Chocolatey Goodness

The Chocolate Show melts the hearts of New Yorkers with a luscious fashion show where all of the models are dressed in mouthwatering chocolate. Includes interviews with models and designers as well as a peek at the delicacies on offer.

Back Room Dealings

Lower East Side speakeasy The Back Room was the aptly chosen locale for an intense cocktail competition last evening, sponsored by New Amsterdam Gin. Gathering eight of the industry's best-known bloggers and web entrepreneurs (including New York Insider's own Thomas Farley), New Amsterdam challenged the contestants to create a gin cocktail with a New York backstory and ingredients to match--all in under ten minutes. Presided by master mixologist Alex Ott, the night's quick proceedings resulted in a varied and delicious group of cocktails, with ingredients from cayenne pepper to elderflower.

The entries (and recipes) follow ...

Green Market Smash (WINNING ENTRY)

1 ½ oz New Amsterdam Gin

½ oz liquified honey

½ oz elderflower liquer

6-8 basil leaves

1 oz orange juice

½ oz cranberry juice

Created by Selena Ricks, The Dizzy Fizz

The GINtrification

2 ½ oz New Amsterdam Gin

2 slices cucumber

2 wedges lemon

½ barspoon liquified honey

½ oz Elderflower liquer

2 dashes celery bitters

2 dashes rose water

1 oz orange juice

Created by Carmen Operetta, Libation Diaries

The Flight Delay

1 ½ oz New Amsterdam Gin

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz orange juice

¾ oz cherry juice

Splash of Crème de Violette

Created by Christa Vagnozzi, Martini Talk

Sweet Scoundrel

New Amsterdam Gin

Liquified honey

Cinnamon

Elderflower liquer

Orange juice

Splash of soda water

Created by Christopher Koulouris, Scallywag & Vagabond

Tropical Skyline

New Amsterdam Gin

Pineapple Juice

Lime juice

Elderflower liquer

Ground ginger

Lime garnish

Created by Yvonne Lee, Socially Superlative

Spicy Elixir

New Amsterdam Gin

Pineapple juice

Cayenne pepper

Ground nutmeg

Grape juice

Tonic water

Liquified honey

Created by Laura Lee, Socially Superlative

 “238”

1 ½ oz New Amsterdam Gin

¾ oz white cranberry juice

¾ oz seltzer

¾ tsp liquified honey

Pinch lavender sugar

Created by Erin Howard, YAY! DIY

The Pick-Up Artist

2 oz New Amsterdam Gin

3 oz orange juice

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash ground ginger

Created by Thomas Farley, New York Insider TV

We highly recommend you try these at home!

For photos of the cocktail creations and the party and judging in progress, click here.

Smile, You're on SNL!

Fans of the late-night comedy show, which is celebrating its 35th season this year, have had a lot to enjoy of late. This past weekend was Betty White's universally applauded guest host appearance (prompted by a grassroots Facebook campaign, which succeeded in making her the show's oldest host ever). Then last night, an exhibit of the star portraits used during commercial cut-aways was unveiled at the John Varvatos store on the Bowery.

Taken by photographer Mary Ellen Matthews, who has been with the show for a decade, the images capture more than just likenesses....they ooze whimsy, almost always in hyper-saturated colors. Tina Fey as a Robert Palmer back-up girl. Will Ferrell peeking through a thicket of daisies. Alec Baldwin channeling Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. These photos are no mere snapshots. They are gorgeous pop art, a fact made clear when viewed close-up and in a frame rather than as pixels on a TV set.

And thus, a delightful selection of these images is now on view at John Varvatos, the former home of CBGB. Among the SNL SNL stars who turned up to salute Matthews at last night's opening included Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen.

The exhibit runs through August 3, so you'll have plenty of time to catch it before the next season of SNL starts. In the meantime, don't forget to check out the season finale this Saturday, which will star guest host Alec Baldwin. For more pix from the party, click here.

Happy Birthday, Lee!

When you're Lee Schrager, how else would you want to celebrate your birthday but with a special dinner and after-party at the studios of the Food Network? The beloved ringleader of the successful South Beach Wine and Food Festival and the nascent New York Food and Wine Festival welcomed the Big 5-0 surrounded by a mob of friends and needless to say, culinary talent, camaraderie and, of course, a chocolate cake, were in ample evidence.

For more photos, click here.

A Berry Good Time Had By All

A cocktail that tastes great and actually promotes well-being? Sign us up. Açai, the Brazilian superfruit that is purported to have all manner of health benefits, is one of the primary ingredients in the antioxidant-rich Veev, a spirit that you can enjoy without guilt. And in that vein, there were plenty of innocent bystanders enjoying Veev cocktails at Delicatessen in SoHo last night. Organized by Notes on a Party's Celia Chen, the tasting event delivered at a level that was up to Chen's always-high standards, bringing together fun people in a cool space and giving them ample libations to keep the party interesting. Soundtrack for the night was provided by DJ Mode. To sample our favorite cocktail, named—what else?—the Joie de VeeV—try the recipe after the jump. And for party pics, click here. 1½ ounces VeeV Açaí Spirit 1 large ginger slice (diced) 1 ounce fresh lemon Juice ¾ ounce simple syrup ¾ ounce orange liqueur Crystallized ginger slice, for garnish Muddle diced ginger, lemon juice and simple syrup in the bottom of a bar glass. Add VeeV, orange liqueur and shake well with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the crystallized ginger slice.

For more photos, click here.

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Decorators and other appreciators of beautiful interior furnishings flocked to last night's Design on a Dime benefit, the fifth annual showcase in support of Housing Works. The New York-based charity, which raises funds to support the fights against AIDS and homelessness, maintains shops in Manhattan that sell used clothing and items for the vintage-loving home.

The gala preview, co-chaired by actress Parker Posey, attracted some of the city's biggest-name designers, 40 of whom created vignettes containing an assortment of Housing Works merchandise. Among our favorites included homages to Spongebob and one to Barack Obama. (See photos in the jump.) One of the other great thrills of the night was the presence of the gracious and never-anything-but-stunning Jaclyn Smith. The actress and longtime K-Mart design partner, will appear in next week's "Farrah's Story," which documents the battle that Farrah Fawcett, Smith's former Charlie's Angels co-star, has waged with a pernicious cancer for nearly three years.

For anyone who didn't make it to the gala, Design on a Dime will be open to the public (admission is free), at the Metropolitan Pavilion (125 W. 18th Street) through Sunday. Check it out. But be sure to bring more than a dime. Though the prices are up to 80-percent off retail, loose change will not get you very far at this event.

For more photos, click here.

I'll Get You, My Pretty!

You'd have to believe that the after-party for a Broadway show called "Reasons to Be Pretty" would not be lacking in beautiful people. And sure enough, it wasn't. Neil LaBute's play opened at the Lyceum Theater last night and the stage door was scarcely closed for the night when the gushing critical reviews started pouring in—and buzzing around the post-show bash, which was held at Hudson Terrace. Among the boldface names in attendance included the show's cast members, Marin Ireland, Steven Pasquale, Piper Perabo and Thomas Sadowski, as well as actors Anson Mount (left), Saturday Night Live's Rachel Dratch, Tae Diggs and his pregnant wife, Idina Minzel and Jenny Powers, now starring in the off-Broadway show "Happiness." Apart from winning mad props from the critics, "Reasons to Be Pretty" also deserves praise for its tongue-in-cheek URL: www.doesthisplaymakemelookfat.com. As for the guests at last night's party, the answer to that question was a definitive no.

For more photos, click here.

You Oughta Be in My Pictures

If the image that comes to mind when you think "St. Patrick's Day party" is one of ample Guinness and drunken renditions of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," you clearly don't know Patrick McMullan. The celebrity photographer (a protégé of Andy Warhol), chronicler of über-glam Manhattan for more than three decades, threw a party in the name of his patron saint last night, and the scene was anything but traditional. With a guest list peopled by the faces McMullan photographs at high-profile outings throughout the year, the party teemed with models, social climbers and other fixtures of the New York nightlife scene. DJ Gant Johnson kept the mood lively, as did a series of dancers in various states of (green) undress. Though the party space (the appropriately named Greenhouse, in SoHo) was beyond packed, anyone fortunate enough to have gotten inside knew better than to leave early. The people-watching (as curated by McMullan's trained eye) was exceptional—even by New York standards.

For more photos, click here.