well this sangria was supposed to be posted for friyay, but then i started drinking at three. and you all know what happens when you day drink. 

we are up in tahoe with our good friends blake and morgan for the weekend celebrating the start to summer. this weekend is all about spending time relaxing by the lake enjoying good food, good company and good cocktails. 

i made this sangria a couple weeks ago for a ladies dinner party and i knew it was going to become my summer go to. it's hard to imagine, but it is even lighter than a standard sangria and the watermelon makes it so refreshing. be careful, this cocktail can be considered dangerous. basically it tastes like there isn't any booze in it. consider yourself warned.

watermelon sangria
serves: 12 cocktails
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups watermelon. 1 bottle dry white wine of your choice. 8oz vodka. 4 oz triple sec. 4 oz lime fresh lime juice. 3 kiwis, cut into .5 inch cubes. 1 cup blackberries, halved. 10 lavender flower blossoms. 

start by juicing your watermelon. in a food processor, puree the watermelon till liquid. now you have a choice. if you like pulp and want the drink a bit junkier, you do not have to strain the liquid. if you like a smooth sangria, strain your watermelon juice. 

then, in a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients. 

stir well to combine. 

serve over ice. 

xo, a

watermelon sangria
serves: 12 cocktails
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups watermelon. 1 bottle dry white wine of your choice. 8oz vodka. 4 oz triple sec. 4 oz lime fresh lime juice. 3 kiwis, cut into .5 inch cubes. 1 cup blackberries, halved. 10 lavender flower blossoms.
start by juicing your watermelon. in a food processor, puree the watermelon till liquid. now you have a choice. if you like pulp and want the drink a bit junkier, you do not have to strain the liquid. if you like a smooth sangria, strain your watermelon juice. then, in a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients. stir well to combine. serve over ice. 

not going to lie. this week was a pretty big week. 

it has been eighteen months of hard work and laying the groundwork of my food and fitness businesses, and things are starting to pay off. thursday in particular was a big day. 

we had been planning a fun dinner party with one of my besties lish for a bunch of her girlfriends for a few weeks. wes and i were both looking forward to hanging with lish, making some beautiful food and hanging out with some of our mutual friends i haven't seen in a while. then i received word that a photo shoot we did the food styling for was going to be published over at green wedding shoes, including one of our cocktail recipes. WOW. the photos alone were worth giving our time too, but the feature was more than we could have dreamed of. and the drizzle topping on my cake? i taught class yesterday morning to my first ever SELL OUT!!! i was in shock, and the emotional high lasted me all the way to our evening dinner party which was great fun and such a success. lish always throws the most fun parties. 

alright. the gushing is over. i have two more classes to teach this week and then i will be celebrating a week well done with this watermelon chili mary we cooked up for the photo shoot. bring on the mary weekend. 

watermelon chili mary
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
1 cup watermelon juice. 2 tsp yellow tomato puree (you can easily sub 2 tsp tomato juice). 2 oz vodka. 1 tsp lime juice + 1 wedge lime. .5 tsp sugar. 2-3 dashes hot sauce. .25 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp celery seeds. .25 tsp salt. 1 candied kiwi for garnish. 

with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the celery seeds, chili powder and salt together. pour the spice blend onto a flat plate. rub the edge of your serving glass with the lime wedge to get it a bit sticky. then, gently brush the rim of the glass into the spice mixture. place your kiwi and lime garnish on the glass. 

fill that glass with half the ice. place the remaining ice in a shaker. 

pour in the watermelon juice, tomato puree, lime juice, sugar, hot sauce and remaining spice blend. 

shake well till combined and a bit frothy. 

strain into the prepared glass, garnish with lime wedge and serve.

xo, a

watermelon chili mary
serves: 1 cocktail prep time: 10 minutes active time: 2 minutes 1 cup watermelon juice. 2 tsp yellow tomato puree (you can easily sub 2 tsp tomato juice). 2 oz vodka. 1 tsp lime juice + 1 wedge lime. .5 tsp sugar. 2-3 dashes hot sauce. .25 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp celery seeds. .25 tsp salt. 1 candied kiwi for garnish. with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the celery seeds, chili powder and salt together. pour the spice blend onto a flat plate. rub the edge of your serving glass with the lime wedge to get it a bit sticky. then, gently brush the rim of the glass into the spice mixture. fill that glass with half the ice. place the remaining ice in a shaker. pour in the watermelon juice, tomato puree, lime juice, sugar, hot sauce and remaining spice blend. shake well till combined and a bit frothy. strain into the prepared glass, garnish with lime wedge and serve.