Clockwise from center: Banderita, Palomatini, Perfect Paloma, Dobel Margatini

Cinco de Mayo is upon us and for those of you of (legal) drinking age, there’s really no other way to celebrate than with some tasty tequila.  Have you scheduled your party but still haven’t figured out what cocktails to serve yet?  Well, MANE MAN has you covered!

Admittedly, I’m not a huge tequila fan (we’ll chalk that up to one bad experience years ago) BUT it’s almost mandatory that tequila is requisite to Cinco de Mayo celebrations no matter where you are.  Send a shout out to Mexico with some of these cocktail recipes that I have hand picked from the folks over at Dobel Tequila.  They sound pretty good!  Don’t be scared to try something new and don’t fret if they don’t turn out like the pictures above.  It’s really all about the “spirit” of the drink instead of the look, right?! Check out these recipes courtesy of Dobel Tequila:

Banderita – A tasty salute to the Mexican flag.

• One shot of Bloody Mary sans horseradish
• A shot of Dobel Tequila
• Dilute Lime Juice

Palomatini – A refreshing twist on the traditional Paloma cocktail.

• 2 Parts Dobel Tequila
• 3 Parts Grapefruit Juice
• 1 Part Fresh OJ
• Splash Lime Juice

Perfect Paloma – The classic Mexican cocktail.

• 2 parts Dobel Tequila
• 4 Parts Grapefruit Soda
• Splash Lime Juice
• Lime Wedge garnish

Dobel Margatini – This one packs a serious punch!

• 2 parts Dobel Tequila
• 1/2 part Cointreau
• 1 part Fresh Squeezed OJ
• Splash Fresh Lime Juice
• Lime Wedge garnish

Disclosure: Products were provided courtesy of Neuro for the purpose of this review.

Formulated to use the power of science to get you the most out of life, Neuro was created in 2007 by founder Diana Jenkins.  Since 2007, Neuro has expanded its market to stores across the country to offer the supplement to consumers.  Recently, I was afforded the opportunity to give several of the Neuro drinks a try.  Plus, MANE MAN has teamed up with Neuro for a giveaway!

neuroSONIC: Labeled as “mental performance in every bottle”, neuroSONIC is designed to help you “energize the healthy way”.  Let me begin by saying that at 35 calories per 14.5 oz bottle, the whole idea of Neuro is amazing (how did you manage to pull that off Neuro?!).  That being said, SONIC has a citrusy and almost strawberry taste and reminded me a bit of the old school “strawberry drink” I used to have as a kid.  Now imagine that drink, with a lot less carbonation, practically no sugar and a kickstart of caffeine.  Not to shabby, eh? My one criticism is that the neuroSONIC has a strong synthetic sugar after taste which I did not enjoy.

neuroSUN: I actually passed neuroSUN on to a friend (Rachel of NewtoNewYorkCity.com) to try and this was her favorite.  With a little bit of caffeine and a refreshing taste, neuroSUN offers an extra hit of vitamin D, which helps keep your immune system healthy and helps maintain your body weight.

neuroTRIM: Designed to control your appetite and help you eat less, neuroTRIM, I would assume, is designed for long term use to gain any real benefit. My friend Rachel also helped along with this one. The flavor is sweet and grape-like, and tastes almost like a grape cold pop (Sweet Brown, anyone?).  That being said, TRIM also had that odd sugar after taste present in the neuroSONIC.

neuroPASSION: Here are some the buzzwords I wrote down while noting my experience with neuroPASSION: refreshing, energizing, CAFFEINE!  I can’t say that the PASSION drink necessarily offered more caffeine than the other drinks I tried but I will say that I can’t remember the last time I felt so energized and I have to have a cup of coffee almost every day.  I tried PASSION on a super hot, humid NY day when I was out shopping.  I skipped the café that morning and didn’t miss it at all.  Trust me, that is saying a lot.  I would strongly recommend this one for a kick start any day.

neuroSLEEP: Marketed as “ZZZzzz in every bottle”, neuroSLEEP packs a healthy does of melatonin, which is a supplement that has gained popularity over the past few years to help regulate your normal sleep pattern. Rachel noted that this one does help relieve minor body cramps, which is certainly a great benefit for anyone needing a bit of restoration.  Non-carbonated, neuroSLEEP and neuroSUN both have strong citrus-orangey tastes. If orange is your thing, you might want to give them both a shot.

neuroBLISS: This one, by far, was my favorite of the line.  It also happened to be the first one I tried.  Designed to reduce stress and enhance mood, I have to say that after a long day, neuroBLISS is what the doctor should have ordered.  The light carbonation gave me a nice bubbly sensation and reminded my of a vitamin water, only a hundred times better.  I’d buy just a case of this stuff alone.

Overall Impression: As a line of products, Neuro has a sleek and cool ergonomic design which is easy to hold and fit to carry around in a day bag without too much intrusion.  The bottle design is pretty cool which helps it stand out in a market of beverages trying to jump out at you from the market shelf. My only real disappointment was that some of the drinks had a strong, sugar substitute after taste which might bother some more than others.  That being said, I think neuroBLISS and neuroSONIC were stand outs in delivering the advertised effects.  Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised with Neuro and recommend it as a more beneficial alternative to overly sweet, heavily carbonated soda drinks. Try it for yourself.

THE GIVEAWAY!

Win a chance to try Neuro for yourself!  Just “LIKE” Neuro on Facebook…that’s it!  You have one week to enter and the winner will be announced the week of September 10.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Supplies Needed:

• Medium mixing bowl (microwave safe)
• A whisk
• Cookie sheet
• Two 6 or 8 ounce ramekins
• Non-stick cooking spray

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 pinch of baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• fresh strawberries

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Melt the butter in the microwave safe bowl
• Add the 4 tablespoons sugar and mix with whisk
• Whisk in one egg at a time until fully incorporated
• Then whisk in the remaining ingredients (not the strawberries) until blended
• Add a splash of milk if the batter seems too thick
• Spray the ramekins with the non-stick cooking spray and set on the cookie sheet
• Divide the mixture between the two ramekins and gently shake to even out the batter
• Place in the oven for 11-14 minutes. The cakes are done when the center jiggles slightly when moved
• Once out of the oven, run a small knife around the cake to separate the cake from the ramekin
• After about two minutes, carefully flip over the ramekins onto a plate and top with a halved strawberry
• Enjoy!

Feel free to omit the cayenne pepper if you don’t appreciate a little kick.  You can substitute with cinnamon or finely ground coffee if you prefer those flavors or omit it all together!  They all pair very well with chocolate.  This quick recipe is always a hit and impressive in both taste and presentation.  Bon appetit!

So far (this Restaurant Week) I’ve only been able to check out Kittichai but I’m looking to indulge into some other places soon!  The prix fixe lunch ($25) provides you with a three course meal with one appetizer, one entrée and dessert.  For the entrée, I had the hanger steak which was tasty if not a little chewy and for dessert I had the trio of ice cream.  Make sure you eat the maple ice cream…it was AMAZING!  But by far the best item from my meal was the Thai Spice Butternut Squash Soup.   It was velvety creamy, spicy and so delicious that I took a picture. I can’t reasonably go back this week…can I?!

Source: iweb.cooking.com

If you haven’t learned yet, you will come to learn that I’m a big foodie and love spending time in the kitchen trying new things  While I don’t consider myself much of a beverage connoisseur I have to say that I have been obsessed with coffee for many years. Growing up, I had more than my share of light and sweet (and strong) coffee made by my Dad on those lazy weekends.  After one sip, I no longer cared about the possibility that it would stunt my growth. Fine, I said…I’ll be short, but I will NEVER stop drinking coffee!  Fast forward many years later, and here I am writing about one of the finest kitchen inventions…the French Press.

A French Press or  “coffee press” is another way of brewing coffee. Basically, the big idea is that you use coarser grounds of coffee that brew in direct, constant contact with your hot water which leaves you with strong and rich coffee that absorbs much of the nuance and natural oils that more common electric brewers won’t give you.  I’ve been using a press for about a year or so now, so you can imagine how devastated I was one morning when I, with my Herculean strength, pressed down a bit too hard on the “press” and broke that mother.  Panic.  How will I have coffee the next day? I don’t have to time to go get another press today! Deep breaths…

Luckily, in NY there are coffee carts and Starbucks everywhere so I was able to get my fix for the next couple of days until I found a new French Press from Bed, Bath and Beyond which was the only store around that managed to have some in stock.  Caffeine crisis averted.! These days I’m enjoying my new press and hoping that it lives up to its “unbreakable” advertisement.  Only time will tell!  For a little insight on how to use a French Press, check out Coffee Geek’s How to Use a Press Pot. For a step by step check out the video below from Food Network’s Alton Brown as he shows us how to make perfect coffee using a French Press.

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