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I started wearing lipstick in 7th grade; by the time I was in college I was a connoisseur of luxurious, deep red lipsticks that set off my dark brown skin. Which brought me to Poppy, a cool line of matte lipsticks I found at Barney's New York. Little did I know the creator was a teen-ager from Australia.

Cut to several years later when I started working on a book on appreciating everything fabulous about sparkling wine and champagne. I planned to call it The Bubbly Girl's Guide, because I knew that loving champagne also went with personality traits like being daring, having a vision for your life and not letting naysayers get at you.

I wanted to include vignettes talking to Bubbly Girls about what inspires them, which brought me back to Poppy King. Now with a new line of lipsticks called Lipstick Queen, she shared some insights into her creativity and drive. She was absolutely one of my most fun interviews ever! Besides telling me she adored Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Ms. King said:

About being happy: It’s a conscious decision to participate in your own sense of the joy in life.

About success: “If you want to look for failure, you can find that everywhere, but … remember that all the success stories we see around started on an idea and a whim and a risk,” she said. “It all depends on your goggles you view the world with. If you put on your success goggles, you’ll see that too.”

Now you can learn the rest of her story and be inspired by her wise and witty insights in "Lessons of a Lipstick Queen" (Atria, $23) on sale now at Amazon.com.

There's nothing like a good book and a glass of bubbly to set the wheels of inspiration turning!

Tales from the Kripta

My junior high Spanish didn't school me on "rayuela," the word for hopscotch. But it's in my vocabulary permanently after a visit to Rayuela, the Lower East Side restaurant that skips between different Latin cuisines to present an intriguing and delicious menu. Rayeula has attracted savvy celebs like Chris Noth, Mo Rocca, Amy Winehouse and sexy Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, who celebrated a birthday there.

The restaurant is modern yet warm, done in pale woods, accented by candles in alcoves that recall a hopscotch pattern and a live olive tree imported from California that stretches toward a second story skylight.

Chef Maximo Tejada, who worked with Nuevo Latino padrino Douglas Rodriguez, calls his cooking "estilo libre" because its a modern, freestyle cuisine completely inspired by Latin styles of cooking and ingredients. We visited the Caribbean, Mexico, Spain and South America with dishes such as a silky ceviche with guanabana and lychee; guacamole spiked with crab, carica (Brazilian papaya) stuffed with duck confit and crab-stuffed piquillo peppers in a tantalizing cilantro allioli.

Oh, and I loved Coming up Roses, a subtle cocktail with rose nectar, lime and champagne created by mixologist Junior Merino. But I really got a kick out of a rare bottle of cava that sommelier and co-ower Hector Sanz pulled out of his stash. Kripta Gran Reserva, created by winemaker Agusti Torello, comes in a stunning amphora-shaped bottle. Sanz assures me that the wine inside the handmade bottle is equally amazing, perhaps the best cava ever created.

You don't have to worry about this wine ever losing its cachet; the only U.S. store I could find with any inventory has just four bottles. I did find a source though for Torello's high-end cava vinegar, made from the same grapes as his famous wines, but sour grapes just aren't quite the same thing.

Bubble Bath

I'm in New York City this week, the capital of all things sparkling and fabulous. And am I ever enjoying the luxury of staying in a suite at the venerable St. Regis Hotel.

The room is done in beautiful shades of gold accented with pinstriped wall coverings, bombe chests and a secretary trimmed in brass scrolls, a marble fireplace and lots of chandeliers.

But the most decadent surprise awaited in the bath, where I found the menu for the signature Krug champagne baths. Just ring the butler (every floor has one) and he'll conjure up a rose petal bath with Krug Rose; a Maison du Chocolat and Krug Grande Cuvee bath; or the Ultimate with four ounces of Osetra caviar and a magnum of Krug definitely designed for sharing!

As the price tags for these baths range from $525 to $1650, you can always resort to B.Y.O.K.

Goldfinger! -- A Cocktail Recipe

Sure V-day 2008 has come and gone, but romance is a 365-day-a-year pursuit, no?

Browsing on Splendora's "What To" Blog when I found a mention of The New InterCourses: an aphrodisiac cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge. The book offers recipes using well-known aphrodisiacs like chocolate and oysters as welll as some lesser known functional foods such as artichokes, edible flowers, figs and even black beans.

Of course, this list would be incomplete without champagne. Here it comes in a honey and Cognac cocktail called Goldfinger.
Cheers!

Valentine's Goodie Recipes

So you want to make a Valentine's Day dinner for your sweetie. I don't blame you for wanting to stay in and have an intimate evening instead of being stuck at some restaurant with strangers. Here are a few tips for stress-free entertaining:

Create atmosphere with unscented candles, flowers and mood music or a movie in the background.

Keep it light (nobody wants to be too full later in the evening).

Finger foods are fun and sexy.

Create a sensual menu with different tastes and textures.

Here are some foolproof recipes for easy, impressive and romantic foods.

The menu: Ravishing Rose Cocktail
Smoked Salmon Chips with Creme Fraiche and Chives
Panna Cotta with Rasperries
Best Chocolate Cupcakes Ever



A pink cocktail is a must for Valentine's and I can't think of anything more romantic than the flavor of roses. It's just an added bonus that rose water is prized for its calming and aphrodisiac qualities.

If you want to take the V-Day theme further, make raspberry ice cubes by taking a small heart-shaped mold and filling it with a combination of strained raspberry puree, water and a splash of raspberry liqueur or Alize Red Passion; freeze overnight.

Ravishing Rose Cocktail

2 ounces Sence Bulgarian Rose Essence (at Whole Foods & BevMo)
1 tablespoon raspberry puree
3 ounces chilled brut sparkling wine, like Sofia

Add the rose essence and raspberry puree to a champagne flute. Top off with chilled brut sparkling wine or champagne. Garnish with a fresh raspberry or a heart-shaped raspberry ice cube.




Whether its a cocktail party or dinner, I love making a meal out of finger foods and appetizers. Smoked salmon and potato pancakes is great, but the pancakes can be a bother. This potato chip version will be one of your favorite party appetizers; just be sure to use good quality wild smoked salmon that's not too salty.

Smoked Salmon Chips with Creme Fraiche and Chives
12 large natural-style ridged potato chips (use the kind for dipping)
12 one-inch by 1-1/2 inch squares of smoked wild salmon
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
fresh chives, snipped into little pieces

Select your 12 perfect chips and lay them out on a platter. Fold over a piece of smoked salmon and place on top of a chip. Top with a dab of creme fraiche if using or sour cream and a few pieces of chives. Repeat with the remaining chips. Eat immediately or they'll keep in the fridge for an hour or two.

Suggested Bubbly Pairing: Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee (hint, hint)



I love the creamy and delicate Italian dessert panna cotta, which means cooked cream. It's like a creme brulee without the crunchy topping and truly the easiest thing ever. This recipe is from Mark Bittman's classic "How to Cook Everything" (Macmillan, 1998) and it always works. Garnish with fresh raspberries, or make a compote of raspberries, blueberries and a splash of your favorite liqueur heated gently in a saucepan or the microwave.

Panna Cotta
1 cup milk
1 (1/4 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
Assorted berries or a mixed berry sauce

Pour 1/2 cup milk in a medium saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit for 5 minutes so gelatin blooms or puffs up slightly. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring until the gelatin dissolves completely.

Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out the black seeds; add seeds and pods to the pot along with the rest of the milk, cream and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until steam rises from the pot. Turn off heat, cover and let steep for 15 to 30 minutes.

Remove the vanilla pod, and pour the mixture into six custard cups or little bowls. Chill until set, about 2 hours. Serve in the cups or dip cups in hot water for 10 seconds, loosen the edge with the tip of a knife and invert onto dessert plates. Serve the same day with berries or sauce if you like.

Suggested bubbly pairing: Nivole Moscato d'Asti

For most people, any kind of chocolate is irresistable on Valentine's Day, but for me it has to be bittersweet and baked into a moist little cake. Adapted from a Nancy Silverton recipe, these decadent cupcakes studded with dark chocolate fill the bill.


Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 large cupcakes or 48 mini ones

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
One 1/4 ounce package dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled, plus extr for greasing pan
5 eggs
1-1/3 cups coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
powdered sugar

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over yeast in a small mixing bowl. Pour lukewarm water over sugar and yeast. Let sit until yeast softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup flour and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Sift together cocoa powder, remaining 1 cup sugar and remaining 3/4 cup flour. Make a large well in the center of te dry ingredients and pour in butter, eggs and yeast mixture. Whisk together liquids and gradually incorporate the dry ingredients. Keep whisking until everything is thoroughly mixed. Stir in chopped chocolate.

Spoon batter into muffin tins that have been lightly greased with melted butter, filling to the rim. Bake at 375 on middle rack until cakes are firm to touch, 18 to 20 minutes for regular size or 7 to 8 minutes for minis. Dust with powdered sugar while warm and serve right away, though these keep very well for a few days in an airtight container. To make a chocolate ganache frosting, place 4 ounces chopped chocolate and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a Pyrex cup. Microwave on medium until the chocolate starts to lose its form. Whisk together into frosting.

Suggested bubbly pairing: Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui

Fancy Food Show Finds

Twice a year, foodies, restaurateurs and gourmet store owners flock to the Fancy Food Show to find the latest new food and beverages products. For the first time, the winter show was held in San Diego, bringing 14,000 foodies and lots of new trends from around the world.

With sparkling cocktails on the brain as always, here were some of my favorite finds:
Golden Star Tea a white jasmine tea with a slight sparkle, Golden Star Tea is presented as a adult beverage for someone who doesn't want alcohol. I found its fragrant aroma and taste and slight fizz enchanting. The owners say in March it will be available in New York, LA, San Francisco and on their website.


Bulgarian roses - the most prized in the world for their delicious fragrance - go into making Sence Rare European Rose Nectar that has a subtle flavor that combines rose with with a hint of citrus. The fact that the curvy glass flacon resembles a perfume bottle doesn't hurt. I'll be using it to make a sparkling Valentine's Day cocktail for NBC San Diego on Feb 11.

Rocca dei Forte is an Italian range of wines by Togni SpA that offers spumante - aka sparkling wine - from several major regions of Italy. Their new affordable line launching in the US this spring includes four offerings: Prosecco, Brachetto, Asti and Verdicchio. Each has a dark bottle with a bright capitol letter on front corresponding to the name of the wine. The biggest revelation was the Spumante Verdicchio, a light and crisp wine primarily made in the Marches with hints of nuts and warm spices. It's a very imformative web site as well -- assuming you speak Italian.

Let Freedom Ring

I wasn't able to make it to the Martin Luther King Champagne Brunch in Jackson, Miss. this morning, but I'll still be celebrating this amazing man's legacy in my own way. I definitely believe that I wouldn't be me, doing the things I'm doing today, had it not been for the Civil Rights Movement that Dr. King energized in the early 1960s.

And as a writer, I've always admired the way he delivered speeches so that it felt like his powerful words were cascading over you. I'm glad video footage of the historic "I Have a Dream" speech delivered on Aug. 28 1963 during the March on Washington still lives. These are two of my favorite alliterative passages:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will they be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood."

If you're off today, don't miss The Dream Lives: A Martin Luther King Day Special on Oprah. My friend, the super-smart and bubbly Janet Lee, is one of the producers who worked really hard on this show, so I know it will be meaningful and moving.