Beers, Bands, and Buds

This is an interesting (but delicious) shot. This shot is considered really girly. I really like this one because it tastes like coconuts. It is a perfect drink to consider when you are down the shore or at another vacation spot. It is fruity and perfect for a party on a warm summer day. You can use different fruits to garnish this shot, or even serve it over ice as a drink. To make this shot you’ll need:

• Malibu Rum (Coconut) (1/3 oz)
• Watermellon Schnapps (1/3 oz)
• Pineapple Juice (1/3 oz)
• Grenadine (drop)
• Garnish with pineapple (optional)

First, grab a shaker and fill it with ice. Add the Malibu Rum, Watermellon Schnapps, and Pineapple Juice. Shake and pour in to the glass. Add a dash of grenadine, serve, and enjoy!

This is an incredibly sweet shot. It is really popular among girls/women. I like this shot because it is a bright color, but I wouldn’t recommend doing many of them. Mostly because the sweetness might really upsets ones stomach. This is another one that is served differently at every bar/with different bartenders. I have tried making it a few different ways, but the current recipe I have now has been the most popular and is my preference out of the other ones I have tried. To make this shot, you’ll need:

• Citrus Vodka (1/4 oz)
• Mellon Schnapps (1/4 oz)
• Peach Schnapps (1/4 oz)
• Sour Apple Schnapps (1/4 oz)
• Grenadine (small drop)

Grab a cup of ice or a shaker. Mix together the vodka and all of the schnapps. Shake. Strain into a shot glass and add a small drop of grenadine. Serve and enjoy!

PHOTO: http://www.sophisticatededge.com/assets/images/Food-Entertaining/Cocktails/how-to-make-jolly-rancher-vodka-shot.jpg

This shot is supposed to taste like an orange creamsicle, and it really does! It’s really good, just fruity enough to taste like a creamsicle but not overly sweet. Different bars and bartenders have different ways of making this shot, but I am a huge fan of ours. This is a safe shot to serve both men and women, it’s tasty but doesn’t have bright colors or anything to it – so most people are willing to try it! It’s not a well known shot, so I always try to recommend it to people that are unsure about which mixed shot they should order. To make this shot, you’ll need:

• Pinnacle Whipped Vodka (1/2-3/4 oz per shot)
• Ginger Ale (1/2 oz per shot)
• Orange Juice (Splash)

Fill up a cup/shaker with ice and pour all 3 ingredients over the ice. Cover and shake. Strain into shot glasses and enjoy!

Image: http://www.veryicon.com/icon/png/Food%20%26%20Drinks/Ice%20Cream%20Bars/Orange%20Creamsicle.png

I added a few widgets and plug ins through my blog throughout the semester. First, I added the Google Analyticator Plug In. This way, I was able to add my blog to a Google Analytics page and track the views that my blog was getting over the semester. I also added the UNFiltered MU plug in when I wanted to add a Twitter “Follow Me” button to my site. This allowed for the Follow Me to actually look like a button rather than just a link. I also added the “Category Posts” plug in which allowed for my comments and posts to be categorized by topics. I added and took away widgets from my site as I went, basically just seeing what I liked there and what I didn’t like. One widget that I added was the Text box widget. This allowed for me to put the Twitter Follow Me button where I wanted on my page. I also added the Leaderboard directly to my blog. I figured that since most of my audience was (hopefully) our class, they could see right on my page where they stood on the leaderboard. A third widget that I added was Search. This allowed for my viewers to search through my site quickly rather than having to click through multiple pages. I had the “Google Analytic Stats” for a short period of time, but removed it because my views weren’t very impressive, so I felt showing them on my page wasn’t very effective.

A “Mind-eraser” is popular among all ages. It’s simple to make and easy to drink. I haven’t made a bunch of these at my bar, but I see people order them a lot when I am out. My mom and her friends, for example, are big fans of this drink. It can be drank quick like a shot or you can sip on this one- which is why a lot of people tend to like them. It is a milkier drink so it goes down extremely smoothly. To make this, you’ll need:

• Vodka (1/2 oz)
• Coffee Liqueur (1/2 oz)
• Baileys Irish Cream (1/2 oz)
• Soda Water (club soda) (1/2 oz)
• Garnish with lime wedge & straw

Mix together the vodka, coffee liqueur (Kahlua), baileys, and club soda over ice and shake. Grab an old fashioned glass and pour the contents (including ice) in. Garnish with a lime wedge and straw and serve. It’s not totally necessary to drink it through the straw but it makes it easier if you are trying to drink it as a shot.

This shot is really popular with younger girls (21-25). Especially if they are celebrating a birthday. It tastes really good and the presentation of them are really nice. They are easy to make and can be served either as a shot or a full drink. To make this drink, you’ll need:

• Vanilla vodka (brand can change by preference, I recommend stoli) (1/2 oz per shot) (1.5 oz per drink)
• Pineapple juice (1/2 oz per shot) (3-4 oz per drink)
• Grenadine (1 drop per shot) (3-4 drops per drink)

First, grab a shaker or a cup and fill it with ice. Pour the vodka and pineapple juice over ice and shake. If serving as a drink: keep the contents in the glass with ice (or pour into a glass with ice). If serving as a shot: strain the liquid into the shot glasses. Then, add the grenadine and enjoy! In the shot glass, the grenadine will sink to the bottom: making it look like pineapple upside down cake! I recommend serving this at parties: very creative, pretty, and tasty!

For my bonus event, I interviewed Caitlin Rinaldi, who is a recent West Chester University graduate and works in the advertising department at Everfresh Juice Company. Caitlin is a good friend of my cousin and I met her over winter break. We talked briefly about her position and she told me about the online advertising movement Everfresh was going through.

Me:

What brought you to Everfresh? While you were in school, did you think that you would end up working mostly online?

Caitlin:

No, I didn’t. When I used to think of “advertising”, I would think of poster boards with giant picture ideas, like Mad Men. I imagined myself presenting ideas to groups through giant still-shots and printed ideas. But that’s not at all what I have been doing. It’s definitely different than I expected.

Me:

Different good, or different bad? What did you do to prepare for this “online” advertising?

Caitlin:

Different good, I think! It’s funny, because advertising is so much more than just TV or print ads anymore. When people want to hear your advertising plan it’s now like, “okay, so that is what you will do to catch the attention of some people. What about building your online presence? Where will we advertise on the web?” or if we’re hosting a big sale we’re like “well what websites should we post it on? What feedback is our Facebook page/Twitter receiving?” There is just so much more ground to cover now. But it’s nice because we can get immediate feedback too (through Facebook/Twitter/online presence) – so we know what we really need to focus our advertising on.

Me:

That must be nice. Do you guys really make differences based on customer feedback online?

Caitlin:

Absolutely. It is like free market research, so why wouldn’t we take advantage of it. We can also see where we are getting hits from, so if our Facebook page is bringing in a lot of feedback- we know that focusing advertising there will be effective. It’s my job to make sure we’re not only covering our grounds with advertising but also making sure that we are actually getting through to people and increasing sales.

Me:

So, do you think that online advertising is where the world is headed?

Caitlin:

Definitely. I think that we’re already there. It’s changed from poster boards and pictures to IPads and computer generated marketing approaches. We have the sources now so we need to take advantage.

I thought talking with Caitlin was interesting because she actually works in a role that used to be extremely paper based, but with time and technology is converting to an online career.

For my book review, I read “The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, & Strategies for Business Success” by Lon Safko and David K. Brake. This book defines social media and discusses all of the different portals used for social media: from Facebook to LinkedIn, or Twitter to Google+. This book also talked about different social media sites that I had not yet heard about, such as Meebo, Redlasso, or IceRocket. Safko and Brake discussed the different functions of each social media site and which ones would be most beneficial depending on what the goal of your blog/online presence is. This book would be really helpful for anyone who is fresh to social media or transitioning their company to a social media focused marketing plan. The overall point of the book is that with technology constantly emerging and changing today, it is hard to get by without becoming an “internet geek.” Social Media brings vast opportunities for people to market themselves or their companies, we just need to do the work to figure out how each social media site functions.