When trying to figure out what to write about for this week’s weekly ten I was a little bit stumped. So I decided to go back to the basics. And this is college after all, so it’s no surprise that drinks soon followed. But I didn’t want to go with the most common drinks or the weirdest drinks, or the ways to drink those drinks. So instead I thought I’d do something a little bit different. The drinks with the best, the sexiest, the craziest cocktail names out there.

Fair warning though, this week, instead of my usual witty commentary I’m going to take a back seat and let these drinks speak for themselves. All recipes taken from drinkmixers.com.

10. Sex on the Beach. 1 ½ oz vodka. ½ peach schnapps. 2 oz cranberry juice. 2 oz orange juice.

9. Between the Sheets. 1 oz brandy. 1/2 oz light rum. 1/2 oz triple sec. sweet and sour mix.

8. Mountain Dew Me. 2 oz midori melon liqueur. 1 oz triple sec. 4 oz pineapple juice. 1 splash7-Up soda.

7. Bend Over Shirley. 1 ½  oz raspberry vodka. 4 oz sprite soda. 3/4 oz rose’s grenadine syrup.

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Your hair is done, your makeup is on and your outfit is perfect. All you have to do is pack that wristlet and you’re ready to head out with your friends. Money? Check. ID? Check. Camera? Check.

Before you leave, you mix a few drinks and have a mini-dance party with the girls. Two rum and Diets and a few old school Britney songs later, it’s time to head out. But not without a “SELFIE!!”

You gather the girls around, make your sexy face, stick that arm out and capture the moment.

“Let me see!” your friends shriek.
“Ew. I have a double chin. One more!” So you take one more.
“Cuuuute!” everyone agrees. You put the camera back in your bag and head off to the bars.

Once there, you whip that camera out, strap it to your wrist and settle in for a night of partying. You beeline to the bar and order a round of shots. You snap a picture of them sitting on the bar, then you snap another of you and your friends cheers-ing. Then you ask the random dude standing next to you to get a picture of you taking them.

You chase the shot with a round of vodka sodas. Before you take the first sip, you ask a girl standing nearby to take a picture of you guys holding your drinks. Then, remembering how good you look, you ask your friend to get a shot of you and your drink alone.

“FACEBOOK!” you scream. Read More »

It’s Thanksgiving week. You know what that means: more food than you’ll ever be able to eat, run ins with family members you’d really rather avoid and those awkward moments when everyone gathers together to say what they’re thankful for.

Friends.
Family.
Happiness and health and blah blah blah.

Those are all great things to be thankful for, important things, yes.  But what about the not so important things, the little things that we all take for granted? Here’s what I’m thankful for this holiday season…

10. Trashy Tabloids. Reading about the problems of the rich and famous makes everything in my life seem so much less problematic. Sure, maybe I’m having boy problems, but at least my guy didn’t leave me for Angelina Jolie. And maybe I’m worried about wearing a bikini to the beach, but at least there’s no one zooming in on my butt cheeks. (At least not that I know of.) Celebrity scandal really helps me see the big picture.

9. Steve Madden’s Fall Boot Collection. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just head over to Steve Madden’s website and stare at some shoes. Laugh if you want, but it totally works. They’re like works of art, I swear. And even though I’ve put myself on a boot buying ban until after the holidays, I still enjoy purusing the styles. And you will too.

8. Chocolate. I’m sorry; do you really need an explanation for this one? I didn’t think so. Read More »

Halloween is just around the corner (!!), and while you’re probably still putting the final touches on your Gaga-getup have you thought about how you’re going to be celebrating? Yes, Halloween may just be another excuse to get drunk (or dress as a drink!) and gorge on candy but there are ways to get a little more into the spirit of Halloween then slapping animal ears over your favorite lingerie and calling yourself a cat.

Remember the fun days when your mom prepared disgusting looking food for your favorite friends? When you had to stick your hand into a box and feel something gross like slimy spaghetti? Just because you’re in college doesn’t mean the childish fun has to stop.

This year add some creativity to your Halloween celebration with a creepy cocktail or a spooky snack. Get your girlfriends together and make Skeleton Sangria – just each chip in an ingredient! Though it might seem kind of lame to bring a homemade snack to a party, maybe just make something to snack upon while you pre-game with your girls as you shimmy into your pantless outfits. Or, if you’re like me and have a midterm November 1 (some cruel joke, I KNOW!), take it easy with a creepy looking meal with some friends to avoid the Halloween hangover.

[Click on each image for the recipe!] Read More »

Must. Get. Him. Drunk.

It’s the start of a new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back our favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.” Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share, like the first day of classes, including some new adventures and occurrences thrown into the mix.

You met him on the first day of class. He showed up late and took the seat next to you. As the professor droned on (and on) about the books you need, the upcoming group projects and the exam schedule, you two sat in the back of the lecture hall and whined about how awful the next 10 weeks were going to be.

You start sitting together in every class. When a group project is assigned, you choose to work together. When exam time comes, you make a study date at the library. Not that it’s all work; you guys really get along and start chatting daily on AIM and Facebook.

You like this boy. He’s everything you want: he’s smart, he’s funny, he’s got a great smile that makes his eyes scrunch up, he’s interested in the same things as you, he wears great shoes… Sigh. Read More »

Week after week (after week after week…), CollegeCandy and our pal John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, and saddest things he hears on his college campus. And we know he’s not the only one who hears this stuff. Join the Overheard revolution! Listen in on some weirdos’ conversations and share them in the comments or send ‘em over. You know there’s a lot of funny things to be heard on your campus, so take off those (faux) Burberry ear muffs and tune in.

(Girl, boy, after a class.)

Girl:  I bet you had an erection that whole lecture.
Boy: No, I didn’t.

(Two interns, talking in an office breakroom.)

Girl: I think public art is important.

Guy: And pubic art, too.

Girl: Well, that goes without saying. Read More »

Mama needs a cocktail.

In this new series we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer for a month as she takes on a personal challenge. This month we’re following Lauren from University of Michigan. She’s going sober for the month of February and will be sharing her ups and downs with us each Saturday. Last week she almost dropped the ball (and downed a bottle of wine). Let’s see how she handled her final week.

It’s here. My final sober weekend. Even though this month has flown by and been not only easy, but totally productive, I am at the point where I am truly glad it’s over. For the most part, going stone cold sober hasn’t really been as challenging as I expected it to be. But that all changed on Wednesday. I don’t know if it was the playlist was I listening to or the stress mounting, but I hit a wall and for the first time in 25 days, all I wanted was a giant cocktail.

From that point on, being sober was no longer the cakewalk it had once been. I found it increasingly difficult to go out to the bar with friends and be the sober one. I watched them knocking back vodka sodas and Jager bombs and my mouth literally watered. When they reasoned that I’d been “sober long enough” and I should “just have a f**king drink” already, I actually considered it. I mean, I went long enough, right? But then I chugged my Diet Coke and realized that giving up now would just be pathetic. What would I think when I looked back on this personal goal and remembered that I threw in the towel with 2 days to go…. for some crappy vodka drink. This moment – when things finally got challenging – this was the part that would really prove something. This was the most important time of the entire month. Read More »

My bartending style tends to run less towards the carefully measured, tried-and-true recipes and more towards the “What’s in my fridge right now?” trial-and-error method. I rarely use actual measures, because what is “good” depends on how many people are drinking, how liquored up they want to be, and how well they hold all that liquor.

That being said, I have a few favorite drinks that do really well in cold weather.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate:

This ain’t your grandma’s hot cocoa. (Or maybe it is…) I like to add a few drops (or shots) of Peppermint Schnapps to hot chocolate for an immediate warm-up. Make the cocoa with milk if you like it creamier.

Cinnamon Vanilla Cream:

One day my love of Starbucks and alcohol collided, and this drink was born. I just poured some Cinnamon Schnapps into my Vanilla Crème, and – voilà – an innocuous looking brew. Yes, I did keep it all in the Starbucks container. You can make your own Vanilla crème by warming up milk, adding a drop or two of vanilla extract, sugar to taste, and topping it off with whipped cream.

Hot (Spiked) Apple Cider:

First, you need to find some alcoholic apple cider. It’s probably somewhere between the beer and wine sections. Two bottles is a good amount to start with. On the stove, get it simmering with two cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of cloves, a little bit of sugar and some nutmeg. What really makes it piping hot though, is the addition of either rum or apple brandy. Be generous, ladies – the apple cider has lost most of its alcoholic content in the heating process. Read More »

My dearest Cosmo has always had a special affinity for body language analysis (I think they’ve done Speidi like 6 times). Now they’re taking it to the next level and making it all easy, convenient and user-friendly for you!

Cosmo understands the trials and tribulations of dating, especially when we need to figure out the bizarre and complex behavior of the male species.

Finally fed up with trying to decipher a guy’s body language to decide what he’s really trying to say (as opposed to, ya know, listening to him), Cosmo has provided the ultimate guide to date night body language. And, naturally, they made convenient tear-out cards (because your date totes won’t notice you squinting to read them under the table).

Cosmo Says: If he holds his beer loosely by the neck, it means he’s confident–but cocky, “it gives off the vibe that he’s too cool to be concerned with the risk of dropping his Bud.”
Kari Says: Hm, I’d never thought of it that way. Then again I’ve never really taken the time to study a hot guy’s precise style of drink-holding (I’m usually too busy checking out his hair, eyes, smile, biceps, etc). This particular method of holding a beer tells me he doesn’t want his hand to be all clammy and gross should he need to shake hands – not that he’s necessarily a douche bag. For that tip off I would look for a guy clutching his Jaeger bomb tightly so he won’t drop it while he’s fist pumping. Just sayin’…

Cosmo Says: If he pushes his drink onto your side of the table, he’s subconsciously trying to bond.
Kari Says: Alright, I’m down with a little bit of bonding. I just hope he doesn’t change his mind after I proceed to drink whatever he’s sliding toward me. My interpretation of anyone moving alcohol within closer proximity of me is that I should drink it – quickly. But maybe I just play flip cup too often.

Cosmo Says: If a guy licks his lips, he’s trying to wipe a lie off of them.
Kari Says: First of all, this sounds like it could be stitched onto a pillow somewhere in my Gramma’s house.   Second of all, I have heard the lip-licking lie detector test before (Lie to Me is one of my new fave shows), so this interpretation may have merit. But what if he’s just thirsty? Or in dire need of some Chapstick? What if he’s thinking about other things he’d like to lick later? All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t be so fast to jump to conclusions about the nature of such a sexy move (when done correctly, of course – otherwise it’s just creepy). Read More »

“Trick or Treating” may be for little kids, but try to tell any college student that the holiday is reserved for elementary schoolers and they will eat you alive.

Halloween parties are freakin’ awesome. And it’s a known fact that us college kids will be running rampant all over the country come Halloween night. What other chance do we get to play beer pong as Kanye West and Taylor Swift (stopping the game mid-toss with a “Imma let you finish…” before snatching the pong ball from each other)?

But dressing up as a slutty ____ (insert anything here….no really, anything), isn’t the only way to celebrate.

If you’re going to throw a party or be a guest at one (and that covers pretty much everyone) why not go all out and make one of these awesome Halloween cocktails? We’re all suckers for themed parties, so why not do it up big? After we graduate, its not going to be acceptable anymore (not that that means we won’t still do it).

So ditch the wine coolers and the beer keg (mmm perhaps that can stay…) and get creative for the holiday. [Click on the images to get the ghoulishly tasty recipes!] Read More »