Category: News and Features

Posted in News and Features

Here Are The 12 Drinks of Christmas to Try This Season

Posted on by Amanda

Confession time. I love a theme. And since I get really excited over holiday flavored beverages – I’m talking peppermint, eggnog, hot cocoa, and all the warm, buttery, and spiced flavors of winter – I knew I had to share a post about holiday drinks.

Now that we’re two weeks away from the big day, I’m so excited that numerous establishments around Franklin County have rolled out their Christmas and winter-inspired sips. If you also find an indescribable amount of joy in small things like holiday beverages, you’re in the right place.

While I can’t try everything on this list, if that’s your mission this season, good on you! In the spirit of festive sips, I wanted to come up with a list of a few suggestions that hit several categories: non-alcoholic, coffee, non-coffee, and some cocktail options. In no particular order, here a few cheery selections I think are worth trying this season.

Eggnog Latte at Exit 11

When it comes to holiday coffee, I love leveling up my latte by adding winter flavors. I am a total sucker for a great eggnog latte and I love Exit 11‘s version. While I usually drink iced coffee, this one is creamy, cozy, and perfect when served hot.

Santa’s Cookies & Coffee Flight at Sarah’s on Central

If boozy coffee is your thing, you might want to try the December special flight at Sarah’s on Central in Eureka. This flight combines the yummy taste of coffee and cookies, but in a form you can sip and savor. Flight offering is Sugar Cookie, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Cookie, and Snickerdoodle.

Available at Sarah’s on Central in Eureka, the Santa’s Cookie & Coffee flight features boozy coffees made with flavorful spirits such as vanilla vodka, RumChata, Fireball, Irish cream, and more. Photo via Sarah’s on Central on Facebook.

Gingerbread House Crafted Soda at Good News Blooms, Sips, N’ Sweets in St. Clair

With a holiday drink menu that includes crafted sodas, teas, and lemonades, there’s a lot to choose from at this cute floral boutique and sweet shop in St. Clair. The crafted sodas include items like the Gingerbread House, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Candy Cane cooler, while the teas on the menu include the Yuletide Citrus and Nutcracker. There’s also the Holly Berry, Snowflake, and Santa’s Citrus lemonades. I’ve ordered the Gingerbread House, a blend of Coke, vanilla, brown sugar cinnamon, and hazelnut. Sweet and delicious! Check out the entire menu.

Grinch’s Heart Cocktail at Eight Nine Eight Cigar Lounge & Bar in Washington

With four festive holiday drinks gracing the menu at Eight Nine Eight Cigar Lounge & Bar in Washington, one stands out to me for its originality and whimsy – oh, and its use of color! The Grinch’s Heart cocktail, with its green hue and cherry garnish looks like a fun and nostalgic way to celebrate the season with an adult beverage. Not feeling Grinchy this season? Choose from the other holiday drinks – Jack Frost Margarita, Blizzard Martini, and Winter’s Kiss.

Grinch Matcha Latte at BB Coffee Lab in St. Clair

And speaking of Grinch-inspired drinks, BB Coffee Lab in St. Clair has released its Christmas drink menu, and there’s lots of festive drink choices from peppermint and cinnamon flavors to eggnog and amaretto. If you’re not a coffee drinker, the coffee shop has a holiday themed matcha, called Grinch Matcha Latte, which combines white chocolate and matcha for a lovely green drink.

Holiday Energy Elixirs at Simply Sweet in Owensville

Simply Sweet is a coffee, sweet shop, and cafe in Owensville. The establishment has a full menu of Christmas drinks that includes flavored hot cocoa and dirty sodas, such as the Jack Frost pictured below, as well as Energy Elixirs made with Alani energy drinks. There are two elixirs on the Christmas menu, but the Frosty’s Frostbite sounds extra special to me. It combines a cherry slushy flavored Alani, along with cupcake and vanilla syrups, plus cream, and is topped with whipped cream, and Christmas sprinkles.

Simply Sweet in Owensville has coffee, cocoas, dirty sodas and dirty Alani energy drinks. The Jack Frost dirty soda at Simply Sweet. pictured here, is made with Starry soda, coconut and vanilla syrups, cream, and topped Blue Raspberry cold foam. Photo via Simply Sweet’s Facebook.

Cranberry Kringle at Scarlett’s Bar & Grill in St. Clair

Located on Main Street in St. Clair, Scarlett’s Bar & Grill has released their Christmas bar menu. With a handful of cocktails along with festive shot selections, there’s a few merry drink choices available. The offerings range from White Russian Eggnog to a Merry Mai Tai, but to me there’s something uniquely festive in the Cranberry Kringle, with its cranberry and peach flavors along with a cranberry and rosemary garnish, it offers both the colors and flavors of the season in a glass.

Peppermint Mocha Smoothie at SmoothEs and More in Sullivan

I love a smoothie because it’s something I can drink on the go, they’re delicious, and usually, they’re healthy. SmoothEs and More is a locally-owned smoothie shop that also serves coffee, breakfast, and lunch offerings, and it has a salad bar. The winter smoothie menu features items like pumpkin and cinnamon flavors, but the Peppermint Mocha smoothie has caught my attention. Its made with coconut milk, hot chocolate powder as well as regular cocoa powder, plus chocolate chips, banana, and peppermint extract for that holiday chocolate, minty flavor.

Holly Berry White Mocha at Clark Street Cafe in Sullivan

In a season where the flavors trend toward peppermint, cinnamon, and buttery flavors like toffee or caramel, the Holly Berry White Mocha from Clark Street Cafe in Sullivan stands out. The cafe released its holiday drink menu just before Thanksgiving, and while so many of the offerings sound up my alley – Brown Sugar Cinnamon Toast Latte or Gingerbread Dreams – I just had to add this merry berry beverage to the list.

Try a Grown Up Slushy at Serendipity Slush Co. in Washington

There’s a number of rotating boozy slush flavors at Serendipity Slush Co. in downtown Washington. Perhaps nothing says Christmas quite like eggnog. And if you’re looking for a unique twist on this holiday beverage, the Salted Caramel Eggnog from Serendipity Slush sounds like a delicious twist on a classic – combining eggnog liquor, spiced rum, salted caramel whiskey, and eggnog. Try it or one of the other flavors available for a grown up version of a slushy treat.

Hot Chocolate at White Rose in Union

This isn’t exclusive to Christmas, but when it’s cold and blustery outside, few things are as comforting as a mug of hot chocolate. I had the hot chocolate at White Rose on a really cold day and it absolutely hit the spot. Chocolatey and creamy, and topped with a generous portion of whipped cream, I could’ve stayed at White Rose all day and sipped mug after mug.

Holly Jolly Tea at The Washington Coffee Shop

Last, but not least, The Washington Coffee Shop has released its winter drink menu and here you’ll find some flavors reminiscent of Christmas treats reimagined as drinks. While I can’t wait to try a couple of the coffee specials, like the Orange Chocolate Mocha (does anybody else have a core memory of opening those chocolate orange balls at Christmas time?) or the Gingerbread House, I also really love the shop’s flavored teas. On the winter menu is the Holly Jolly, a cinnamon and cranberry tea, which sounds like the perfect iced beverage to take along while doing some Christmas shopping.

I realize this list doesn’t cover all the wonderful holiday drink options available at the various cafes, restaurants, and bars across our community. My hope with compiling the list is that when you’re out and about this season, you will consider supporting one of the many locally-owned businesses in the area, from the ones I’ve highlighted here, and the many others I didn’t get to with this post.

Posted in News and Features

Find Custom Fit Jewelry at 5Ever Permanent Jewelry in Washington

Posted on by Amanda

Holly (Nelson) Cook is the owner of 5Ever Permanent Jewelry, located inside the Washington Community Arts Studio, at 307 Elm Street in Washington. Holly started 5Ever about three years ago as a pop-up style business, appearing at markets and other events around St. Louis.

When she relocated from Salt Lake City to the Washington area in 2022 she noticed that there weren’t a lot of businesses offering permanent jewelry in Franklin County at that time.

Holly Nelson standing in front of the 5Ever storefront
Owner Holly Nelson outside the 5Ever storefront, located inside the Washington Community Arts Studio. Photo via 5Ever’s Facebook.

“When I first started there weren’t that many people doing permanent jewelry here, because it hadn’t really hit yet,” she recalls.

Although the concept and term “permanent jewelry” may seem to be something that just started showing up in social media feeds, boutiques, and pop-up events over the past couple of years, having a custom piece of jewelry isn’t necessarily a new concept.

A jewelry maker using pliers to attach a jump ring on a permanent bracelet on someone's wrist
Although it’s common to refer to the jewelry style as “permanent” 5Ever owner Holly says custom is a more apt description of the pieces. Photo via 5Ever’s Facebook.

Unlike a traditional bracelet that has a clasp, a permanent bracelet is seamless, and fitted to the wearer. And since the bracelets, or anklets, are sized at a custom length for each individual, permanent jewelry is a great option for anyone with a smaller or larger wrist or ankle.

“There can be a lot of misconceptions about what permanent jewelry is,” Holly explains. A couple things she’s encountered when people hear the phrase permanent jewelry, is assuming the piece is something that can’t ever be taken off, and permanent jewelry can be removed.

“I prefer to call it custom fit instead of permanent,” she shares.

Another custom aspect is selecting the style. In her studio, Holly has a wide variety to choose from – customers can decide on the type of link they want, with selections ranging from dainty to bold links and even chains in unique shapes, such as hearts. The metal styles are available in either sterling silver or gold filled.

Two different wrists with matching gold bracelets
Couples, friends, and family members often like to book an appointment together to get custom bracelets made by Holly at 5Ever. Photo via 5Ever’s Facebook.

Once a style is picked out, the process of getting custom fitted and making your piece of jewelry is pretty straightforward. Holly made my custom sterling silver heart link bracelet in a matter of minutes while I was interviewing her for this article 🙂

“The hearts are really popular,” Holly says about the style I chose.

Because the goal is make the pieces look seamless, the two pieces of chain are hooked together with a small circular piece, called a jump ring, that’s closed using pliers and is then welded to keep the piece in place and secure.

Three gold necklaces with charms
There are also a variety of charms to choose from at 5Ever Permanent Jewelry. The charm necklaces have a clasp and can be worn and removed whenever the wearer chooses. Photo via 5Ever’s Facebook.

Although getting bracelets or anklets are popular, especially since friends, family members, or even couples can get custom made matching bracelets, there’s also a charm bar with a variety of fun and unique styles.

The charm necklaces have a clasp, so they can be put on and taken off as often as you wish.

Interested in gifting that special someone a piece of custom jewelry or adding to your bracelet stack? Connect with 5Ever Permanent Jewelry and Charm Bar on Facebook, Instagram, or by phone at 636-283-0056 to make an appointment.

Posted in News and Features

Meet New People and Swap Homemade Goods at The Homemade Exchange in Owensville

Posted on by Amanda

Although Facebook and other online communities have several groups that are set up for bartering or can be considered “buy nothing” groups, one community emerged earlier this year that’s taking the idea of swapping goods with people in your community one step further.

On the last Saturday of each month, a group of people get together at the Scenic Regional Library’s Owensville Branch to trade homemade and homegrown goods with one another.

Homegrown veggies like garden fresh tomatoes, sponges made from dried luffa plants, as well as homemade baked and canned goods are a few items from a past event. Photo credit: Taylor Miller via Facebook.

In June, Owensville resident Taylor Miller decided to create The Homemade Exchange based on an idea she’d seen online. These monthly meetups offer people based in the Owensville area an opportunity to connect with others, chat, and exchange items on a free, one-for-one basis.

Freelance Services business ad
Residential drafter with 25+ years experience – need more space in your current home? Reach out today for help with your addition or renovation drawings.

Items can range from homegrown flowers, herbs, and vegetables, to baked goods, and handmade items. Other edible items at past events have included home canned goods like salsas, jams and jellies, spices and seasoning blends, as well as eggs, homemade teas and homemade apple cider vinegar. Non-food items are also welcome, like handmade art, homemade soaps, or similar items.

“We’ve had an average of about 10 people show up each month,” Taylor says.

The growth has been mostly organic, although Taylor has shared a few Facebook ads to help spread the word about the events. The meeting space inside the library has capacity for just over 30 people, so there’s room for the events to grow.

Although it’s still early days, she can see how The Homemade Exchange might grow beyond its current iteration, and is open to the possibility of holding the exchange meetups in additional local communities. And since the exchanges center around anything homegrown or homemade, Taylor plans to keep the exchanges going throughout the winter.

“I think it gives people something to do and a little socialization to look forward to throughout the winter, too,” she explains.

Homegrown herb and flower bundles as well as garlic and baked goods are a few edible items that have been brought to past exchanges. Artists have also brought items like prints of paintings they’ve created. Photo credit: Taylor Miller via Facebook.

While Taylor’s been happy with the growth of the event and the variety of items brought to the monthly meetings, some things she’d love to see at future gatherings include homemade woodworking pieces, homemade cheese, and non-food items like fiber arts, such as crochet and knit pieces.

There’s a Facebook group for the meetups, but Taylor says that people don’t have to connect in that way in order to attend the monthly events.

“People can just show up,” she shares.

The next Homemade Exchange event is happening Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Scenic Regional Library Owensville Branch from 11:15 a.m. – noon. Follow The Homemade Exchange on Facebook to stay up to date with the monthly meetups.

Posted in News and Features

Meet the Artists Making Union Merry and Bright This Christmas Season

Posted on by Amanda

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in downtown Union, thanks to the work of two local artists. Eileen Wade and Donna Huellinghoff are the duo behind the festive paintings that grace the windows of various businesses as well as Union City Hall during the holiday season.

What started a few years ago at one business, has quickly grown to a fun and jolly way for downtown businesses to get into the holiday spirit.

Each window’s design varies, but the scenes are always colorful, festive, and often feature a bit of whimsy.

On a chilly Tuesday morning, I sat down with Eileen and Donna at White Rose Cafe in Union, and over a delicious cup of hot chocolate, the artists shared the story of how they started painting windows in downtown.

Both artists have been creating art in one way or another for most of their adult lives, but started creating together in 2016 at a studio Eileen had at that time. Donna taught various art techniques at the studio, like creating barn quilt designs.

Eileen (left), and Donna (right), putting the finishing touches on the window designs at White Rose Cafe on a chilly November morning.

Although Eileen ended up closing her studio due to personal reasons, a few years later in 2022, the artists decorated their first set of windows on a business in Union, at the White Rose Cafe. After that first holiday season, it grew from there.

“It’s all word of mouth,” Donna says of the process. “We’d be out there painting and someone at another business would come up to us and ask us to paint their windows.”

The windows at Union City Hall are decorated with colorful holiday characters.

In addition to the Christmas season designs, Eileen and Donna also paint windows in the downtown area for other holidays, like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and for the Union Homecoming celebration.

“It’s fun to share our art and challenge ourselves and think, ‘what could we fit in this window’s space?'” Eileen shares.

The process takes anywhere from two to six hours, depending on the number of windows and the design, among other factors.

“It depends on how many people stop and chat with us,” Eileen says with a laugh. “But that’s what’s fun and that’s why I laugh about it.”

The window decor at Sip on Main depict Santa and Rudolph after they’ve enjoyed a few too many “sips,” along with beautiful holiday cocktails.

Along with the painted windows, there’s also some permanent art installations that Eileen and Donna have created in Union. Together, they’ve painted eight murals that can be found throughout town, including the scene that runs along the wall inside Hansen Park, a mural along the wall at the MU Extension Center near the Pasta House, and several others.

The artists have also painted several murals around Union, including this one that is along the exterior wall of the Franklin County Historical Society in downtown Union.

See more photos of the holiday window paintings on Facebook. And be sure to take a stroll through downtown Union to look at the designs first-hand, they’re sure to make you smile and put you in the holiday spirit!