Champagne glass and top with chilled Champagne or Prosecco

Ingredients:

- 2 oz. Tanqueray No. 10 gin
- 1/2 oz of lemon juice
- 6 oz. Dry Sparkling Wine
- lemon rind for garnish

Method:

1. Add the Gin and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake until well chilled.
2. Pour into a chilled martini glass and top with sparkling wine.
3. Garnish with a dramatic lemon peel

Spring cleaning is not my favorite concept of spending my spare time, but is a necessary evil in order to be prepared and organized.  Each spring, I deep clean my home to give it that extra sparkle and shine punctuated by the summer sunlight.  Outside of the typical tasks of digging for dust bunnies, polishing silver, and window washing, I choose one special organization project.  This season, I tackled by spice drawer.

Althougth spices are sold in similar sized spice bottles, they vary slightly from square to round to rounded squares making it difficult to neatly organize.  My solution was to purchase inexpensive square spice jars so that the jars lay flat and stay organized over countless opening and closing of my spice drawer.  After transferring the spices from their original packaging, it is imperative to relabel them with either a label maker or with Post-it note® adhesive label roll.

Supplies needed:
- Square Spice Drawers
- labels with Sharpie marker
- label maker
- funnels
- goof off
- paper towels

The result is an organized spice draw with clearly printed labels for quick reference that stays organized!  By using the square jars, I am able to add a second layer of spices to continue to grow my culinary collection.  I even repurposed the old spice jars to store little craft supplies in the office.

What will you organize this spring?  Send me an email of your spring cleaning projects or tips at info@markaddison.com.

Mother’s Day, established in 1908, is a day to recognize mothers and the contributions they make to society. Celebrated each year in the U.S. on the second Sunday of May, Mother’s Day falls on May 12th this year. Make your mother feel pretty in pink on her special day with all things pink!

1. Pink Peonies
Peonies are in season from late spring to early summer and are fragrant flowers that come in a range of colors. The peony is symbolic of wealth and honor, but also embodies romance and love with the Chinese name for the peony meaning “most beautiful.” Click here to order a bouquet of pink peonies for your mother.

2. Pink Presents
Your mother will (literally) feel pretty in pink with pink presents! 1stdibs offers a whole section of Mother’s Day presents from furniture to fine art and jewelry that are all pink. Take your (or your mom’s) pick from designer items for her present(s) this year! Click here to see what they have.

3. Pink Moscato
Moscato is a sweeter wine created from the Muscat grape. Pink Moscato embodies flavors of red berries and orange blossoms with fresh citrus and peach aromas, while Pink Moscato Champagne is a sweet bubbly with candied cherries and sweet citrus flavors. Uncork a bottle of Pink Moscato or make a drink using Pink Moscato to toast to your mom. Click here for to learn more about Pink Moscato and other kinds of Moscato.

4. Pink Macarons
A macaron is a sweet meringue-based confection – a sandwich of cookies most commonly filled with ganache, buttercream or jam. Laduree offers a wide range of macaron flavors as well as other pink pastries. My favorite two pink macarons are raspberry and rose. Click here to find out more about Laduree.

5. Pink Cocktails
Top off your celebration with pink cocktails! Try out this recipe for Pink Punchful Spirit using pink moscato. Click here for the recipe.

6. Pink Smoothies
Say bye to your blender with these easy to make smoothies. Dole offers Fruit Smoothie Shakers in which all you have to do is add your favorite juice and then shake. My personal favorite is the combination of pineapple juice to the strawberry shaker…it makes the perfect pink smoothie! Make one for your mom this Mother’s Day and click here to learn more about them!

May 9^th is National Moscato Day! Established just last year by Gallo Family Vineyards, you can celebrate the second annual National Moscato Day this year by uncorking a bottle of moscato and/or making one of the drinks below using moscato! Moscato remains the fastest wine varietal in the U.S. for the third year in a row. It’s created from the Muscat grape and is known for being a sweeter wine, great for pairing with cheese, spicy dishes, and fruity desserts. Moscato is also great for celebrating Mother’s Day, which is on May 12 this year! There are different types of Moscato:

1. White Moscato – peach, honey and ripe citrus flavors
2. Pink Moscato – red berries and orange blossoms flavors
3. Red Moscato – sweet citrus and peach flavors with a red berry finish
4. Sparkling Moscato – sweet and bubbly with fruit flavors depending on the type

You can also make cocktails and/or punch with the different types of Moscato, depending on your preference. Click on the links below for recipes.

Pink Punchful Spirit

Moscato Gimlet

If you’re throwing a National Moscato Day Party, try some of these tips:

• Set up stations for each type of Moscato in order to let your guests try each one!
• Pair your Moscato with different types of cheese (like Brie, Camembert, aged Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano). Slit a wine cork and slide a card in to label each cheese, letting your guests know which type of cheese they’re eating.
• Moscato and spicy food are a great combination. Serve your moscato with paella – you won’t have to make multiple dishes and it’s a meal within itself.
• Freeze Moscato into ice cube trays for later use or for your party. You can pop them into sparkling water in order to make a quick spritzer!

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:

• 6 oz of Gallo Family Vineyards Pink Moscato
• 2 oz blanco tequila
• 4 oz of pink grapefruit juice
• 2 oz of lemon juice
• 4 oz of strongly brewed Chamomile tea
• 2 oz agave nectar
• 4 oz soda water

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients into a punch bowl with ice.
2. Garnish with grapefruit wedges and lemon wheels.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato
• 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Agave Nectar

Preparation:

1. Combine ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake and strain into a coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a lime.

Cinco de Mayo, the 5^th of May, is a Mexican-American holiday that dates back to 1862. This day celebrates Mexican ethnic contributions to food, music, and beverages in the United States. One of my favorite traditions for celebrating Cinco de Mayo is creating frozen margaritas and making authentic Mexican food and décor. Take your party south of the border into the Yucatan and Jalisco with my tips below!

Create a frozen margarita bar for your guests to enjoy with the Party Bullet. It’s one of the quickest and easiest ways to make frozen margaritas and you can incorporate some of your favorite fruits of the season. Click here for frozen margarita recipes. For your guests who prefer non-alcoholic daiquiris, click here.

MYO (make your own) taco bar! One of my favorite new appliances is the Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System, which is great for creating an entertaining spread for small or large parties. It comes with four different units and is perfect for making a taco bar. Click on the links below to get crock-pot recipes for authentic Mexican foods.

Yucatan Pollo Pibil (Chicken)

Slow Braised Beef Jalisco-Style

Mexican Black Beans

Cilantro Lime Rice

What’s a fiesta with out décor? Papel picado or “perforated paper” is a decorative craft that can be used on holidays or really at any time! All you need is a pair of scissors, string, tissue paper, Command decorating clips, and mini colored binder clips. Click here for instructions and templates to MYO papel picado.