welcome to a special new years edition of friyay happy hour.

this year has been a crazy whirlwind. cakes took off like crazy, we doubled our catering business and we had such an amazing time being a part of people’s most special days.

despite getting a bug that had me dragging to the finish line of twenty-eighteen, it was a VERY special year. after years of struggling, it felt great to finally start to see growth and development in our cooking. for so long it felt like i was faking it, and now i feel like cooking really is my job.

not to mention, today marks three years of wedded to bliss with my right hand man, wesley. it’s been a true joy being married to my best friend and business partner and i’m looking forward to what the next year brings us both.

now to the important part. there is something very special about ringing in the new year with bubbly. and a tweak or two can take your bubbles to the next level. a splash of any fresh fruit juice is delicious, but blood oranges are in season and the perfect splash.

blood orange + hibiscus bubbles

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 1 minute

total time: 2 minutes

ingredients: 5 oz dry sparkling wine (or your favorite type of sparkling wine). 1 oz blood orange juice. .5 oz hibiscus syrup. blood orange wheel & golden sprinkles for garnish.

start by lightly rubbing the edge of your serving glass with the wheel of blood orange so it becomes slightly tacky.

dip the edge of your glass in the golden sprinkles.

pour the hibiscus syrup & blood orange juice into the bottom of your glass.

fill up the glass with bubbles.

garnish with the blood orange wheel.

serve & enjoy.

xo, a

blood orange + hibiscus bubbles

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 1 minute

total time: 2 minutes

ingredients: 5 oz dry sparkling wine (or your favorite type of sparkling wine). 1 oz blood orange juice. .5 oz hibiscus syrup. blood orange wheel & golden sprinkles for garnish.

start by lightly rubbing the edge of your serving glass with the wheel of blood orange so it becomes slightly tacky. dip the edge of your glass in the golden sprinkles. pour the hibiscus syrup & blood orange juice into the bottom of your glass. fill up the glass with bubbles. garnish with the blood orange wheel. serve & enjoy.

the older i get, the more i believe that the universe is always sending me messages.

it’s been a VERY busy week, and today, i was feeling like i just wasn’t going to be able to get to that friyay cocktail! but i got my sh*t together and went to pick up the mezcal i wanted for today’s cocktail. by the way, if you are not familiar with mezcal, pick up a bottle! like tequila, it is made with agave, but they smoke the plant before they ferment it which creates this amazingly smokey flavor.

i had an idea of what i wanted to make, but i was going to have to run all over town to get the rosemary and hibiscus. and then, right there in the parking lot of the place i got the mezcal, was the MOST GORGEOUS hibiscus NEXT TO a flourishing rosemary bush. and the smokin hibiscus was born.

smokin hibiscus

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz mezcal. 1 oz hibiscus syrup. 1 oz fresh lime juice. 1 sprig of rosemary. 3 oz club soda. hibiscus for garnish, optional. 1 cup ice or large ice cube. shaker with extra cup of ice.

start by combining most of the leaves from the rosemary sprig (leave the tip top leaves for the sprig to become a garnish), the mezcal, the hibiscus syrup and the lime juice in the shaker with ice. shake well for 30 seconds till the rosemary oils have released into the mixture.

pour the mixture into your serving glass filled with ice.

top with club soda.

garnish with rosemary sprig and optional hibiscus flower and enjoy.

xo, a

smokin hibiscus

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz mezcal. 1 oz hibiscus syrup. 1 oz fresh lime juice. 1 sprig of rosemary. 3 oz club soda. hibiscus for garnish, optional. 1 cup ice or large ice cube. shaker with extra cup of ice.

start by combining most of the leaves from the rosemary sprig (leave the tip top leaves for the sprig to become a garnish), the mezcal, the hibiscus syrup and the lime juice in the shaker with ice. shake well for 30 seconds till the rosemary oils have released into the mixture. pour the mixture into your serving glass filled with ice. top with club soda. garnish with rosemary sprig and optional hibiscus flower and enjoy.