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Happy Hour: Scotchsicle

Susannah Chen — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:30:38 PDT

It's technically been Fall for several weeks now, but weather-wise in the Bay Area, it's still Summer all around. For Northern California dwellers, it's easy to be seasonally confused, staring at pumpkins, Halloween candy, and Thanksgiving newsstand covers while wearing shorts and flip-flops.

In this transitional period, I'm a big fan of provisions that delicately toe the line between late Summer and early Fall - dishes like slow-cooker braised chicken with early girl tomatoes, or this scotch whisky cocktail recipe I recently discovered. Its orange dreamsicle-like front notes remind me of the last season's dog days.

At the same time, cinnamon and warming scotch finish remind me of Fall's impending arrival. Keep reading for a cocktail recipe that works between seasons.

What Do You Know About Scotch?

YumSugar — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:50:58 PDT

Welcome to July 27, 2010. It's the middle of the Summer and we're in a bit of a holiday drought - not to mention it's only Tuesday. But lighten up! Here, we're always able to find an excuse to throw a bit of a party. Today is no exception: it's National Scotch Day!

"Well, between Scotch and nothin', I suppose I'd take Scotch," William Faulkner once wrote. "It's the nearest thing to good moonshine I can find." I couldn't have said it better. Is your knowledge of the beverage clear or cloudy? There's only one way to find out.

Source: Flickr User Helga's Lobster Stew

Take the Quiz

Do You Drink Scotch?

partysugar — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:50:11 PDT

On Tuesday night I found myself at a Macallan scotch tasting, where we got to sample five of the brand's award-winning whiskeys. My favorites were the 10-year and the 18-year. While I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Macallan and Scotland in general, I was surprised when I scanned the crowd and noticed it was mostly men. I sip the caramel-colored spirit often, as do several of my best female friends. How about you? Is it too strong for you?

Happy Hour: Mamie Taylor

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:28:33 PST

The weather has started to take a turn towards Winter - it's San Francisco and we go immediately from Summer to Winter - and while I love the sound of pouring rain, I'm not quite ready to part with Summer. On days where the gloom takes over, I like to mentally transport myself to a warmer place by mixing up a Summer cocktail. This one - a perfect mix of scotch and ginger ale - is called a Mamie Taylor and was very chic in the early 1900s. Today it's relatively unknown, but I think we should change that. To get the recipe, just

Mamie Taylor
From Domino

3 oz scotch
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
3/4 cup ginger ale
Lime slice for garnish

Pour Scotch and lime juice into chilled highball glass.
Add 3 or 4 ice cubes; top with ginger ale and garnish with lime slice.

Print recipe with images | without images

Lint Sheets A Go Go

BellaSugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:12:22 PDT

New from Scotch, (you know the tape brand), is this super cool 3M Scotch Lint Sheets Pocket Pack, $2.79. What they do is keep lint, dust and all of those not so fab fuzzy pills away from your couture! These are must haves for the red carpet or for any big moment where you need to make a great first impression.

The best part about them is they are really small so that they easily fit right into your handbag, office desk drawer etc. The idea was to make them more chic than the traditional lint tape rolls you keep stashed in your closet at home. These neat sheets are for the gal on the go; the busy woman who loves dressing in fabulous blacks or if you're just a lint freak like Fab. Now she can live fearless and lint free! They come in two different thin travel case styles: black and modern floral. Each pack contains 40 strips that can be used multiple times. Enjoy!

Source

Stop Biting Your Nails Without Exercising Crazy Willpower

Miriam Lacey — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:04:36 PDT

The majority of people have, at one time or another, bitten their nails. And as anyone who's gotten caught in a cycle of biting can tell you, it can be painfully difficult to stop. Like food cravings or a nervous tic, the longer you hold off, the more anxious and distracted you get. It takes time to develop an alternate outlet for your nervous energy, and in the interim, going cold turkey rarely works. So what's a dyed-in-the-wool biter to do? Just keep reading.

Link Time - Michael C. Hall Teams Up With Vera Farmiga

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:30:40 PDT

Get the details on Michael C. Hall and Vera Farmiga's new movie - /Film
Go behind the scenes on the set of The Hobbit - Moviefone
Nick Frost's five favorite films - Rotten Tomatoes
Get prepped for Game of Thrones with this handy guide - Pajiba
Get a preview of all the songs on next week's Glee - TV Squad
The Harry Potter cast talks about their favorite scenes - PopWatch
The 10 most unnecessary film sequels of all time - Flavorwire
Celebs who danced off the weight on Dancing With the Stars - FitSugar
Condoleezza Rice will appear on 30 Rock - Vulture

Ombré Hair Is For Everyone; Just Ask Alexa Chung

BellaSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:59:00 PDT

Why ombré will never go out of style - Stylelist
Betsey Johnson will be closing stores nationwide - Styleite
Snail slime: the latest in face cream ingredients - Refinery 29
Study: women in their 30s have more self-confidence - HuffPost Style
Beyoncé wore lip gloss to the delivery room - The Cut
Get this chevron manicure with the help of Scotch tape - Makeup and Beauty Blog
All braided up: see twisted inspiration from Instagram - Beauty High
Learn the downside to your favorite beauty treatments - YouBeauty
Psst: read these tips before your next trip to the hair salon - The Frisky

Author Allison Winn Scotch on The One That I Want, First Love, and What-Ifs

Tara Block — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:10:19 PDT

In The One That I Want (paperback out today), 32-year-old Tilly Farmer is an optimistic school guidance counselor convinced all she needs to be happy is her perfect high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and the future baby she's trying to have with him. But after a childhood friend cryptically gives her "the gift of clarity" she begins to see visions from her future, and they aren't according to the plan she's mapped out for herself. In this story about family struggles, being stuck in the past, and second chances, Tilly must decide if the life she so carefully put together is really the one that she wants. I spoke with the novel's author, Allison Winn Scotch, about first loves, what-ifs, and what she would tell her 17-year-old self.

TrèsSugar: Did you draw inspiration for the book's protagonist, Tilly, from your own life? Do you share personality traits and characteristics with her?

Allison Winn Scotch: I related a lot to the characters in [my second book] Time of My Life, and I wanted to push myself. With Tilly she was really this foreign person to me in every sense. I didn't understand her; I didn't understand her choices. And I wanted to become a better writer through stepping outside my comfort zone. It forced me to dig deep. It took so many drafts until I finally understood her, and I feel like I'm a better writer for it.

TS: How did you finally understand her? And in what ways do you think your readers will relate to her?

AWS: In the earlier versions of Tilly I really, really wasn't getting her. Then about halfway through the book she starts to get really angry. And in the initial draft she wasn't angry. When I finally made her angry that's what I could tap into. I understood being really pissed off at waking up and discovering that a lot of the life that you wanted is not coming to fruition. And I think a lot of people of our age or our generation can get that. You've worked hard or you've maybe even compromised yourself or given up certain expectations, and then you wake up and you're like, "How did I get here? I made small compromises, but I never thought that my life would be this." And I understood that anger, not because my life isn't wonderful, but because I understand that disappointment. And once I did that, that's when she and I connected.

TS: In both Time of My Life and The One That I Want there's a time travel theme that forces the heroine to look back and question if she's made the right life choices along the way. Are there things in your own life that you would change if you could? Find out her answer when you keep reading.

Karim Rashid, World-Renowned Tape Dispenser

Julia Millay Walsh — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:05:00 PDT

World-renowned designer Karim Rashid knows no boundaries. The man has designed everything from bathtubs for couples to an Athenian hotel to a dustbuster. Come across any product with his name on it and you can expect it to be curvy, sensual, contemporary, and very likely pink - one of only two colors that he wears. His latest pièce de résistance doesn't have as much sex appeal as a Greek getaway or an erotic spa tub, but it is unique nonetheless: 3M has commissioned Rashid to reimagine two of its hallmark products, the Post-It note and Scotch tape.

The Pebble Collection by Karim includes a pop-up Post-It note dispenser ($10.50) and a Scotch tape dispenser ($8) with river rock shapes, made of contemporary, glossy plastic. The designs are weighted - very much so, in fact - to make for facile, one-handed tape- and adhesive-note-retrieval. Most might not want to "splurge" on such basic office supplies, but if you're the type who tapes away and jots down notes all day, or the type who likes to show off to co-workers, it might make your day more pleasurable. Plus, they're much cheaper than Karim's Veuve Clicquot Love Seat, which would cost you $10,000.