spice up your spritz

I'll take any excuse to open a bottle of champagne. In fact, I'm drinking a glass of Prosecco right now. Because it's Wednesday. And I was thirsty. But Valentine's Day is basically the ideal day to sip champagne: it's light, it's fancy, it's a little bit special and a little bit sexy. You can have a flute by itself, or go with a classic mimosa, or you can dress it up a little bit with a few simple things:

Make it a cocktail: I love champagne cocktails. They're perfectly bubbly and classy, but with an added kick. Add your favorite gin + juice, some fresh citrus, or a fruit liqueur like Chambord (a French black raspberry liqueur), or all of the above, and you have a cocktail that brings the love right out of you. 

Add some fancy ice cubes: Get a little bit of flavor and color slowly, as the ice melts without watering your drink down. For a lovely little surprise, try some fun shapes with your ice cubes--I froze 100% pomegranate juice in a heart-shaped tray and I kind of loved them. You could try orange & lime cubes, or a fruit + mint combination, or even some edible flowers...basically take anything you like, and pour it into an ice cube tray. Voila! 

Add some fruit: Whether fresh or frozen, adding strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, or even frozen grapes is an easy way to add flavor and dimension--and the booze-soaked berries are a bonus when you get to the bottom of the glass. 

Get creative with juices: While I love a classic mimosa with brunch, a Valentine's evening calls for something a little more unusual. I love a dash of pomegranate juice in my champagne, but the possibilities are endless: blood orange, acai, clementine, blueberry, grapefruit...walk down the aisle with your Valentine (or galentine) that morning and challenge yourselves to choose one you've never had before. You might find your new favorite. 

Add fun accessories: From a heart-shaped stirrer to a chalkboard name tag to a "drink me" hanging from the base of the glass, holidays are an excuse to get extra cutesy and a little overboard. So why not?

s i p p i n ' : Rosemary Ocelot

My older sister Katie is the first creative I remember observing--you know, one of those people who dabbles in a little bit of everything and adds a touch of beauty to all they do. Four years older than me, I watched her in high school as she developed black & white photography, wrote poetry, painted, refinished furniture, altered clothing, and on and on. My family is full of creative people, but she is the first person I remember watching and realizing that your creativity doesn't have to be limited to one or two outlets--you can have it all. 

It's years later and my sister is still pouring creativity into outlets like her home, her bountiful garden, and the amazing meals she whips up out of seemingly nowhere. She's also studying to become a certified sommelier, and has vast knowledge about wine & spirits. I asked her to come up with some cocktails to share with you all over the summer, and this is the first! We call it a Rosemary Ocelot because it contains Pisco, a Peruvian grape brandy, which made us think of South American Wildcats, hence the ocelot. Perfect for some backyard happy hour, which is my new favorite pastime!

Rosemary Ocelot:

1.5 oz Pisco

2 oz grapefruit juice

Rosemary simple syrup (recipe below)

soda water 

squeeze of lime

Combine Pisco, grapefuit juice, simple syrup, and lime in a shaker. Shhhhake it. Pour over ice, top with soda water, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary. Cheers! 

Rosemary Simple Syrup:

In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and several sprigs of rosemary. Boil at high heat until sugar dissolves, then steep and let cool. In an airtight container, this will keep for up to a month refrigerated and can be used in lots more cocktails! 

s i p p i n ' : mango mojitos

I love Sundays. They are the start to my weekend and I like them best lazy, sun-drenched, and with good food and drinks--and they are even better when Evan is here to spend them with me. I get about two Sundays a month with him, and we savor them! This Sunday being the USA world cup game, we knew we'd spend our afternoon watching, but not before a few hours spent splashing at the beach and a stop at the store for fresh fruit to drink and use to cheers when our guys scored. He had the idea for mango mojitos, and I happily obliged, excited to take from the mint plant I potted this week. These are perfect for a post-beach relaxed evening! 

Most recipes call for a mango puree, but being without a blender, I simply muddled them with the mint. They get fruitier as you drink! This recipe makes two cocktails, but we continued to refresh our drinks with extra materials as they emptied...cheers!

1 ripe mango

several sprigs of fresh mint leaves

sugar or simple syrup, to taste

2 limes

light rum (we just used bacardi)

soda water

Remove pit and slice mangos into small chunks. Place half of the amount in each glass, along with several mint leaves. To help the muddling, I added a splash of rum and a small spoonful of sugar to each glass. Muddle ingredients, then squeeze lime juice over top (do this to taste, I love lime so I ended up with one small lime's worth of juice in each). Pour in a shot (or two) of rum, top with soda water, add a mango garnish, clink your glasses together & enjoy!