big lawn sprawling out before the entrance, filled with wandering peacocks. That song "Beverly Hills" by Weezer got stuck in my head, immediately.
The thing that struck me about the Playboy Mansion is that, while fairytale beautiful, it seems smaller than it looks on TV. However, it does shimmer like a grandiose castle set right smack in the middle of LA.Given that The Girls Next Door is my #1 guilty pleasure, I noticed Bridget’s parking spot right away. She seems pretty crafty. I wonder if she made it herself? I was hoping the girls and Hef would be at the party so I could get a photo with them but they were out of 
town. Oh well, next time…
the grounds a little, I noticed a 
line of fancy cars slowly making their way near the Red Carpet. As Celebs and Professional Poker Players began to file out of them, the paparazzi went mad!I was hoping to spot Oscar-nominated Actress, Jennifer Tilly who won the Ladies No Limit Texas Hold'em at the 2005 World Series of Poker. She is also now engaged to Phil "Unabomber" Laak, a mechanical engineer-turned-Poker Star. But, damn it, our camera missed them!
I have to admit that I didn’t know who all the poker players were but I did recognize Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. And, despite his outfit, he managed to rope a hottie escort for this event. (Actually, they were also on my plane from Vegas to LA, that afternoon. I have a ton of fun things to report from my 24-hour Vegas trip, including the Playboy Club at the Palms… that is coming in another post…)
NBA cutie, Shawn Marion rolled up. Too bad he didn’t have a few more cocktails to slow him down on Sunday. Maybe then he and his team wouldn’t have beaten our beloved Lakers. Actors, such as Don Cheadle and musicians including The Game, Nick Carter and others joined the eclectic mix on the Red Carpet.Proceeds from the evening benefited the Urban Health Institute whose motto is “Responsible Relief with Committed Care.” The organization plans to administer health care in Nigeria, Guyana, El Salvador, Ghana and Ethiopia, and is founded by LA Physician, Kevin Brown.
Inside the walls of the Mansion’s estate, festivities were quickly underway. Hot musicians, their even hotter girlfriends and Playboy bunnies were sprinkled in amidst Poker Personalities and Regular Joes who had the $1500 buy-in to spare.
These ladies sported nothing other than paint. (How happy is the dude with the bad hair and tacky shirt?) I don’t know why I expected the girls to have some sort of underwear on … but no. They were absolutely and quite clearly completely nude. (And, might I say, I admired the balls it takes to walk around showing off one’s well, female counterpart to balls…!)These more traditional Bunnies 
posed by the pool. Who’d have thought they would be considered the more conservative Playboy Hostesses?In addition to the poker game, there were zillions of cool auction items. Among them were a guitar signed by Dave Matthews, Kobe Bryant’s Laker shirt, and the thing I wanted… a poster from the Girls Next Door, signed by Holly, Bridget and Kendra. How fun!
Finally, we ventured into the infamous, watery land of forbidden fruit… The Grotto. Admittedly, I was ridiculously overdressed for this photo but let’s face it, its far better for me to enjoy the crowd lusting over my Signature Cocktails.Speaking of which, how about The Liquid Muse Signature Cocktails created for this event? Given the poker theme and liquor sponsor (Remy Martin) this is what I came up with… Mmmm, the three B’s never went together so well!
Lady LuckPiper ChampagneChambordFreshly squeezed orange juice2-3 raspberriesFill a chilled flute 2/3 full with Piper champagne. Add a splash of juice, top with Chambord. Drop in raspberries, for garnish.*Recipe owned by The Liquid Muse, LLC, all rights reserved. 
Queen of Hearts2 oz vodka1 oz White Chocolate liqueur1/2 oz cream1/2 oz maraschino syrupsugar Shake above ingredients well, with ice. Strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed Martini Glass. Serve up. Drop in a maraschino cherry, for garnish.*recipe owned by The Liquid Muse, LLC, all rights reserved. 
Remy© Royal Flush3 oz Remy cognac1 oz Cointreaugenerous dash Angostura bittersShake, with ice. Strain into ice-filled Rocks Glass.*recipe owned by The Liquid Muse, LLC, all rights reserved. 
Hold ‘Em Highball1 1/2 ounces rum1/2 ounce Blood Orange bitters2 ounces pineapple juicesqueeze of limeginger beer Shake rum, bitters, pineapple juice and lime with ice. Pour into ice-filled Collins Glass. Fill with ginger beer.*recipe owned by The Liquid Muse, LLC, all rights reserved.**All photos courtesy of Claire Barrett Photography