Born in the USA: Cool cocktails for hot nights!

If there's one thing the It! Girls value above all else, it's joie de vivre. Our friends at Coastal Living echo that sentiment on every page. This It! Girl has worked with the CL team for years, and I can't wait to try these great cocktail recipes from Senior Editor and fellow foodie Julia Rutland:

Frosty Raspberry-Lime Margarita

Why she likes it: Raspberries!
When to drink it: While watching fireworks on the Fourth of July!
Yield: Makes 5 cups

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) tequila
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) orange liqueur
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 cups ice

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Frozen White Chocolate

Why she likes it: It has a huge yum factor with a decadent blend of rich vanilla ice cream and delicious liqueurs. Really, you should try this.
When to drink it: As a grownup dessert after a fun beach cookout
Yield: Makes 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) white chocolate liqueur
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) Irish cream liqueur
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) clear crème de cacao
• 3 cups vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Blended Blue Hawaiian

Why she likes it: It’s tart and refreshing—not super-sweet like many other brightly colored cocktails.
When to drink it: While watching an Elvis movie marathon
Yield: Makes 5 cups

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) pineapple vodka
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) blue curaçao
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) coconut rum
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) amaretto
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup agave nectar, simple syrup, or sugar
• 4 cups ice

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

For more of Julia's fab cocktail recipes, click here.

xo Aime

Photos by Jennifer Davick

I want It! trunk show series with Calypso Sea jewels

The "I Want It!" summer trunk show series continued on June 24 with Calypso Sea jewels. Guests mixed and mingled at It! Headquarters, sipping selections from Bulletproof Wine & Spirits while viewing designer Tanya G. Burnett's collection of leather and exotic pearl jewelry.

"I have been designing and crafting high end jewelry from natural gems, ethnic beads and pearls for the better part of two decades," says Burnett. "But nothing has spoken as seductively to my clients and me as my work with the ocean’s own precious gem: the pearl. Fortunately my travels and contacts in the South Pacific and the Far East have allowed me to hand select every pearl I use which I personally drill to my specifications. The leather cording used is free of toxins and certified by both European and American standards."

To view the collection, visit www.calypsosea.com.

Inspired by all things nature and particularly by the ocean, Burnett has also photographed and documented her experiences above and below the surface through her discriminating lens.
View her fine art photography on www.islandexposure.us.

xo

The It! Girls

Table It! tabletop decor at Neiman Marcus Palm Beach draws hundreds

Palm Beach, FL (June 6, 2010) — The It! Girls were the talk of the town this spring, when the island’s hautest tastemakers gathered for a casual vernissage of the “Table It!” tabletop décor exhibition at Neiman Marcus Palm Beach. For the five-day event, Neiman Marcus invited It! Weddings & Events to design six themed tables inspired by events of their creation, such as a Bridesmaids’ High Tea, Brunch in the Garden and an Estate Rehearsal Dinner.

Nearly 100 guests attended the opening-day soiree, including Kathryn Vecellio, Julie Rudolph, Annie Falk, Brewer Schoeller, Elisabeth Munder, Terri Mersentes, Angela Culveyhouse, Beckie Stoddard and Kathryn Martin. The fresh mix of traditional and modern pieces chosen by the It! Girls from the store’s Gift Galleries was complimented by florals by Design Studio at The Breakers, paper goods by Stationer on Sunrise and confections by The Sugar Monkey.

“Our clients are well versed in tabletop design, yet they’re always looking for ways to wow their guests, many of whom have been wined and dined by the world’s foremost entertainers,” said It! Weddings & Events managing partner Aime Dunstan. “We have a ball taking their creativity to the next level, mixing traditional pieces with fun and funky accessories.”

Dunstan commissioned an aquatic centerpiece from Design Studio at The Breakers, complete with live goldfish and sculptural pincushion protea blooms, for the “Seaside Wedding Reception” table, which also included “Elysee” dinnerware by Bernardaud and Juliska stemware.

At the center of the grand display was a “Timeless Wedding Reception” themed table, on which Kim Seybert linen napkins and pagoda-inspired napkin ring holders accented J.L. Coquet’s “Hemisphere” charger, “J Chew” dinnerware by Limoges and Reidel crystal. An organic arrangement of pale pink cherry blossoms added height and volume.

The opening day afternoon soiree also included light bites by Café Boulud Palm Beach and wines by Bulletproof Wines & Spirits, as well as makeovers by YSL and an informal fashion show by Neiman Marcus.

It Weddings & Events specializes in the discerning taste of Palm Beach, Nantucket, the Hamptons and beyond, ensuring the elegance and extravagance of your wedding, fund-raiser or special event. For more information, call 561.801.0767 or log on to www.itweddingsandevents.com.

xo

Danette

June 24: The I want It! trunk show series with Calypso Sea jewels

Join the It! Girls for a our second sip 'n' shop, featuring Calypso Sea, 5-8pm Thursday, June 24, at It! Headquarters (303 Gardenia St., Suite 7, West Palm Beach). Email RSVP@itweddings.com to let us know you're attending. Can't wait to see you all there!

xo

The It! Girls