A couple months ago, Heather and I visited The Headquarters in San Diego for a fantastic date-night. A couple weeks ago though, we had the chance to spend some more time there at a Chocolate and Beer tastings held at Dallmann Fine Chocolates.  This is just one of the fun ways to spend time at The Headquarters, which is located right downtown next to Seaport Village on Harbor Drive.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rums of Puerto Rico. All opinions are 100% mine.

I simply love spirits. Just the name inspires something amazing and the process to distill them has driven men to create amazing machines and explore chemistry in ways they previously might not have. In particular, I am a fan of Puerto Rican Rum since well... rum is one of my favorite spirits and Puerto Rico is one of my favorite Caribbean islands! Are you ready? I am, It’s Rum Time!

One thing that I did NOT expect however was that this industry would produce an incredibly innovative video campaign that simultaneously helped educate fans about the more than 450 years that Puerto Rican Rum has been enjoyed while being completely entertaining and extremely well produced.

While the episodes take some liberties in imagining how some of the greatest events in the world were celebrated, the science behind such accomplishments such as the quest of indoor lighting by  Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison are essentially accurate. That being said however, it would not be surprising to me if people first experiencing electric lights did celebrate with a toast of Puerto Rican rum - I know I've certainly raised a glass for far lesser causes :)

Beyond the video series, the It’s Rum Time site also has drink recipes, spotify playlists, and  matching up to the different episodes. Additionally it also features the Puerto Rican rum brands represented including: Bacardi and Don Q that I am sure you are familiar with already, but also Ron del Barrilito, Trigo, Caliche, Caray, and Club Caribe.

Puerto Rico is a fantastic island with amazing people, food, and yes some of the best rum in the world, so this sort of campaign is very natural for them. Puerto Rico is the Rum Capital and it is virtually the natural spirit of Puerto Rico. Everyone I have met during my travels from there looks at their personal recipes and favorite distilleries as a source of national pride. 

So to that sense of passion for heritage and culture I salute them with a toast of Bacardi Ocho to enjoy while we wait for the next episode to be released from the It's Rum Time site!

Wisconsin welcomes travelers of all kinds, including those looking to experience an amazing mancation. From a weekend on the lake with the boys to seven days of rugged outdoor activities, Wisconsin offers four seasons of unbeatable fun. So whether you take a plane, train or car ride to get here, just know when you visit the cheesehead state, you’re sure to find Wisconsin fun.

It's been a brutal winter for most of the country - lucky for me though, I happen to live in Southern California where 72 and sunny is a way of life and our "bad days" are those 5 times a year where it might rain. That makes a beautiful lemon orchard just north of Los Angeles the perfect location to kick off a national tour to promote Shock Top's newest flavor - Lemon Shandy, drawing it's zest from real California lemon peels. 

Ok guys, I've shared some easy recipes here in the past and there's something to be said for a cocktail recipe that can be shared in 3-4 lines. However, sometimes it's good to try something a little more advanced and that's what I have to share with you today from our friends at Basil Hayden's, part of the Beam Small Batch Collection.

Unfortunately, not everyone can make it to New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras in person. However, we have a fun way to bring the excitement Mardi Gras to your friends and family - host a progressive New Orleans themed cocktail party! That's exactly what we did and it was even more fun than we expected as we paraded around our apartment complex going from loft to loft, handing out beads, sampling cocktails, and enjoying some classic New Orleans food with friends and neighbors.

Rum and Bourbon drinks are synonymous with Mardi Gras, but what about our good friends from Mexico?

Hornitos sent in these fun tequila cocktail recipes to help us celebrate!

It's date night and we're here to save you with some delicious cocktails with Hornitos that perfect for Valentine's Day or date night any time of the year!

The stakes are rising fellas'! Valentine's Day is almost here and what are you going to do? Cooke a romantic dinner? Buy Flowers? or something different?

We vote for something different and we think it's time you learned how to make some craft cocktails that show her just how much you mean to her. The folks over at Cruzan sent over these recipes to give us a head start, so let's dive in!

Are you lucky enough to have a partner that loves beer almost as much as you do? Well then I've got a great Valentine's Day gift suggestion for you!

Frankly though, they have a lot more than stuff for the women in our lives and you will have as much fun shopping as she will in receiving it. Of course, if you are lucky, she will remember this place when it comes time for your birthday or fathers day since it has some great gifts for guys too!. 

It's time to raise your glass and celebrate the holidays with a toast among friends! BourbonBlog.com, ChickVacations.com, FlowSocialMedia.com, and I have joined up with other bloggers and brands who agree to celebrate the holidays and the arrival of the new years with a world-wide social media virtual toast and we want you to join us as well.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. All opinions are 100% mine.

7UP is a great mixer that should be on your holiday shopping list right there next to lights and mistletoe and so I was excited when I was invited to join this campaign to share with you some of my favorite cocktail recipes using it.

San Diego has tons of craft beer bars and great wine is in no shortage either but the craft spirits industry is also growing rapidly here as well. One of the shining stars there is El Agave Artesanal tequila and so I was thrilled that the folks at El Agave Restaurant invited us back to try some additional menu items as well as a tequila tasting led by one of their experts.

Wine vending machines, delicious pizza, and good friends to share it with - what more do you need in life? That's exactly what I found at San Diego's Toast Enoteca & Cucina when I visited there a couple weeks ago and we had a fantastic dinner that would be equally good as a "date night" or as a place to hang out with the guys after a Padres game.

San Diego is an awesome town that is sometimes forgotten about or dismissed as simply a surf town, but what I have discovered over the past year is that there is an incredible amount of awesome things to do here beyond the beach including touring some of the almost 100 craft breweries, exploring vineyards in nearby Temecula and Romona, as well as visiting the Zoo, touring historic military ships and some of the best burgers and tacos in the country.

Schlitz is a beer that your father or grandfather probably recalls fondly but it isn't at the top of mind for most beer lovers today. That's about to change as the same company that brought PBR back from obscurity is now working to promote the Schlitz brand as well and what better way to do that then do a nationwide tour with a 1920's themed boxing night including cigars, dancing girls, orchestra, and of course... ice cold Schlitz beer!

The new Margaritaville Island Hotel located in Pigeon Forge on The Island, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, has opened phase one of the hotel with 55 guestrooms and suites. The grand opening of the 132-room property and event space will be in January 2015. The vacation destination hotel is in the heart of everything the area has to offer and minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known for its extraordinary beauty, breathtaking views, and abundance of outdoor activities.

Beer is good - beer is delicious when shared with friends but beer really shouldn't be pretentious. Instead, this is a blue collar drink that should be shared after work, to celebrate a day of fishing, hunting, skiing, or just relaxing on the beach. That being said, there is always a space in any market for an "ultra premium" beverage and that's what Affligem is all about. 

To help them spread the word, they invited me to join them at an event in San Diego last month where we got to learn more about the history and how to pour the beer properly using the "Body and Soul" pour with special glasses.

The folks at Islands Restaurants invited me out for a happy hour last night to watch the Chiefs and Patriots game... no, I wasn't up north... I was in warm sunny San Diego and we do football happy hours different down here.

For those of you outside of Southwest US (California, Nevada, Arizona), Islands is a casual American style restaurant / sports pub similar to Fridays or Applebees but with an awesome Hawaiian theme, great burgers, tiki cocktails, and frankly super gracious staff.

You've been to beer fests and wine festivals but there aren't that many spirits festivals that are open to the public unfortunately. If you are a fan of spirits and craft cocktails it seems that you're passion is best explored at a bar buying expensive cocktails and new liquors only to find out that you made an expensive mistake and are forced to either finish or let it go to waste.

The San Diego Spirits Festival on the other hand offers new as well as seasoned fans a chance to explore spirits brand new to the market as well as celebrate with friends over tasters of familiar friends like Don Julio, Stoli, and Woodford Reserve.