I'll take Grey Goose on the rocks on a Saturday evening and there's nothing better....I do hate the price though...check out this link, I have tried it and it's not Grey Goose, but it's dang close...btw I recommend 10 runs thru the Brita myself. If anything it's a fun read. All I can say is "Brilliant!!" Here is a link that might be useful: Finally found the Philosopher's Stone

You can get a milk frother for about $15 or $20 at local cooking/grocery stores, or $2 at Ikea. I find they work really well, even with cold milk, and are especially good at frothing my coffee/hot chocolate mix in the winter.

ThereÂs noting like a plastic glass to ruin a martini experience. We chill our martini glasses in the freezer  you donÂt want to cool your martini (or martini-like drink) down quickly, and plastic will do that (plus the aesthetic aspect of it). Some bartenders fill the martini glass with ice while they are making it, then dump the ice our before pouring (to chill the glass). There are so many interesting things you can put in a martini, such as garnishes made by Sable & Rosenfeld http://www.sableandrosenfeld.com/product/cocktail_garnishes.html. Lots of gourmet or specialty shops sell these types of cocktail garnishes. Also, olives are stuffed with so many interesting things  like garlic, sundried figs, chipotle peppers, etc. for those who like martinis. It would be fun to pick up a book on martinis, such as Shaken Not Stirred : A Celebration of the Martini http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062734881/qid=1093789691/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-2238404-7840714 both as a coffee table book / conversation piece, but also for ideas. You could put little post-it-note flag on the ones that you have the ingredients for if you decide to make some of them. If you donÂt want to get stuck with a ton of sweet liquors after the party, you could get a bunch of airplane bottles from the liquor store (for instance, Godiva chocolate liquor) so you have variety without a huge expense. Good luck  sounds like fun!

I am so "on the cusp" it's hard for me to keep from calling vodka based drinks served in martini glasses "martinis", but totally get that gin is the only martini. Here's my favorite vodka based "martini" drink. What else can this generation call drinks that are made in that style (pure to almost pure liquor/served in a martini glass)???! Godiva Chocolate Martini recipe 1 1/2 shots Godiva® chocolate liqueur 1 1/2 shots creme de cacao 1/2 shot vodka 2 1/2 shots half-and-half Dip a glass in liquid (your choice, 1/2 and 1/2, vodka, chocolate liqueur...). Rim the glass with powdered chocolate drink mix (I know, I know, but it looks so pretty :). Swirl a glass with chocolate syrup. Add all liquid ingredients in a shaker along with ice. Pour into glass and garnish with either a cherry or a coffee bean. The coffee bean is more traditional, but cherries are becoming more widely seen. Very ultra decadent. -Robin