Hedonism proffers that pleasure is the only intrinsic good.  And it doesn’t get much more hedonistic than having someone else wash and dry your hair.  In the last few years, indulging in frequent blowouts went from something exclusive to celebrities and socialites to a near-expected pre-party ritual among the masses (both boys and girls).  The advent of Drybar, whose motto is “No Cuts, No Color, Just Blowouts," took this concept to an entirely new level of luxe.  Little else delights quite like gathering a group of your favorite people to partake in champagne, confections, and blowouts in the dazzling gray and yellow aesthetic of Drybar.  A flatscreen streaming Clueless and Sex and the City at each station is the cherry atop the self-indulgent sundae.

When Drybar approached me to collaborate in hosting a party at their new Burlingame location, I jumped at the chance.  The chicest blowdry-only salon in the industry offered to provide expertly crafted blowouts and bubbly, if I provided twenty-five of my closest friends.  I pinched myself in disbelief and immediately accepted!  To bestow a little T&T touch on the evening, I decided to make miniature cupcakes for my guests.

But what flavor?  Champagne cupcakes were the obvious choice, but the best-tasting recipes call for fresh strawberry, which turns the cake pink.  I wanted the cupcake to align with Drybar’s signature colors, so I nixed the idea.  

Recalling that the party was appropriately titled “Blowouts & Bubbly,” I realized that I could take a different spin on intoxicating bubbles, and make one of my favorite frothy beverages in cupcake form – Gin Fizz.  I often use a splash of gin in cupcake recipes to bring out the flavor, so I simply added extra splashes and a spritz of lemon to my traditional vanilla recipe.  The result was refreshing and delicious, without falling victim to the common cupcake conundrum of saccharine overload.

Blowouts & Bubbly was the perfect evening filled with great friends.  The beautiful salon set a flawless setting for my guests to laugh, imbibe, nibble, and beautify at the hands of Drybar’s renowned stylists.  Almost everyone booked return appointments before heading out on the town for the night.  If we didn’t subscribe to the hedonism school of thought before, we certainly do now…  Thank you, Drybar!!  You will be seeing all twenty-five of us again very soon.  xx tt