I received 2 bottles of Rabbit Hole Distillery Bourbon to create some drinks with and drink I did.

It’s time to slip down the Rabbit Hole

But first a little about this craft bourbon. With the addition of Heigold Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky has created a truly distinctive brand with a unique flavor. Developed by its founder and whiskey maker Kaveh Zamanian, this mash bill offers drinkers a high-quality malted rye imported from Germany.

Now a FULL-TIME addition to the line-up

Rabbit Hole Heigold Kentucky high rye straight bourbon has become a year-round favorite, and I for one understand exactly why.  Also in the Rabbit Hole line-up are

“Cavehill” Kentucky Straight Bourbon – a four-grain bourbon that pays homage to the history of Louisville distillers. Rabbit Hole “Boxergrail” offering a rye inspired by the long history of boxing in the city and “Dareringer” Straight Bourbon Whiskey offers something slightly different as it is finished in sherry casks for a sweeter bourbon.

Although I think that any of the Rabbit Hole Bourbons, due to their quality are best enjoyed neat, I have included a couple of classic recipes as I always do.

A Classic Whiskey  Sour

Ingredients

• 2 oz Rabbit Hole “Dareringer”
• 6 oz lemon juice
• 6 oz simple syrup
• ice
• lemon wedge
• maraschino cherry

Instructions

1. Fill shaker with ice
2. Add 2 oz Rabbit Hole “Dareringer”
3. Add lemon juice & simple syrup
4. Shake vigorously
5. Pour into a tumbler
6. Garnish with lemon & maraschino cherry

Hare of the Dog

The perfect wake me up when you’ve had a rough night.

Ingredients

• “Dareringer” Rabbit Hole Bourbon
• V-8 juice
• Horseradish
• Bitters
• Worcestershire  sauce
• Ice
• Coarse salt

Instructions

1. Wet rim of glass & dip into the course sale
2. Fill shaker with ice
3. Add 2 oz  “Dareringer” Rabbit Hole Bourbon
4. Pour in 8 oz V-8 juice
5. Add 1/4 tsp of Horseradish
6. Toss in a dash of bitters & a dash of Worcestershire  sauce
7. Shake well & pour into the glass
8. Garnish with celery

My personal favorite is…

Rabbit Hole Heigold neat, over ice, or my favorite – WARM. Warming the bourbon really releases both the aroma as well as the flavor of a good bourbon like this.

Here’s how I do it.

1. Make a cup of coffee
2. Pour 2 oz of Heigold Rabbit Hole Bourbon into a snifter
3. Balance the snifter on the coffee mug
4. Allow it to warm the whiskey as it releases the fragrance.
5. Enjoy

Until next time. CHEERS!

Please note that all items in this guide were sent to us for placement.

If you’re like me, you wait until the very last minute to shop. I am NOT like my wife who hordes the gifts she buys year round.

1st – there is no rhyme or reason to the way she stores the gifts. They are just TOSSED onto her office couch.

2nd – I have no clue how she remembers what she bought for who.

3rd – It all takes too much thought. When did a box of Godiva Chocolates stop being the best gift?

4th – Shhh….the games on, here’s my credit card. Go buy yourself something nice.

If you’re NOT like me. You can get a headstart of shopping with this Holiday Gift Guide. All items are linked to where you can purchase them to make things easy (you know that I DIDN’T TO THIS). Have fun and shop while I’m watching the game

• Check out the lifestyle and travel blog Champagne Living.
• For a young couple’s view on life you’ll want to read Home Food Fun.
• Fore a man’s perspective on retirement check out Cars Bars and Pars.
• For everything from a  travel and beauty blog visit Tools2Tiaras.
• Savings With Denise a lifestyle blog for readers looking for perfect products
• Kids, a new house & a new business, learn how Controlled Confusion keeps it all together
• From a men’s lifestyle and sports blog  visit Garage Rant.

My wife received a press trip to write about Zota Beach Resort. I went along for the ride.

For my thirteen years living in Florida, I’ve stayed entirely on the East Coast I have vacations to Alaska, the Carribean, and Key West under my belt, but never before to the West Coast of Florida.

For years people have been telling me to go to the Gulf Coast, it’s so beautiful.” But, I resisted. I mean one Florida beach is as nice as another…RIGHT?

When I was offered 2 nights/3 days at the Zota Beach Resort with my wife Zippy from Champagne Living on Longboat Key, I was like…ewww…no! Then they said the magical two words….PET-FRIENDLY!

I never miss an opportunity to travel with my mini-bull-terrier Clem. He is an excellent road tripper and companion. He never asks: “Are we there yet? or ask me to pull into a gas station to “GO” every 5 minutes.

As I did my research I learned that not only is Zota Beach Resort pet-friendly, but so are several of the surrounding restaurants in the area. That sealed the deal. I was going.

For those driving across the state, be warned…the driver over from Port Saint Lucie isn’t exactly great. It’s three hours spent on a boring one-lane highway. Clem slept in the backseat through the whole trip until we finally made it past all of the cow pastures, orange groves, and cornfields to Sarasota and on to Longboat Key.

We pulled to the Zota Beach Resort and it looked spectacular. Our room overlooked the gorgeous gulf beach with the sparkling white sand of the Gulf of Mexico. Zota’s chaises and cabanas dot the landscape like a Gray Malin photograph. If we hadn’t called Clem in for dinner and bedtime he would have spent his entire time on the balcony, sniffing the food from the restaurant below and listening to the sounds of people playing in the water. He’d no fool, the sunset over the Gulf is something to behold.

The West Coast – Sarasota and the Longboat Key area is a moneyed area. In a parking lot full of Bentley’s, Maseratis, Porsches, and Mercedes, my 2017 Buick SUV did quite fit. Oh and Publix (the local Florida grocery chain where we went to pick up a few things) even offered celebrity cooking classes (not something that I’ve ever seen at my local Publix).

• Is the West Coast different from the East Coast?  – YES
• Is it as beautiful as people said it was? – YES
• Would I go back again? – In a heartbeat.

Experience the West Coast of Florida for yourself with a visit to Longboat Key. My suggestion, stay at the beautiful Zota Beach Resort for the perfect vacation with or without your pet.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

To be a photographer today

It’s a lot different than those days when I shot in black and white and took my film down to the basement darkroom to develop. While I miss the peace and quiet off those days, I am intrigued by how much we can do with great high-tech toys and innovative technology that wasn’t possible even just a few years ago.

First I ditched my SLR for digital and now

I barely use a camera at all. With mobile phones offering the best of photography that is already in your back pocket, I find very little use for lugging around a camera, switching lenses, playing with lights, etc. Plus, I no longer have only one or two vantage points for that shot that I want.

Now I can create aerial photos and videos easily

I recently learned about the DJI Global Mavic Mini for creating smooth, vivid shots with up to 12MP aerial photos and 2.7K Quad HD videos. For someone who felt the constraints of 2-legs on the ground when they really wanted to be able to capture the world from all angles, this is a game-changer. The 3-axis motorized gimbal provides superior camera stability and ensures clear ultra-smooth footage. and allows me to create the art that I could only dream of years ago.

See what the Mavic Mini does with a remote controller

• 249 g Ultralight
• 30-min Max. Flight Time
• 4 km HD Video Transmission
• Vision Sensor + GPS Precise Hover
• 3-Axis Gimbal 2.7K Camera
• Simplified Recording & Editing

Isn’t it time that you got out of the darkroom and soared to new photographic heights?

• Visit your nearby Best Buy or BestBuy.com to pick one up today.