Giving Back

Artwork by Danica Zain

Artwork by Kaitlyn Thorn

For this blog entry, we thought we'd delve into the expanding vision that Amanda Lee Glassware is becoming. Amanda has been slowly building her business for the past five years, but her passion for representing the arts and giving back to her community has been growing equally as fast.

With the expansion of the new space, Amanda Lee realized her desire to truly be a mentor for younger women. She has been employing two girls from a local high school to help with the business for the past three years, but after the passing of her own art mentor in the Fall of 2017, she has been slowly changing her business vision to incorporate younger women into the program permanently.  Her desire is for the Amanda Lee Glassware space to "be an arts center and a jumping off point for young female artists."

"I want to help them start their art careers and encourage them to pursue a career in the arts. It's not something I was pushed to do as a kid and I want them to know that it IS possible."

Amanda features the young artists’ artwork at her open houses, providing them an opportunity to sell it, and gives critical feedback sessions with them as they pursue degrees in the arts at local colleges.

For the month of October, Amanda Lee Glassware is also partnering up with Glimmer of Hope and donating 25% of the PINK STEEL CITY SKYLINE GLASSES towards the non profit organization. Glimmer of Hope is a fundraising non-profit in Pittsburgh, PA, that donates towards breast cancer research at Magee Women’s Hospital.
 

Washing the Glassware

One of the most unique features of Amanda Lee Glassware is its durability. Amanda blends her own special formula of paint which is more durable than most other glassware companies out there. Top rack dishwasher safe, the paint stays on even in the most intense of conditions. Hand washing will always ensure longevity as shown in this video. Watch below to see how the competition stands up….or should we say does NOT stand up!

TISPY TUESDAYS: Lemon-Ginger Old-Fashioned

What do you get when you have two ex-bartenders that are both artists?

Two hot messes!
Thankfully, and for your sipping benefit, this means
 TISPY TUESDAYS

Once a month we will be filming a cocktail recipe on a Tuesday and letting you have it! This requires us to be creative, be inspired by the glassware, and well, taste the product. A LOT.

This Tispy Tuesday recipe:
Lemon Ginger Old-Fashioned

Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, this old-fashioned is perfect...and not in the vermouth kind of way.

Recipe:

2oz Bourbon of your choice, Amanda Lee's favorite: Woodford Reserve
.5oz mixture of warm water and honey, this distills the honey to a simple syrup
.25oz Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar, Ours comes from our local purveyor, Oakmont Olive Oil Co.<--they are the BEST! www.oakmontoliveoilcompany.com
1 slice of ginger
1 squeeze of orange, if you want to get fancy you can simply use the orange peel and squeeze the rind outward for a dash of citrus essence
1-2 dashes of Aromatic Bitters
Ice, one solid square melts slower than small cubes

Recommended glassware: Steel City Whiskey Glass. Perfect for the black & gold lover, classy, and reserved for Champions ;)

Keep sippin' in style!

Lemon-Ginger Old Fashioned in action!

How does she do it?!

A lot of what it takes to be successful as an artist is dedication, commitment, and practice in your art form. With this type of product? It also takes a steady hand. Amanda Lee free hands her flower designs with creativity and attention to detail. The result? The flowers are consistent, have similar structure, and a unique look to each glass.

Leave your stick figures behind and pick up an Amanda Lee Glass instead!

TISPY TUESDAYS: Watermelon Margaritas

Welcome to our FIRST TISPY TUESDAY! 

Once a month we will be filming a cocktail recipe on a Tuesday and letting you have it! This requires us to be creative, be inspired by the glassware, and well, taste the product. A LOT.

This Tispy Tuesday recipe: Watermelon Margaritas! This margarita is a punch of watermelon, cool, refreshing, and pretty to look at! Salt is at your discretion...it may overpower the flavor of the fruit!

Recipe:

1.5-2oz Tequila of your choice, more tequila, more boozy
.5oz Grand Marnier
.5oz fresh squeeze lemon juice
.5oz local honey (we used wildflower honey in ours)
.5oz lemon balsamic vinegar, yes you heard us! This goes great in sangria as well. Ours comes from our local purveyor, Oakmont Olive Oil Co.<--they are the BEST!
1 slice of watermelon
ice, at your discretion, will make it thicker or thinner

Place all items in blender and blend! Pour into Amanda Lee Glassware and enjoy!

Keep sippin' in style!

The Glassware

As part of the new Amanda Lee Glassware space, we wanted to introduce to the world, Amanda Lee, and start this blog. This is the artist behind the glasses. She has built ALG from the ground up and her unique designs and ideas take a lot of wine to keep producing. Choosing an Amanda Lee glass for the evening isn't just about drinking wine, it's about deciding what mood you're in! The wine does the rest...

Her favorite things: Pinot Noir, Red Zinfandel, Cabernet, and a good Woodford Old-Fashioned 

See how Amanda Lee responds when asked about her glassware... It's Wine-Thirty is Amanda Lee Glassware's blog about wine, art, business, and anything you might discuss while drinking wine. Sip in style and subscribe to the blog! www.amandaleeglassware.com