happy hour

our friends kelly and cory have implemented a weekly cocktail hour at their fabulous new place. they bought this bar (amazeballs) and each week, the plan is to try a fancy new libation. if i were drinking right now, i'd definitely go with a lemony champagne cocktail...kelly's going to mix one up in my honor.

isn't this cocktail hour a fun, mod sort of idea? it reminded me of the diner placemats with all the old-fashioned drinks on them...so i had to google image them and look what other tasty fun i found!

how fun and retro! the whole cocktail hour idea also brings to mind a concept i've been mulling over...that of mismatched fabric cocktail napkins. yeah, that's the stuff i think about. i picked up a small stack at a tag sale a while ago...they're cream with a thin border of gold piping. they're calling out to me to be the cornerstone of a new collection...

i love the idea of collecting them as you go, maybe getting some from your mother or grandmother and continuing to add each time you see ones you like. you could buy a few at a store if you fall in love without feeling the pressure to buy a whole set. by sticking with a common theme (flowers, gold accents, solid colors, etc) you can be assured they'll always match. but i also think that they'll match in their mismatching-ness no matter what...make sense?

here's what i mean...

i even love the idea of there being random initials and monograms on them...the whole idea kind of lends itself to the idea that cocktail and toasting happy occasions is universal and threads us all together.

do you want to start your own cocktail hour? check out this mad men 1960's cocktail guide. what looks good to you? if i could drink right now, i'd love a lemony champagne cocktail. do you remember the fizzy peach from a couple summers ago? maybe stir up some fun libations for mother's day...

ps. if you think the "cocktail suggestions" placemats are nearly as fun as i do, you can buy them here. 

cocktail suggestions image, cocktail napkin image 1, cocktail napkin image 2, cocktail napkin image 3, cocktail napkin image 4