Tag Archives: Happy Hour

Warm Your Christmas Spirit With Some Vin Brulé

If you’ve read a couple of our recent Christmas posts, you may notice a consistent theme over and over.  We have been thoroughly enjoying the official drink of the season, vin brulé from the markets of Alto-Adige to the lakeside shores of Lugano, Switzerland.  I promise you, we are by no means a pair of winos – but I’m pretty sure it’s against the law not to have a vin brulé in your hands as you stroll through the Christmas markets.

Homemade vin brulé

We have been having so much fun thawing the chill from our bones with this delicious winter drink that we thought we should make it at home for ourselves.  I have to say, for our first attempt – it was pretty darn good!  And since we enjoyed this easy and delicious recipe so much, we decided it was only fair to share it with you.  Of course, that meant that we had to go back to the test kitchen and whip up another batch! Continue reading Warm Your Christmas Spirit With Some Vin Brulé

I’ll take a pint of the black stuff, Gov’na!

May your heart be warm and happy,
With the lilt of Irish laughter,
Every day in every way
And forever and ever after.
-Unknown
An Old Irish Toast
To start a new post
About viewing sights
And about drinking pints
We went on a Guinness tour
How many pints… we’re still unsure!
-Greg

Come enjoy a pint with us…

We arrived in Dublin on Friday with plenty of time to enjoy the day, which you can read about HERE.  We woke up Saturday even more eager to get started after everything we had seen the day before.  We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of eggs, soda bread and black pudding (blood sausage) in our hotel’s restaurant.  As Jen drank her fresh-squeezed orange juice, I poured over my cheesy, hyper-animated tourist map of the city.  I came to two conclusions – animated graphics of tourist attractions are as helpful as pictures on a menu at Denny’s.  That, and we were going to do a lot of walking! Continue reading I’ll take a pint of the black stuff, Gov’na!

Happy Hour – Although This One Was Unhappy!

What a wonderful tradition happy hour is!  A time when friends can gather and join in a few post-work drinks and perhaps a little nibble to eat.  We’ve always known happy hour to be a 5:00pm – 7:00pm (ish) time to partake in a few cocktails at a discounted price.

Caffè Mazzini – Our favorite Happy Hour in Como

We were pleased to find that the tradition of “happy hour” also exists in Italy and it’s even called the same thing (just imagine saying it with a funny little accent… drop the sound the “h” makes).  However, it’s a bit different here.

Instead of discounted drinks and food, you usually pay the same price for the drinks (which always tends to be low anyways… between $4 – $6) but get a big bonus.  ALL YOU CAN EAT heavy hors d’oeuvres – Italian style!!!  Imagine a bar full of pasta, pizza and other wonderful treats.  If you’re not to embarrassed to fill a plate – you can easily have enough for dinner. Continue reading Happy Hour – Although This One Was Unhappy!