Chillin’ With Kara Alloway

Real Housewife of Toronto, former Allure Magazine editor, and reality TV show producer Kara Alloway knows all the intricacies of reality television, giving viewers worldwide an inside look on all things REAL HOUSEWIVES. Alloway can get down and dirty, gossip and spill the tea about every single aspect pertinent to her realm of expertise.

 

 

This includes many overlooked details, like the difference between what viewers actually see compared to footage the producers cut out. She also delves into how characters use improv to keep things entertaining, the psychology behind reality, how story arcs are put together, and much more.

Kara got her start in journalism after being hired by Allure Magazine founder Linda Wells. She worked as the assistant West Coast Editor there for years before becoming the editor-in-chief of Ingenue Magazine, which, thanks to her direction, has had the fastest growth in circulation among Canadian publication history.

Between her producing gigs, she spends quality time with her three sons at their home in Toronto. In addition to being a loving mother, she’s also a good Samaritan, lending helping hand to several worthy charities, including Dress for Success, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, Opportunity International, Water Ambassadors Canada and so many more.
This May, Kara takes on the novel space, with her debut work Most Hated, which paints an accurate picture of the glory and potential fall that comes with reality TV. In the book she created recipes for each of the characters. We asked Kara to tell us more about these cocktails, her love of Margaritas and her bartending past.

 

 

Tell us about the projects you are working on.

I recently completed my debut novel MOST HATED. It’s a spicy, fun tabloid-culture story about female friendships and how women interact with one another, set against the backdrop of a reality tv show. The novel is available for presale now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and releases May 30th 2023. I think it’s going to be a “most loved” summer beach read. A fun aspect of the novel is that it is peppered with signature cocktails for many of the characters– and I’ve created recipes for each. I’m going to post to my website but maybe I need to publish an accompanying cocktail recipe booklet to go with the novel?

 

 

With your busy schedule, what do you like to do with your downtime?

I have a family of five, three boys and my husband and myself; we are 6 if you count our King Charles, Reese’s. We love to fish specifically in the Florida Keys. And when I say fish, I mean we go out in our boat and drive halfway to the Bahamas to get those monsters of the deep! My husband throws a net to catch bait, we troll for hours or bottom drop and then eat what we catch. It’s such a fantastic family activity because it requires patience and cooperation, and we always return to shore with great stories and comical events that happened along the way, as well as dinner. I also enjoy running and hiking, especially in warmer climates. Travel is my passion, the less explored area, the better. From September through February, you can catch me cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs wherever I am on “any given Sunday.”

 

 

When you go out to eat, where do you like to dine?

There are so many good options. In Los Angeles it’s Felix, Cicconi, Petty Cash, Republique or Dan Tanas. In Miami if it’s a Dave Grutman restaurant I’m there; Komodo remains a favorite. The Lazy Lobster in Key largo. In Toronto Mimi Chinese, Auberge du Pommier or Sash are winners every time. The burger at the Polo Bar in New York would be my last meal if I ever had to pick, but the baked Tagliolini with ham from Cipriani is also a favorite.

 

 

What types of dishes do you typically order?

Usually a fish—branzino, sea bream or dover sole with a side of crisp brussels sprouts and some stolen fries from my husband or boys’ plates. Yes, I’m one of those French fry thieves! If it’s branzino or sea bream, I like the whole fish with the bones in, so I have to work at it. I also enjoy fresh sushi and thin crust authentic pizza made with double zero flour. (If you know you know). For lunch, I enjoy a good, chopped salad like the OG one from La Scala in Beverly Hills. Breakfast is all about the egg dishes. The Farm on Beverly in LA does an amazing scramble with sausage, spinach and goat cheese and a zippy salad on the side.

 

 

Any favorite bars?

Bodega in Miami, The Bel Air Hotel in LA, and the lobby bar at the Crosby Street hotel in New York. I also really like the piano bar at the Carlyle in New York. You never know who will be there tinkling the ivories. I have great memories from the private paddock bar at Longchamp racecourse in Paris, with my parents. We would attend the Arc de Triumphe horserace there every fall. The beach bar at The Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo is always a good time. And I’m always on the lookout for a new speakeasy – there’s something so retro glam about a speakeasy.

 

 

What drinks do you order when out? Favorite drink?

A spicy Margarita – not too sweet – is my signature cocktail. LeeAnne Locken introduced me to Ranch Water and I enjoy that. But a glass of Pinot Noir also works. Meiomi is my go-to Pinot Noir at home, and I recently discovered some amazing Pinot Noirs from Oregon.

 

 

Do you prepare drinks at home?

Yes! I’ve trained my of-age sons to be good bartenders. It’s a great party skill to be able to mix a drink and shake a cocktail. They make a mean spicy Margarita and sometimes I have them use Lacroix to make a gas station Marg for me.

 

 

Tell us about your home bar. What is it stocked with?

And if you know me, and who my friends are, you know it’s Casa del Sol tequila. Wink wink. We have a smattering of everything in case guests pop by: rum, vodka, Kahlua, Baileys.

 

 

Have you ever been a bartender?

Yes! I have been. I worked at a restaurant in college and the management insisted everyone experience everyone else’s position. So even though I was employed as a hostess, I had to take a shift as a dishwasher, a server, and a bartender. It was a great concept. I was an awful bartender—way too slow and at one point I was trying to do a Tom Cruise in Cocktail and grabbed two bottles of wine to fill a glass at the same time, only I didn’t see it wasn’t the same wine. It was a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Whoopsy.

 

 

If you could share a drink with anyone, who would it be?

A few people: chosen because I like to laugh. Maybe Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Kirsten Wiig, Jason Segel and Tina Fey. I’d just sit back and sip my margarita and let them tell their stories. Of course, Paul Rudd and I would bond over our KC Chiefs love, so the conversation might take a sporting twist.

 

Cocktail cameos in Kara’s novel, Most Hated.

The Sabrina

On a coaster sat a Nick and Nora glass filled with a pale blush drink with a small rose as a garnish. It was the cocktail created for her by the members-only club, Raffles London in Chelsea. Pink gin, Lillet Rosé, fresh lemon oil, and a small touch of vanilla bean-infused Campari.

 

 

Lexi’s The LIIT

“Her drink is a Lex Island Iced Tea, which she always calls the LIIT.”
“You drink vodka soda, right?”
“Sure.” How did she know? Zoe? Google? Both?
“That’s what I thought. Mine’s a LIIT. It’s a long island but named for me, using a few of my favorites.”

 

 

Tiki Rita

“Okay,” he got the bartender’s attention, “two Tiki Rita’s.”
The drinks were sweet and delicious; they smelled like fresh nutmeg and lime.

 

 

Buttery Nipple

She ordered us each two more shots of a Buttery Nipple, which I vaguely remembered as having Irish Cream and butterscotch schnapps and tasting like a Werther’s candy.

 

 

Mariana’s Wet Pussy Shots

“But first let’s all start with a round of. . .”

The two of them turned to the server from the front hall, who had made her way in with a silver tray of glow-in-the dark pink shots.

“Wet Pussy shots!” the two of them exclaimed together. Mariana whooped with her arms in the air.

 

 

Nicole’s Margarita’s

The girl held a platter of pretty drinks she said were Margaritas with some Blue Curacao for color, and we each took one.

 

 

Leo’s Wellness Shot

“I brought some wellness shots. They’re kombucha, cayenne, fresh lemon, apple cider vinegar, and of course,” he said, setting the tray down and handing one to Sabrina with a wink, “a little bit of Mezcal, distilled with damiana. I consider that to be full wellness.”

 

Mick’s Virgin Mojito

She looked as though she was thinking. “I’m going to join the others. I wonder if Mick needs a drink. His favorite is a virgin Mojito when he’s training, right?”