Cats Like Us Blog

Spring has sprung and though I don't make cocktails based on the seasons, I'm not going deny that I crave a taste that is light and refreshing with the changing of the season. The Limoncello Gin Cocktail is not only easy to make with three ingredients, it goes down easily....maybe a little too easily. *Hiccup* Limoncello Liqueur If you're not too familiar with Limoncello, it's a strongly flavored lemon liqueur that is mainly produced in Southern Italy. It is the second most popular liqueur in Italy. Though it's traditionally served chilled as an after dinner drink, it's becoming more popular...

This story started out so innocently... One day I noticed the caulking around the tub needed replacing. I would just re-caulk the edge around the tub... but hey this tile is loose... and another... and... oh there's mold behind this drywall -- 4 hours later half the tiled wall was torn out and some pretty nasty drywall removed. With our limited budget and love of retro bathrooms, we decided to just repair the wall and re-stick the tile. But this led to a bigger discussion – should we redo the rest of the bathroom? We are fans of retrorenovation.com and...

Wrapping up my 2013 Tiki roadtrip around Florida brought Derek and I back to Orlando, FL before we flew back home to Buffalo. We were excited to say good-bye to our weird experience in Sarasota at the Bahi Hut Lounge and say "Aloha" to Waitiki which was right in downtown Orlando at the Wall Street Plaza.    Waitiki had a very young vibe about the place, I could picture the bar being filled with young college students while top 40 music blared over the speakers. We were there during the afternoon and on a weekday, so it was pretty much...

This is one black cat what I do want to cross my path (I'm not afraid!), The Black Cat cocktail! The mixture of ingredients in this cocktail may seem a little strange, but trust us, this cocktail has been sampled for quality control. *Hiccup* Random fact: Did you know that August 17th is Black Cat Appreciation Day. Then again, it's every cat appreciation day at Cats Like Us!   Ingredients: 1 oz. vodka 1 oz. cherry brandy Cranberry juice Cola Method: Pour spirits into glass with ice, then pour equal parts cranberry juice and cola. Stir and enjoy!    Cheers!...

Well now, we've just got this Tiki train started with My 2013 Tiki Road Trip Part I, so now it's time to grab myself a Mai Tai and dive once again into part two!   After our adventures at Caffeine Bistro & Wine Bar and their Kona Tiki Bar, we said good-bye to my parents and headed to Sarasota, FL. where we visited the only Trader Vic's Island Bar & Grill chain restaurant known in the US, which is not to be confused with Trader Vic's more upscale bars and lounges. Note: As I'm now researching the link for Trader...

Many areas across America are home to kitchy treasures leftover from the 50s and 60s. Old Man River is one such establishment and for over 30 years has been a summertime destination on the Niagara Street Waterfront. This iconic summertime destination has everything a quintessential hot dog stand should: burgers, sweet potato fries, ice cream and of course (arguably) the best hot dogs around – the Sahlens hot dog. But thats a whole other conversation...  They even serve up a Bunny Dog:  a marinated, grilled carrot, served on a hot dog roll! Literally down the road from Cats Like Us...

This year's Hukilau featured a cocktail contest in which mixologists were asked to use Deadhead Rum as the main ingredient in their cocktail entry. The Kulau Kapu cocktail was created by one of the contest's runner's up, Lucky the Painproof Man, which is featured on The Atomic Grog blog. Check it out! Ingredients: 1 oz. VSOP brandy (such as Paul Masson) 1 1/2 oz. Deadhead Rum 1 oz. Pineapple juice 1 oz. Orange juice 1 1/2 oz Coco Lopez (cream of coconut) Method: Shake all ingredients vigorously in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into a Tiki mug filled with ice....or a...

Another Monster Matt installment from Ha-Ha! Horror (soon to be a book!) Munster, Go Tiki!   You can haunt MonsterMatt on the web: www.monstermatt.com Ha-Ha! Horror Shop Monster Matt's joke book Come on back to the Cats Like Us blog for the last Monday of every month for some more MonsterMatt madness!   -Andrew

The Harvey Wallbanger is a drink that is loved by our fearless leaders of Cats Like Us, Andrew and Julie Ann. The drink was reported to have been concocted in 1952 by mixologist Donato 'Duke' Antone, which the drink was rumored to have been named after a surfer who was a regular of Duke's 'Blackwater' Bar in Hollywood, California. Another theory on how the drink got it's name was from a guy named Harvey who was banging his head at a party in the 1960s cursing the drink that caused him his misery. Hehe! Either way, it's a great drink...

I always say, “Cats Like Us brings people together.” I've met the most fascinating people through the shop and it's no wonder---they are also interested in the same things we stand for: great fashion, rescuing animals, and music. When I first met Jason Van Cleve, he was a customer involved with the Queen City Roller Girls (our local derby league), then he invited me to a few gigs around town that his band Lower Town Trio was playing. In Buffalo, NY you have a handful of rockabilly bands that put their own take on the musical style. Lower Town Trio...