Football Sundays fly during the Christmas season.  While Mike watches games on all the TV’s in the condo, I shop + decorate + DIY my way to escape it.  It’s great!

Supplementary to my last DIY gifting post, I am continuing on with the cocktail theme and am coming at you with the details on the sugar rimmer portion of the gift [pictured above].  It’s a pretty simple DIY and it probably does not require a tutorial but I’m giving you one anyway!

M A T E R I A L S

• equal parts of coloured sugar in your desired shades | I found a rainbow of colours in the baking section of HomeSense
• round tin | Sourcing this was probably the hardest part of this DIY.  The tin I used for this gift was from another drink rimmer that I found.  I removed the contents and stripped all the labelling.  I later discovered that metal “CD” tins can be found at Creative Bag and Lee Valley [on King St. West| Toronto]
• multi-surface acrylic craft paint | I used Martha Stewart Crafts brand paints from Michael’s

paint and label the tin container’s lid however you like | let stand until dry to the touch 
in a bowl mix the equal parts of each sugar colour together | I for the holidays, I stuck with the classic red + green + white
once combined, pour sugar into the tin container filling it 1/2-3/4’s of the way | cover with lid + gift!

The perfect whimsical addition to any cocktail!

A  P A E L L A  C O C K T A I L  P A I R I N G

When my attention is fully diverted away from football + Mike’s Sunday habits, I am culinarily caught off guard and am surprised with the dinner dishes that Mike whips up.  In this instance he scored a touchdown with a deliciously addictive seafood + chorizo paella.

N O T E : I had all intentions of sharing this paella recipe but Mike was too lazy to give the details…so, instead I give you some pics and an easy + delicious + refreshing cocktail pairing.

T H Y M E  G + T

Over the last year, I have fallen in love with gin and fell in deeper love with it during + after our trip to the UK.  Nothing beats it’s piney + refreshing taste.

To add a little twist to my usual G + T , I like to add a hit of sweetness and flavour with an infused simple syrup.  With paella on the menu, I took one of the main herbs that Mike used in the dish and used it to infuse my cocktail.

t h y m e  s i m p l e  s y r u p

• 1 C sugar
• 1 C water
• sprigs of fresh thyme

combine sugar + water + thyme in a sauce pan over med heat 
continuously stir until sugar dissolves
increase heat brining mixture to a boil
reduce heat back to medium and let simmer for about 3 mins
transfer to a bowl and let cool
strain out the thyme 

**before you go about with your regular G + T , with a lime, rim your rocks glass with our holiday rimmer, add 1/2 Oz of simple syrup, and garnish with some sprigs of thyme

Enjoy + Cheers to Christmas!