tequila tuesday. [spicy jalapeño margarita]

Happy taco Tuesday, or as I’m calling it, tequila Tuesday! These spicy jalapeño margaritas would perfectly compliment your carne asada tacos or burrito. Cheers!

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belated celebration. [vodka spritzer w. strawberry & blueberry ice cubes]

I know I’m late to post this festive Fourth of July cocktail, but the drink would be delicious any time of the year! The strawberry and blueberry ice cubes bring an otherwise boring and colorless drink to life. If you’re not a strawberry or blueberry fan, you can of course replace them with raspberries, blackberries, grapes, etc.

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VeeV Spirits collaboration. [spicy grilled eggplant caprese stacks w. crispy parmesan lavash paired w. fruit cup sangria]

VeeV Spirits contacted me a couple months ago asking if I’d be interested in creating a dish to pair with one of their seasonal cocktails. I gladly accepted the offer, and chose to work with the VeeV Fruit Cup Sangria. The cocktail was sweet and delicious, and paired wonderfully with my slightly spicy grilled eggplant stacks. Both the cocktail and eggplant stacks are making an appearance at our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow!

VeeV is featuring my recipe on their Facebook page today…check it out here!

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what’s love got to do with it. [pomegranate & blood orange champagne punch]

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope everyone had or is having a wonderful day, filled with lots of love, chocolate and wine.

I plan on spending my night cooking a homemade meal with my roommate, then curling up on the couch with a cocktail or two. After the craziness of Grammy week, nothing sounds more appealing than my night ahead. :)

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not quite kid-friendly. [spiked cereal-milk shake]

A few months ago, Conan had pastry chef Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar on the show. During the episode, she taught Conan how to make cereal-milk white Russian milkshakes. I couldn’t get over the brilliance and creativity (and simplicity) of this drink–I had to recreate it.

I excluded the Kahlua in my version, but that didn’t take away from the rich and sweet vanilla flavor. This grown-up milkshake just might be my new go-to dessert. ;)

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deceptive & delicious. [Moscow mule]

Ever since my friend, Heidi, introduced me to Moscow mule at one of our favorite bars in LA, The Hudson, I’ve been hooked. It only seemed fitting that my roommate and I recreate the drink for her sister’s birthday party. But before finalizing our beverage choice, we had to hunt down the essential ingredient–mason jars. We were finally successful at Cost Plus World Market.

The tartness of the lime and sweetness of the ginger beer (which doesn’t contain alcohol) mask the flavor of the vodka–almost completely. So beware and don’t gulp these down too quickly!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend…oh, it’s not Friday yet?

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kickstart the weekend. [acai, peach & strawberry bellinis]

By Andy

I can’t think of a better way to start the day/weekend than indulging in a fresh, homemade bellini. Well, maybe I can, but this certainly ranks high up on the list.

Sorry to post yet another cocktail, but I wanted to post these bellinis ever since my brother, Andy, made them for my family the other weekend. If you hadn’t already gathered from the asparagus pesto pizza, he’s a great cook.

Rather than make a simple version of the drink, he had to go above and beyond. He whipped up three different flavors–peach, strawberry and acai, all of which were absolutely delicious and refreshing. These bellinis are perfect for summer, and are acceptable to drink at any time of the day. Happy Friday. :)

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bottoms up. [homemade margarita w. lime zest]

Though this isn’t a ground breaking recipe, it’d consider it a worthy staple. I never get around to making homemade margaritas, primarily because I always find it much easier to buy margarita mix for large parties.

However, my apartment was overflowing with limes, so I thought it the perfect opportunity to whip up a margarita (instead of using the limes to bake something fattening, which I would normally do).

For the non-drinkers out there, I would still enjoy this drink without the tequila, as it was sweet and refreshing. I added a bit of lime zest to give the drink an extra burst of flavor.

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a very happy hour. [blueberry pomegranate drink & blackberry mojito]

This past weekend, I invited a few girlfriends over for the evening. Our original plan was to get drinks and appetizers for happy hour in Laguna Beach. But due to the time crunch and our disinclination to spend a boatload of money, we decided to create our own happy hour. We managed to do just that minus spending money on gas, meter parking and a tip.

We wanted to make refreshing and delicious drinks that were all-natural sans the alcohol. I have to give credit to my friend, Ellen, as she was the mastermind behind our two drink concoctions.

Once we finished making the drinks, we lounged in my backyard by the pool, sipping on our cocktails as the sun set. Talk about a perfect weekend night!

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