last night, my good friend beatrice came over for dinner. we met when i was still working in fashion but we really bonded over food and shoes. she came over to catch up and to taste some new menu items i'm testing out for catering. 

i've been suffering from a cold and her and wes went on a whole tangent about tequila being anti bacterial and helping when you have a cold. now, i was calling a bit of bull honkey on that claim. 

but i did some research and it is true that the agave tequila is made from has some great health aiding properties. anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects were listed as some of the health benefits. so hell, i'm going to give it a go. i'm upping my cold kicking odds of success with some pomegranate, blackberries and lime juice to make a perfect fall margarita. 

pomegranate margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila reposado. 1 oz pomegranate juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 2 blackberries for garnish. toothpick or rosemary stick. 10 pomegranate seeds for garnish. shaker. cup of ice. 

start by making your garnish. skewer your blackberries with your toothpick or stick. then add your ice to the shaker. 

pour in all your ingredients. shake well to combine. about 30 second. 

place your garnish in your serving glass. pour the contents of your shaker into the glass.

serve cold. enjoy! 

xo, a

pomegranate margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila reposado. 1 oz pomegranate juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 2 blackberries for garnish. toothpick or rosemary stick. 10 pomegranate seeds for garnish. shaker. cup of ice.
tart by making your garnish. skewer your blackberries with your toothpick or stick. then add your ice to the shaker. pour in all your ingredients. shake well to combine. about 30 second. place your garnish in your serving glass. pour the contents of your shaker into the glass and serve cold. 

um... when did it become october? i'm pretty sure my head is still back in late july. in fact, it wouldn't be too terrible to go back in time a few months. think about it. let's go back to before all the crazy hurricanes (and i do mean ALL because they are still coming?!), this crazy shooting and the death of a musical legend. i'd gladly take back my sweltering summer kitchen to erase all that mess. but i digress... 

october is here. whether i like it or not. it's not that i don't care for october, it just means summer is really over, the days are getting shorter and i'm no longer playing with adorable kids in the pool every day. but you know what makes up for it? new produce in the markets. i hit the jackpot when i went to the store wednesday and found my absolute favorite, blood oranges. and what are blood oranges best for. drinking. duh.we have a dinner party coming up in a couple weeks and we needed a fun, fall cocktail to serve up. winner winner, chicken dinner. enjoy! 

blood orange + blackberry martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 6 minutes
ingredients: blackberry juice (makes 4 oz) - 1 cup blackberries. 1 oz simple syrup. food processor or muddler. strainer. 

martini - 2 oz vodka. 2 oz blood orange juice. 1 oz triple sec. 1 oz blackberry juice. shaker. martini glass. 1 cup of ice. blood orange slice for garnish.

start by making your blackberry juice. in the bowl of a food processor, blend the blackberries and simple syrup. 

strain the juice through the strainer and discard the seeds and any remaining pulp. fill your shaker with ice. 

add in the blackberry juice. 

add in the blood orange juice, triple sec, and vodka. shake well till everything is combined. 

pour the liquid into a martini glass. 

garnish with the blood orange slice and serve. 

xo, a

blood orange + blackberry martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 6 minutes
ingredients: blackberry juice (makes 4 oz) - 1 cup blackberries. 1 oz simple syrup. food processor or muddler. strainer.
martini - 2 oz vodka. 2 oz blood orange juice. 1 oz triple sec. 1 oz blackberry juice. shaker. martini glass. 1 cup of ice. blood orange slice for garnish.
start by making your blackberry juice. in the bowl of a food processor, blend the blackberries and simple syrup. strain the juice through the strainer and discard the seeds and any remaining pulp. fill your shaker with ice. add in the blackberry juice. add in the blood orange juice, triple sec, and vodka. shake well till everything is combined. pour the liquid into a martini glass. garnish with the blood orange slice and serve.