Halloween Cocktail 4: The Great Pumpkin Shake

For my final Halloween cocktail recipe, here's a sweet autumn treat!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Ice Cream
Milk
Whiskey
Cinnamon
Ginger Snaps

Instructions:

Combine a couple of scoops of pumpkin ice cream, a dash of milk (or more as needed for desired texture), 1.5 oz whiskey, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a few ginger snaps in a blender. Blend until smooth.

For both the ice cream and ginger snaps, I love Trader Joe's brand! The ginger snaps can also be served on the side or put in a food processor to rim your glass. This beverage is a bit reminiscent of egg nog... a great transition into the holidays!

Hope you have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Carmen Miranda

The idea of a fabulous headpiece was appealing to me this year, so I decided to pay homage to the legendary Carmen Miranda. Initially I was planning to wear a short dress with ruffly sleeves that was already in my closet. It wasn't perfect, but it would work. Then I stumbled upon this over-the-top number at a thrift store. How perfect! It felt like a sign. Carmen was indeed meant to be my costume this year. 

I constructed the headpiece using a turban, ring of cardboard, this foam fruit and lots of hot glue! Then I piled on colorful jewelry from my collection and stepped into my tallest shoes to complete this easy yet impactful look.

Halloween Cocktail 3: Killer Kalimotxo

I can't take credit for inventing this unexpected combination. The Kalimotxo is a popular Basque drink consisting of equal parts red wine and Coca-Cola. It sounds strange but tastes surprisingly good (reminiscent of sangria), and the dark reddish color is creepy for Halloween!

Ingredients

Red Wine

Coca-Cola

Lime

Instructions

Combine 3 oz of red wine and 3 oz of Coca-Cola and stir. Add ice and a squeeze of lime. To create the blood drip effect, stir a few drops of red food coloring into some corn syrup. Use a spoon to add drips around the rim of your glass. It gets a little messy, but I think it's worth it!

Halloween Cocktail 2: Haunted Horsefeather

Here's another Halloween-themed cocktail for your enjoyment! 

Ingredients

Cinnamon & Sugar

Carrot Juice

Whiskey 

Ginger Beer (I use Gosling's)

Instructions

Rim your glass with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 oz carrot juice, 1.5 oz whiskey and 3 oz ginger beer and stir. Add ice and enjoy! 

Spiffy & Sporty

With all the excitement surrounding Kansas City sports right now, it seems that team apparel is becoming part of everyone's everyday attire. I tend to dress rather thematically. If I'm wearing a jersey or baseball cap, I naturally reach for equally sporty items to complete the look, but there's something fun about going a more unexpected route. Pairing athletic pieces with office-ready pumps and a blazer creates playful contrast! 

Jersey: Courtesy of NFLShop.com

Jeans: Forme

Blazer: H&M

Shoes: Nine West

Scarf: Target

Wild Things

This quick, easy costume came about by happenstance. My boyfriend saw these horns at Target awhile back and thought they were too cool to pass up. I jokingly tried them and then remembered that Igby had a ram costume from last year. A fuzzy white jacket and a bit of makeup later, and my pup and I had matching costumes! 

Horns: Target

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Jacket: H&M

Boots: Vintage

Igby's Costume: Target

Halloween Cocktail 1: Black Widow

It's Halloween week on Kansas Couture! In addition to a couple of costumes, I'll be sharing several creepy cocktail recipes. Delicious drinks inspired by my favorite holiday? Yes, please!

Ingredients

Blackberries

Sugar cube

Reposado Tequila

Sparkling Wine

Lemon

Instructions

Muddle several blackberries and a sugar cube in your glass. Add 1 oz tequila and stir. Add ice and top with sparkling wine and a squeeze of lemon. Initially, I poured my blackberry/tequila mixture through a sieve for a smoother drink. But I liked the look of the blackberry pulp floating in the drink, so I added some back in. Your call!

Crown Royal

I'm not going to lie...I'm the epitome of a fairweather fan. It took my city's team making it to the WORLD SERIES before I watched a single game. While I lack the dedication of diehard fans, it's impossible not to get swept up in the excitement of Kansas City right now. This outfit may not contain any Royals-specific attire, but the colors and baseball-reminiscent items get the point across. I'm rooting for the boys in blue, are you?!

Shirt: Forever 21
Pants: Banana Republic
Jacket: H&M
Shoes: Sperry Top-Sider
Hat: Baldwin

Vinyl Vednesday, Volume 33

Vol. 33

The Record: The Gorillaz, The Singles Collection 2001-2011

The Refreshment: Tallgrass Zombie Monkie Porter with whiskey, hazelnut and orange. (recipe below)

For this fun, dance-y Vinyl Vednesday, I was tempted to just serve the Kansas-made porter. It's delicious on its own, and the label is a perfect fit for the look and feel of the Gorillaz. Alas, my love for cocktails and creativity got the best of me, so I added my own little spin to it. See below!

Ingredients

Tallgrass Zombie Monkie Porter (or a porter of your choice)

Whiskey

Hazelnut Syrup

Orange

Instructions

Combine 1 oz of whiskey, 1/2 oz of hazelnut syrup, a generous squeeze of fresh orange juice and several ounces of porter in your glass. Stir, add ice and enjoy!

Golden Girl

While I've always favored bold gold jewelry, I've noticed my taste evolving recently. In the past, I've been quick to frequent the costume jewelry section of fast fashion retailers to snag the biggest, most colorful statement pieces I can find. Lately, though, I've been leaning toward more refined, classic pieces. When New York-based designer Julie Vos contacted me, I jumped at the chance to add some timeless luxury jewelry to my collection. Oh, what a difference quality makes! From substantial classics like this gold chain to dainty, delicate designs to colorful options featuring semi-precious stones, there's something for everyone. And, Kansas Couture readers can use the exclusive discount code kansascouture for 20% OFF site-wide!

Sweater: Old Navy
Skirt: Vintage
Boots: Old Navy
Necklace & Ring: Courtesy of Julie Vos
Socks: Target

Vinyl Vednesday, Volume 32

Vol. 32

The Record: Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane over the Sea

The Refreshment: Whiskey Vanilla Root Beer Cream Soda (recipe below)

I don't know what to say besides this album is perfect and one of my all-time favorites! Using milk as my inspiration, I came up with a simple creamy cocktail. It's admittedly sweet but well-balanced and quite delicious. It goes down a little too easy!

Ingredients

Whiskey
Vanilla Syrup
Quality Root Beer
Half & Half

Instructions

Combine 1.5 oz whiskey and .5 oz vanilla syrup in your glass. Add ice and fill with root beer. Add a dash of half & half. Stir and enjoy!

Note: For the one pictured, I doubled the ingredients. If you follow the recipe, yours will be smaller. :)

Halloween Costume Inspiration

It's no secret that I'm a Halloween fanatic. This year is a little different because one of my very best friends is getting married on the big day! While my attention may be a bit more focused on that momentously exciting occasion, I'm not letting the holiday pass me by. In addition to watching scary movies nearly nightly, I will undoubtedly don at least one costume before the 31st arrives. Until I'm able to share a new disguise with you, here's a look back at a few favorites from the past! Are you dressing up this year?

Andy Warhol

Tippi Hedren in The Birds

Black Swan

Dead Heather from Heathers

Twiggy

Honeycomb

Sorry for the lull around here. Last week was spent largely in jammies on the couch thanks to a wisdom tooth extraction. But I'm on the mend and getting back into the swing of things! Here's an outfit I wore a couple of weeks back that's quite representative of my fall style (hello, collared shirts and sweaters). Though I have a couple of yellow sweaters in my collection, when I laid eyes on this goldenrod number, I knew I had to have it! The color is my favorite of course, but the cropped fit and textured pattern sealed the deal. I anticipate wearing it lots and lots this fall and winter!

Sweater: Old Navy

Shirt: Old Navy

Jeans: Cheap Monday
Shoes: Steve Madden

Vinyl Vednesday, Volume 31

Vol. 31

The Record: Lykke Li, Youth Novels

The Refreshment: "Let It Fall" (recipe below)

Last week, I selected Lykke Li for Vinyl Vednesday in anticipation of seeing her live on Saturday! It was such an amazing show. Her dark, smoky set and witchy woman vibes were perfectly suited to the season. She managed to exude cool while still being down-to-earth and friendly. Backed by an impeccable band, her vocals and stage presence were powerful and playful. As I've mentioned before, I tend to adore Swedish musicians, and Lykke is one of my absolute favorites. Read on for an early autumn-inspired cocktail.

Ingredients

Sugar

Cinnamon 

Whiskey

Hard Cider

Lemon

Instructions

Rim your glass with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Add 1.5 oz of whiskey and ice to your glass. Fill with hard cider and stir. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and enjoy. 

The sweetness of this drink will depend on your cider. I normally prefer dry but recommend a sweeter cider for this cocktail. A splash of ginger beer is a yummy addition if you use a dry cider. This is a great drink when you're in the mood for something fall-inspired, but it's still warm outside. It's crisp and refreshing!