As 2013 comes to a close, I’m torn between having spent too much time in the air and having not made it to some of the places I wish to go. The “bucket list” seems to get longer every year, but it also changes as I hear about locations that I hadn’t originally thought of. My goal is to make it to all 10 of these destinations for their beaches, wine, spirits, food and/or spectacular accommodations. I’ve already been to the last three, but I’m long overdue for a return trip. Happy New Year no matter where or when you travel! Feel free to add your ideas to the comments. Marcia Panama- This is one of the hottest destinations right now and as more new and unusual hotels get built, my desire to visit grows. Fiji/Tahiti- If I’m going to head to the South Pacific, I’d like to get as much for the trip as possible. Don’t ask me to choose from all the marvelous islands there. Tuscany- I have loved every Italian wine region I’ve been to and can’t wait to get to this one. ...

Think you’ve seen all the Thanksgiving leftover recipes out there? Think again. I bet you haven’t seen cocktails made out of leftovers: The 56 Holiday feast: 2 parts Jägermeister 2 scoops of cranberry sauce 10 mint leaves 1 lemon slice Combine in shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon wedge. Sweet Potato smash 2 parts Bärenjäger honey and bourbon 1 scoop of leftover sweet potato puree 3 sage leaves 1/2 part of orange juice Combine in shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a rocks glass full of fresh ice. Garnish with a sage leaf or an orange slice (optional) The Cosmopolitan Pilgrim 1.5 parts American Harvest 2 scoops of leftover cranberry sauce 3/4 parts fresh lime juice 1/4 part orange liqueur Combine in shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a martini glass. Add ice and shake well, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedg...

Halloween is a day of costumes and collecting candy for kids. Adults may prefer their sweets in cocktail form, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This year I’ll be in Los Cabos, Mexico, for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a festive holiday that takes place just after Halloween. It seems only fitting that I include some tequila-based libations to cover the Spanish celebrations. Kahlua Pumpkin Martini 1 ½ parts Kahlua Pumpkin Spice* 1 ½ parts ABSOLUT Vodka Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. *Just tasted this recently and it’s delicious. Try some in your coffee! Hocus Pocus Punch 1.5 oz Belvedere Vodka 1.5 oz Pomegranate Juice 1.5 oz Orange Juice Dash Tabasco Pour orange juice into a highball glass. Shake rest of ingredients and layer over the top of the orange juice. Garnish with a small orange disguised as a hallo-lantern. Spooky Swizzle 2 oz Belvedere Bloody...

While many think of Thanksgiving as a day to fill the house with family and turkey with all the trimmings, that doesn’t always work for everyone. I happen to have a small family scattered around the country. I also know of others who have no family, or just prefer to get away from all the hassle and turn the four day weekend into an ideal vacation. Untitled Document Find the perfect vacation Africa Alaska Asia Australia Bahamas Canada New England Caribbean Europe Hawaii Mexico Panama Canal South America South Pacific Western US Holiday travel can often be very expensive. This isn’t usually the case with Thanksgiving, es...

A few new and exciting events and offers came through my inbox recently that I thought were well worth passing along. Wish I had more free time to check them out myself. Sun King Brewery , the first brewing in Indianapolis in fifty years, is hosting the inaugural CANvitational on September 28 th . This is the first canned craft beer festival to be presented in the Midwest.  More than 30 craft breweries from 16 states will be participating in this street fest, which will also have food trucks lining Georgia Street. For tickets and more information, visit http://www.canviational.com . Wine lovers should check out the Golden Cork Contest Keel and Curley Winery is having to celebrate their 10 th anniversary, which coincides with their millionth bottle. In the spirit of Willie Wonka’s Golden Ticket, customers will be looking for golden corks. If you find a golden cork in any of the bottles from Keel and Curley, you will gather with other winners at the winery on O...

My Keurig was the best present I ever bought myself. I use it every day and – by shopping around for the k-cups and never wasting any coffee, it’s not costing me much. I highly recommend a single cup coffee maker for anyone on the go, living alone, or with a significant other that doesn’t share the same taste in coffee. I haven’t seen the Suncana brewer by Blu Tigres yet, but I can tell you not to give up a chance to win one. This single service machine claims to offer better quality than its competitors and has environmentally friendly coffee pods. After you make your coffee, the pods, which are 100% biodegrable, can be used as fertilizer for your garden! If you got to the Blue Tigres website and sign up for their newsletter, you will have a chance to win one of their Suncana coffee makers. Hurry, though, the contest is over July 1 st . From coffee to vodka (why not?), I have another offer and this one is an even better prize. Russian Standard Vodka has launched an “I...

Once in a while, something comes into my inbox that I just can't resist. That happened this morning when I found out about MyFly Bag. I've seen offers of customized luggage before, but they are always either priced very high or require you purchasing a large quantity (or entire set). MyFly Bag is nothing like that. You can order one piece of carry-on at the very reasonable cost of $129.99.  With MyFly Bag, you can choose from more than a dozen colors or you can upload a photo onto your luggage. The photo can be of your family, favorite destination or family pet. You can even put your company logo on the luggage and/or add your own line of text. The MyFly Bag is 22 x 13.5 x 9, meeting the carry-on requirements of most major airlines. It is a lightweight shell with multiple pockets inside and 360 degree spinner wheels. I'd love to see some of the interesting custom suitcases so send me a photo after you design one!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the hardworking mothers out there who sacrifice a lot. Spa Week , Smarter Travel’s SniqueAway and Shoptiques.com  have teamed to help honor moms throughout the month of May with a Shop. Spa. Stay. Giveway . Throughout the month of May, you can enter for a chance to win this ultimate prize package by visiting the Spa Week website .  The Shop. Spa. Stay. Giveway will continue throughout the month of May.   The winner will be announced in June and receive a $1,000 shopping spree to Shoptiques to pick up a new wardrobe, $200 in hotel credits from SniqueAway for a well-deserved vacation and 1 $1,000 spa & wellness gift card to use to be pampered all year long at your choice of 7,500 spas. Complete rules are available on the website and you do not need to purchase anything to win. 

It’s funny how my favorite holidays seem to be based around food and drink. Cinco de Mayo is no exception. While I am perfectly happy with a shot of tequila or a mango margarita, I also welcome some new uses for the Mexican spirit. Here’s some recipes to try in celebration of the fifth of May… To start your day: Bloody Maria 1 oz Tequila 6 oz Tomato juice Horseradish, tabasco sauce, worcestershire sauce, lime juice, celery salt and pepper to taste Celery stick Pour ingredients into a shaker. Shake and strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with a celery stick instead of a stirrer. For the afternoon on the porch: Blue Lagoon Margarita 1 1/2 oz 3/4 oz Blue Curacao 1/2 oz Pineapple juice Splash of Lemon/lime soda Splash of Lime juice Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass. Before dinner: Mojito Lamaica 2 oz Casa Noble Crystal Tequila 2 oz Hibiscus simple...

I’ve been sampling and mixing again. This time it was some unusually flavored vodkas. It involved some creativity, but it was worth it in the end.  Before I get to that, I’d like to share a piece of news that came across my inbox.  It looks like my favorite spirit is getting more popular in the Big Apple. The New York City restaurant Oceana has unveiled a “Just Gin” program, created in partnership with Simon Ford. The former ambassador to Plymouth & Beefeater Gin put together a list for the restaurant that includes 40 varieties of gin. Ford made sure the list included a selection of gins, including London Dry, Navy Strength and Genever. He also worked with Oceana to create four types of house-made tonic waters.  To make get more people to try the spirit, the restaurant has also put together a five-course tasting menu that is also available with gin cocktail pairings. I’ve enjoyed almost all of Van Gogh’s vodkas, finding their flavors to be quite re...

St. Patrick’s Day is a fun holiday full of celebrating, which turns into serious imbibing for some people. Here are some suggestions if you want to play it safe by staying off the roads and getting some friends together for a party at home. Kilbeggan’s Irish Whiskey was one of my big finds over the last year. The double-distillation gives this whiskey a smooth, but distinguishable flavor. It’s fairly new to the U.S., but worth looking for. Try it in this St. Patty’s Day cocktail with another thing I’ve recently discovered I love – ginger beer. Kilbeggan Irish Storm 1½ parts Kilbeggan® Irish Whiskey 3 parts Ginger Beer 1 part Fresh Lemon Sour Add ingredients one at a time in a tall highball glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge. My friend Claire Smith has done some of her magic again for the upcoming holiday. Here are two of the recipes Belvedere Vodka’s Head of Spirit Creation & Mixology created  to keep you thinking green. Green Tea-ni Thyme 2 oz...