The Uncommon Life

Mixtape Mixed Drinks: Dark ‘n Stormy Cocktail Recipe

September 14, 2013

A Dark ‘n Stormy is drink with a kick. It’s perfect for a rainy night, and so is this playlist.

A Dark ‘n Stormy in a Mixtape Glass is bright idea.

The Drink:
1.5 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer

Fill your glass with ice add 4 – 5 oz of Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer, and then top with Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. Garnish with a lime wedge (optional).

The Playlist:
1. Downeaster Alexa–Billy Joel
2. Fool in the Rain by Led Zeppelin
3. Bartender–Dave Matthews Band
4. Folding Chair–Regina Spektor
5. Ballentines–Aimee Mann
6. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa–Vampire Weekend
7. Pretty Girl From Annapolis–The Avett Brothers

The Uncommon Life

Mixtape Mixed Drinks: French 75 Cocktail Recipe

September 13, 2013

When I think about the music that goes with a French 75 I’m thinking jazz, I’m thinking cocktail party, I’m thinking sophisticated–but not too literal.

A French 75 is traditionally served in a Champagne flute, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste marvelous sipped from a Mixtape Glass.

The Drink:
1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces Champagne

Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain into glass, then top with Champagne.

The Playlist:
1. I Love Paris–Frank Sinatra
2. Over the Rainbow–Ben Webster
3. You don’t Know Me–Ray Charles
4. J’etais Une Fille–Camelia Jordana
5. Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square–Harry Connick, Jr.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Laura Frost

September 13, 2013

UncommonGoods Customer Service Assistant Manger Laura Frost

Laura Frost, UncommonGoods Assistant Manager – Customer Service
My hometown is…
Brooklyn, NY. (Before that is a list that’s way too long.)

The best customer interaction I’ve had at UncommonGoods was…
I had a customer who had a big Great Dane. Her dog was getting on in years, and the vet didn’t think her dog would have too much more time on this earth. She wanted to get the Custom Nose Print Necklace while her pooch was still around, but she wasn’t sure his nose would fit the mold since he’s such a big doggy. We figured out the dimensions on the phone, and it was super cute to hear him snuffle the phone and the ruler while she checked his nose-size. She was able to order the necklace with full confidence she’d be able to keep a token of her favorite dog’s nose forever.

I’m inspired by…
Farmer’s markets and flea markets.

My guilty pleasure is…
Action movies.

An uncommon fact about me…
I’ve lived in 9 states.

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
Brooklyn Ale House—the best little corner bar in Brooklyn.

My style is…
Casual, quirky, comfy.

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
That Excel is my friend.

Would you rather… Have to sing everything you said out loud for a week or not be able to sing for a month?
While I do like to sing around the house, I’m not up for a solo act. So, I’d stick with no singing for a month.

The Uncommon Life

Cover for Us! Contest

September 13, 2013

We admit we can be a little indecisive sometimes, and when we are we love hearing from you guys!

Help us choose which design will be on the cover of our holiday catalog and you could win a $50 gift card to UncommonGoods. Head on over to our Facebook page before midnight on September 16, cast a vote, and you’re entered for the prize.

Not only will you be really helping us out and possibly getting a jump start on your own holiday shopping!

For entry and full rules, please visit http://bit.ly/15XI3Zt.

The Uncommon Life

Mixtape Mixed Drinks: Creamsicle Cocktail Recipe

September 12, 2013

This creamsicle recipe is sweet, bubbly, and doesn’t require any actual cream.

A Mixtape Glass filled to the brim with Creamsicle is cool and sweet.

The Drink:
1 part vodka
1 part Cointreau
1 Part Cola

The Playlist:
1. In the Summertime–Mungo Jerry
2. Dimples–John Lee Hooker
3. Mas Que Nada–Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66
4. Summer Night–Sunlightsquare
5. Cherry Tree-Grand National
6. Transatlantic–Quantic

The Uncommon Life

Mixtape Mixed Drinks: Manhattan Cocktail Recipe

September 11, 2013

The Manhattan is a classic New York cocktail, so of course it inspired a playlist of classic New York songs. The Manhattan’s a sophisticated drink that evokes images of the city it’s named after during the Mad Men era. (Don Draper typically drinks an old fashioned, but we could see him drinking this as well.)

The drink can be made with Bourbon or Rye–my Manhattan is made with Bourbon.

Sipping a Mahattan in a Mixtape Glass can put you in a New York state of mind, no matter your location.
The Drink:
2 parts bourbon to 1 part sweet vermouth
1-2 Dash bitters
Maraschino cherry (optional)

Place ice in a cocktail shaker and then add bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters. Shake and pour (strained) into a chilled glass or pour over ice. Top with a cherry (optional).

The Playlist:
1. Incident on 57th Street-Bruce Springsteen
2. Spanish Harlem-Ben E. King
3. Positively 4th Street-Bob Dylan
4. Take the A Train-Duke Ellington
5. New York State of Mind-Billy Joel
6. New York City Serenade-Bruce Springsteen

The Uncommon Life

Mixtape Mixed Drinks: Sweet and Lowdown Cocktail Recipe

September 10, 2013

I enlisted a little help from my husband Nathan to make my drink-inspired playlist, since we created this drink together and he’s the music lover!

We call this drink the “Sweet and Lowdown” after the Woody Allen movie. (It has lots of great music!)

The Sweet and Lowdown (in our Mixtape Glass)is a citrus masterpiece inspired by cinema

The Drink:
1-2 oz gin (Depending on how strong you like it.)
1-2 oz grapefruit juice
Splash of triple sec or cointreau
Splash of soda
1-2 lime wedges
2-3 basil leaves, julienned, leave 1 whole

Muddle the julienned basil, 1 lime wedge and triple sec in the bottom of your glass. Fill glass with ice. Add gin, juice, and top with soda. Garnish with another lime and a basil leaf if desired. Turn on the music playlist below, relax, and enjoy!

Variations – Substitute mint or rosemary for the basil.

The Playlist:
1. Minor Swing–Django Reinhardt
2. Diga Diga Doo–Artie Shaw
3. Tain’t What You Do–Mildred Bailey
4. Si, Paloma–Sun Kil Moon
5. Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac–Dizzy Gillespie
6. Django–Grant Green
7. Two To Tango–Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Anthony Carella

September 10, 2013

Anthony Carella, UncommonGoods Software Developer
My hometown is…
Brooklyn, NY

My favorite process in the UncommonGoods warehouse is…
Returns! It encompasses every aspect of the Inbound operation and requires extreme attention to detail and a vivid understanding of how we do things at UncommonGoods. It also gives me insight as to why customers return our products, and that information is then used to better serve our customers and improve our products and business.

I’m inspired by…
My wife, my daughter, my family, and my sense of self-confidence.

The best gift anyone has given me was…
Unconditional love. I know it sounds cheesy, but sometimes growing up as an only child is rough. My mother, cousins, aunts and uncles were always there for me and provided me with support and compassion.

An uncommon fact about me…
During my late teens and early 20s, I was a world champion at the video game Dance Dance Revolution. I was on MTV twice, was in a music video, was in a New York Magazine article, and have over a million Youtube video views all from me playing Dance Dance Revolution.

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
Playing video games, spending time with my wife and daughter, cleaning/organizing/straightening something up, collecting permutation puzzles, reading science fiction novels or coding.

The word that best describes me…
Sketch. This was my nickname for everything growing up.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
That your career can change so much without you anticipating it. I went to school for business and accounting, got hired at UncommonGoods to work in the warehouse for the holiday season, and now (a few years later) I am still here and a software developer.

Would you rather … Have a lifetime subscription to your favorite magazine OR get to play for free at your favorite arcade for life?
I would definitely choose playing for free at my favorite arcade for life. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, arcades were such a prominent part of my generation. My all-time favorite arcade was called Broadway City and it was located in Manhattan, NY. If I were allowed to play all of the games for free, I would lose my mind!

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