Divas throw the best parties, and the Fourth of July event of the season is no exception. This week BlogDiva will be stocking you with helpful hints to get the fun started with style! First things first, stock your bar with the necessaries for this explosive (read: includes Pop Rocks!) and oh-so-apropos cocktail:

Boston Pops Martini

ingredients:
Lime wedge
Cherry Pop Rocks
2.5 oz Cranberry Vodka
0.5 oz Blue Curacao
Lemon-Lime soda

First, rup the rim of your martini glass with the lime wedge and then sugar it with Pop Rocks. Next, shake the vodka in a shaker with ice and strain it into the prepared glass. Then slowly pour the Blue Curacao into the center of the glass so that it settles at the bottom and creates a distinct layer. Lastly, add a splash of lemon-lime soda and enjoy!  Greet your guests with this patriotic drink and let the fun begin!

NEXT on Social Diva: Fourth of July Swag Bags.  Because everyone loves a little treat!

Divas, next time you’re in need of a last-minute gift for a hostess or friend of a friend, hit the flower stand. Jasmin is an emblem of good luck and increase, and was discovered by Vasco da Gama in the sixteenth century. Only moneyed royalty was allowed to grow the flower at that time, but when a servant working for the Medici family stole a branch to give to his bride, the couple grew enough plants from the single cutting to sell to the public. Brides in Italy often wear a sprig of the sweet smelling flower on their wedding day for good luck.
NOTE: When giving to someone you are not very close to, knowing the meaning of the flower you are giving makes note-writing a piece of cake! Include an anecdote to relate to the recipient and your generosity will surely shine.

Laws of proportion tell us that the neck is half the size of the waist, so when you’re shopping for pants, jeans, or skirts in a hurry, and there is simply no time to try them on, fasten the waistband and then wrap it around your neck, making the two ends touch at the nape. if you have a little bit of slack left, there is a 99 percent chance the garment will fit you!

Joining the summer jet set?  When packing for a trip, choose garments that have a common color scheme, or at least complement each other.  This makes it easier to minimize the number of accessories and shoes you’ll have to squeeze into your bag.

Heads up Divas, the 25th is LEON day (that’s Noel spelled backwards) and marks six months until Christmas!  Celebrate by breaking out the Christmas decorations and hosting a cocktail party and gift exchange.  Serve eggnog and hot toddies, or if it’s too hot make cranberry margaritas.  Make sure to take lots of group photos so that when December rolls around you can send all the guests a photo of your summer soiree in holiday themed frames.  How’s that for two birds, one stone?

Whether heading out to a black tie benefit dinner or a Superbowl party, Social Diva always does her research.  Get familiar with the subject at hand so you’ll be armed with conversation material and never appear less than brilliant.  Patriots vs. Jets?  Society for the Preservation of Blue Iguanas?  Diva knows it all.

One of a Diva’s favorite pastimes is shopping but there’s one part of the experience not everyone loves: the dressing room. Unless you’re at a fancy boutique with perfect lighting and champagne, most of the time it’s like trying on clothes in an operating room with harsh bright lights and bad mirrors. What’s a girl to do?

Divas to the rescue! Here a shopping tip from our new book How to be a Social Diva: An Essential Guide for the Girl About Town : put your sunglasses on when trying on clothes. You heard us right: if you throw on your shades, you’ll get a better idea of what the outfit will look like under more subdued light. If you’re wearing the outfit to the office, you still need to make sure it’s a good day-to-night option and if it’s lingerie or swimwear it will take the edge off the experience. Putting on your sunglasses in the dressing room turns the lights down and turns the attitude up on your shopping experience. It’s genius, really.

If you are in need of a Divalicious shopping experience, we must confess that everything about Agent Provacateur (including the dressing room) is an absolute dream. One of our favorite sources for very sexy underwear, it is a must-stop for any shopping excursion. No sunglasses required here: everything in this store down to the lighting is designed to make every Diva look her absolute best.

Want more tips and advice on how to look and feel gorgeous for every occasion? Buy our book today and you’ll soon notice you’re not the only one admiring your visage.

It’s customary to clink glasses when performing a toast (a Diva is never too shy to raise a glass), but do you know why you do this? Well, we’ll give you a little history lesson from our new book, How to be a Social Diva: An Essential Guide for the Girl About Town, in which we explore all sorts of fun traditions (and start some of our own.) Legend has it clinking glasses used to be part of a ritual in which the host tasted the wine first to show that it was safe to drink (i.e. that it wasn’t laced with poison.) Interesting little trivia you can use at your next cocktail gathering.

Speaking of cocktail gatherings, we’re having one of our own! Tonight, April 17th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm here in New York City, Social Diva is hosting our first Happy Hour of the season at the gorgeous open air bar at the Hotel on Rivington. Sneak in a blow out and come celebrate with us! 2-for-1 cocktails specials from CLEMENT and warm spring breezes await you! RSVP now and come out to play!

If you haven’t had time to buy a copy of our book, feel free to pick up a copy tonight when you join us for a cocktail. We might even take your photo with it and put you on our Wall of Fame.

Forward this along to your other NYC Divas and clink some glasses with us tonight!

One of the things that set Divas apart is that we are always at the after-party. We don’t mean drinks after dinner. Oh no, we mean the late-night private affairs that are VIP only and where the fun really gets started. How do you hang in there for a long night of air-kissing and dancing on tabletops at the chicest nightspots? Well, in our new book, How to be a Social Diva: An Essential Guide for the Girl About Town, we tell you about a little tip called the Refrain and Retain which is easy to remember: if you’re going out after hours do your drinking at the end of the initial party. This keeps you awake, alert and with just the beginnings of a buzz when you hit your ultimate location.

Speaking of partaking of the VIP bar, what should you have when you decide to imbibe? Since warm weather is upon us, we’re fond of rum and RHUM CLEMENT has some of the best cocktails around. We suggest the next time you slip into the VIP section with the A-list (or host your own private celebration) you have a Madame Clement:

Madame Clement
Ingredients:

• 3 oz Clement Premiere Canne White Rhum
• 1/4 oz grenadine
• 2 oz pineapple juice
• 1 strawberry for garnish

Shake all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a strawberry.
Yields one cocktail.

Want more tips on how to live life behind the velvet ropes? Buy our book today and you’ll start to find yourself wondering how the other half lives.