It’s going to be a quiet New Year’s for me this year, but if you don’t have plans yet, there’s still a little time to make some interesting plans. Here are some suggestions for celebrations. Enjoy! Atlantic City, New Jersey It may not be beach weather, but there’s plenty going on in this Jersey Shore hotspot. The Goo Goo Dolls are playing at the Circus Maximus Theater at Caesars , which will also have a selection of party options at the Toga Bar. Over at the Tropicana , Gladys Night will be toasting the new year on stage, while Brand New will be at the House of Blues at Showboat Resort & Casino . If you are looking for some laughs to start off next year, you can see Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers perform at the Borgata Casino Resort & Spa or the legendary Don Rickles at Harrah’s Resort , where The Pool will be having a champagne filled celebration. Check with the individual hotels for overnight packages. Chicago, Illinois It’s a Bootlegger’s Ball – ...

Whether you are gathering around a Christmas Tree, Menorah or Kinara, holidays are a time for celebrating. Dress up the festivities with some holiday cheer. Happy Holidays Everyone! Mistletoe Delight* 1 ½  oz Grand Marnier 1 ½ oz Cranberry juice ½ oz fresh Lemon juice ½ oz Simple Syrup Fresh Rosemary needles In a shaker with filled with ice, shake the first four ingredients together. Garnish with rosemary needles. Poinsettia* ½ oz Cointreau or Triple Sec Champagne 3 oz Cranberry Juice Chill all of the ingredients beforehand. Pour the Cointreau and cranberry juice into a chilled champagne flute. Stir well and top with champagne. (cocktail pictured right) *If you don’t feel like making these cocktails yourself, stop by Texas de Brazil and let the bartender make one for you! Herradura Pomegranate Swizzle 1 ½ oz Herradura Reposado Tequila 2 oz Pomegranate Juice (unsweetened) ½ oz Vanilla Syrup 1 oz Heavy Cream Candy Cane...

I was traveling quite a bit this fall, which means the boxes have been piling up in my apartment. I still have a lot to go through, but I’ve sifted through some and I thought I would pass along some great finds so you can add them to your holiday shopping list. Tugo It’s one of those simple little things that makes a world of difference to a traveler. The Tugo is easy and lightweight. It attaches to your luggage and acts as a cup holder. No more trying to balance your drink and your luggage (and ultimately spilling it all over your clothes). Buy one before your next trip. Showoffs When I was first approached with the idea of designer bags that meet the TSA Ziploc requirement, I thought it was a bit much, but since receiving them I have to change my opinion. Showoff’s are more like buying cosmetic bags than a Ziploc – cosmetic bags that are clear enough and the right side to go through security. For $15, you get three colorful and sturdy quart size bags, three ref...

People always ask me if I pay for travel and the truth is, I don’t because it’s part of my job. It’s a fun and wonderful job that I wouldn’t trade for the world. The fact is, though, I am working when I’m traveling for Wine And Spirits Trave l, as well as many other publications. In addition to the day of going to wineries, checking out hotels, eating at great restaurant and those dreaded (lol) spa treatments, there's the part of making deadlines. I’m up at dawn at the computer and often back there late at night. It’s a lot different for most of you so I’m happy to pass along ideas for vacations – especially when you can even do them for free. It just happens that I was hit with three contests this week for places that are on my bucket list for 2012 so I thought I’d pass the information along.  I hope to hear that one of my lucky readers will be enjoying their very own free trip! Anguilla Anguilla is in the Leeward Island chain of the Eastern Caribbean. It’s small ...

for Your Holiday Shopping List... It’s that time of year. We’ve put away the turkey and taken out the holiday shopping list. It seems to get easier every year to shop online and the deals this year are simply amazing. Skip the search for a parking spot, save some gas, and even save some money by shopping online. FIRST STOP Before you even think about shopping online, sign up for Ebates . You will immediately earn a gift certificate and then you will start earning money every time you shop online. It gets even better – they have coupons. So, you click on Ebates , find the store you want to shop in, see the coupons for the store and then you will get more money back at the end of the quarter. SAVE A TREE I have vowed to dramatically cut down on paper this year and it’s working great. I love my Apple iPad for everything from reading magazines to catching up on television shows, to taking notes so I don’t have all those pieces of paper. My mom is spending all her time on ...

The Fed Ex guy has been spending a lot of time making drop offs at my apartment lately. This weekend I had some friends help me check out some of it. Downslope Wine Barrel Aged Rum Downslope was one of the distilleries I sampled on my trip to Colorado . Aged rum is not unusual, but Downslope has chosen wine barrels for its aging. The result after one year is a 80 proof rum that definitely tastes differently from most rums. I felt it tasted like cognac and my fellow tasters agreed. I highly recommend Downslope Wine Barrel Aged Rum it if that’s your taste in spirits. Belvedere Bloody Mary I was a little apprehensive when I heard about Belvedere Bloody Mary . The premise is that it contains all the spices you need to make a Bloody Mary if you just add tomato juice. I actually brought this bottle along with some tomato juice to a tailgate and it got an interesting response. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely keep a bottle around the house. The results were mixed am...

Whenever I see something I want to find room for in my schedule, I know it’s worthy of passing on. Willows Lodge in Washington will forever remain and the tip of my tongue thanks to the hot bubble bath they had waiting for me when I came back from dinner. As for Pueblo Bonita, I haven’t made it to their Los Cabos properties yet, but if they are anything like the Mazatlan ones , you will want to book your plane ticket! Willows Lodge Holiday Food & Drink “Boot Camp” If you are looking to prepare food and cocktails like a pro this holiday season, why not join the pros at Willows Lodge in Woodinville for their Holiday Entertaining Classes in the Fireside Cellars Lounge.  The classes will take place on Wednesdays from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm and the lineup looks like a lot of fun: November 30, 2011 Party appetizers with Barking Dog Executive Chef Bobby Moore December 7, 2011 Desserts with Pastry Chef Matt Kelley December 14, 201 1 Cocktails with Restaurant and Win...

As far as I am concerned, every day is champagne day, but today is actually the official day of celebration for this bubbly from France. I’ve spent a lot of time with one of my favorite beverages in the past year. Last fall, I left my home in Champaign, Illinois, and took a trip with the French tourism board to Champagne, France. I spent four days there learning all about the beverage and the region. During that trip I was able to spend a wonderful night at the Veuve Clicquot estate, Manoir de Verzy. I also had a tour of the winery and went through my first champagne cave. My trip to Champagne also included a chance to sit down with the Krug winemaker Julie Cavill and learn about the process of making champagne. I came home with a bottle of their Grand Cuvee and opened it up on my birthday (it’s wonderful). Krug Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn had his own celebration in New York a few weeks ago when he was honored for his lifetime achievements. In March, I had the pleas...

Flavor! Napa Valley is the ultimate wine and food pairing. This four day event will take place November 17-20 and sommeliers and chefs are joining to put together four days of tasting. There will be demonstrations and dining experiences, as well as seminars that will explain how the pairing process comes into play. The ultimate food and wine event at Flavor! Will be held at The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena . Over 100 Napa wineries will be paired with over two dozen of the valley's restaurants. For tickets and more information, visit the official website . You can also follow @FlavorNV on Twitter. * * * Experience Napa -- and Sonoma and Champagne -- pairings in Phoenix , as the Arizona Biltmore begins its 22nd season of Winemaker Dinners. The first one (ZD Winery of Napa) was this week, but there's plenty more to come. This is about more than the pairings as guests can hear about the wines direct from the winemakers themselves. There's also...

It’s been two years since I’ve been in Whisky and Bourbon country , but I do occasionally get opportunities to sample until I get a chance to go back. Two opportunities came across my inbox recently that are open to everyone so I thought I’d pass them along to my whisky-loving friends… Kentucky Bourbon Trail at Beaumont Inn It’s not always easy to get to all the distilleries down in Tennessee and Kentucky with one visit. One place in Kentucky is making it a bit easier. The Inn is close to eight of the major distilleries in the area, making it a great place to stay while you visit. If you prefer to skip the driving and concentrate on the drinking, that’s a possibility to. The Old Owl Tavern is located at the Beaumont Inn. It’s a pub that’s offering its own version of a “bourbon trail,” offering 35 different bourbons. Innkeeper Dixon Dedman happens to be a bourbon aficionado himself and he’ll be happy to sit down with you to discuss and compare the bourbons on hand. For...

If you were watching Bachelorette Ashley Hebert take her magical date to Fiji and dreaming that you could do the same, you can make that dream a reality. Koro Sun Resort & Rainforest Spa in Savusavu, Fiji Island, is offering a package inspired by that Bachelorette visit. “Passion Under the Palms” Package Inspired By ABC The Bachelorette .     Fijian welcome with a coconut milk foot soak and leg massage and freshly chilled green coconut beverage; 5 nights at Koro Sun Resort and Rainforest Spa Fiji; Three gourmet meals and afternoon tea daily;  One Full American Champagne Breakfast in the privacy of your own villa, with fresh exotic plantation fruits;  One   Rainforest Rendezvous private candlelight dinner for two in the Rainforest, with hors de oeuvres and a succulent three course seafood platter;  The Ultimate Indulgence, a 1.5 hour treatment starts with Banana Leaf Body Wrap, followed by a Couples Massage in the Rainforest Spa, (rated...

I had a great time in Washington this past spring discovering what their wine regions have to offer. The fall is a great time to head up there, with lots of events to celebrate the harvests. Yakima Valley The Second Annual Skewered Apple Barbeque Championship will be held September 11-12, hosted by the Yakima Valley Museum and Tree Top.This event is national competition for grill masters. Whether you compete or not, you can enjoy the live music, cooking demonstrations, and the beer and wine garden. Hours for the event will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit http://www.skeweredapple.com. The Fresh Hop Ale Festival will be held in Yakima on Saturday, October 1st. Celebrate the Valley's hop crop (which contributes 77% of the hops in the U.S.) hop with fine craft beer. The festival will be held downtown and will include numerous breweries. There will also be live music and dancing; food from local restaurants; brewin...