{pinnacle cocktail club party in NYC}

Instead of the normal Friday Cocktail post, I've got a fun recap for you today from the Pinnacle Vodka party I attended during a quick 24 hour trip to NYC last week (you might have seen some shots from the party here & here!).   In addition to flying me out for the party, Pinnacle insisted I bring along a friend so chose to have one of my besties Kay come out all the way from California!  The party was held in the amazing indoor/outdoor cabanas at The Maritime Hotel and we spent the evening mingling among the other bloggers, sampling the abundant spread of treats and mixing up cocktails alongside an experienced mixologist.

One of the best parts of the evening is that the experienced mixologist who was helping us mix up all those recipes turned out to be Brian Van Flandern, the author of one of my favorite cocktail books which I blogged about right here.  In addition to geeking out on him about my love for his books, I got some insider info about his new book coming out soon and some pointers for a few of his recipes I have yet to try!  If you don't own his book yet, you should definitely pick it up plus it makes a great gift (ahem....Fathers Day coming up next month!).

{picking Instagram filters with Kay - serious decisions.}

Unsurprisingly my favorite cocktail we mixed up that evening was titled "Paris Escape" using Pinnacle's original vodka.  It's a refreshing mix of tart from the raspberries and sweet from the pineapple juice reminiscent of one of my favorite cocktail recipes.  This recipe would be the perfect pink cocktail to mix up for a girl's night in this summer:

This summer I'll be partnering with Pinnacle Vodka and I'll be bringing you original cocktail recipes along the way as well as posting fun updates to my Instagram account under the hashtag #PinnacleCocktailClub so be sure to follow along right here! 

Pinnacle Vodka shakes things up with unexpected experiences and delightful discoveries.  Explore with other fun flavors at http://www.pinnaclevodka.com”. Also, check us out at www.facebook.com/pinnaclevodkas and https://twitter.com/PinnacleVodka or find more fun entertaining and drink ideas on our Pinterest page at http://www.pinterest.com/pinnaclevodka/

Pinnacle® is a registered trademark of Jim Beam Brands Co. and is used with permission.  This is a sponsored partnership, with Pinnacle® Vodka, via Mode Media.  The information, comments, and ideas expressed on this website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Jim Beam Brands Co., its affiliated companies, or any of their directors or employees.

{Nordstrom YOUphoria Event Recap}

Last Thursday was the Youphoria blogger event at Nordstrom Oakbrook and I had sooo much fun- especially getting the chance to finally meet in person and hang out with some amazing Chicago-area bloggers including the other girls competing in the fashion face off, Nikkia & Jen, and our fabulous event host, Liz.  Nordstrom must have read my mind for this event because it had all my favorite things- a great DJ, a fun photobooth, mini snacks & desserts, fall-inspired cocktails and of course...shopping!!  

Thanks to everyone who came out to start the weekend early with us last week- it was so fun meeting you all!  And also big thanks to the girls at the MAC counter for glamming me up before the party. Oh and the best part of the whole night (besides seeing to get my blog name in huge signs all over Nordstrom!)....I actually won the fashion face off thanks to all your votes!! You guys are the best. :)

 {swag bags for the guests}

 {a photobooth that prints from Instagram!}

 {the Mint Love Social Club mini shop including that Ted Baker dress I originally debated on choosing!}

{bows on heels get me every time} 

 {a few of the awesome pieces from the Topshop collection in Savvy}

 {adorable mini pies served to guests near the end of the night}

{Nikkia, Jen, myself & Liz right after they announced the winner!}

YOUphoria: It's more attainable than you think. Find yours at Nordstrom.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nordstrom via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nordstrom.

{bloggers night in with Sauza}

Back in June, I took a whirlwind 36 hour trip to New York City to shoot a fun video for Sauza's new Sparkling Margarita along with 4 other fabulous bloggers!  I have never done anything like this before (I certainly have never been in front of the camera!) so I was a bit nervous, but it ended up being the best time ever.  You might have seen some of the behind the scenes shots on my instagram under this hashtag, but I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the great images captured by Hallie & Mel.  I can't wait to show you the video that resulted from this awesome shoot and I'll be posting it here just as soon as I have it!!

{the stylists were continually pinning my hair up turning takes because of the crazy humidity} 

 {hallie living the dream}

{mel ready for her close up} 

{hallie, devon, mel, myself, ali - I still can't believe we didn't plan out our outfits and 

ended up matching so perfectly!}