it's another cold and drizzly day in socal, but it is not dampening my friday mood! we made it through another hectic week and it's time to warm up with a nice, stiff drink. 

every time i stumble upon some blood oranges at the store i pick them up, just in case they are the last of the season. so of course i've got twenty blood oranges that now need homes. 

enter the classic old fashioned. it's sweet spiciness is the perfect compliment to the mild but vibrant blood orange. they are a match made in cocktail heaven. 

blood orange old fashioned
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz bourbon (you can sub other whiskey you have on hand). 1 tsp sugar. 1 tsp blood orange juice. 3 dashes aromatic bitters. 1 tbs water. 1 large ice cube or 1 cup of ice. blood orange twist & violas for garnish. old fashioned glass. 

start by combining the sugar, blood orange juice and bitters in the bottom of your old fashioned glass. 

combine the sugar and liquid till the sugar dissolves. 

if you are having trouble dissolving the sugar, add a bit of your water a little at a time until the sugar dissolves. 

pour the whiskey into your dissolved sugar mixture and mix well to combine.

add in your blood orange twist and ice. 

garnish with violas and serve. 

xo, a

blood orange old fashioned
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz bourbon (you can sub other whiskey you have on hand). 1 tsp sugar. 1 tsp blood orange juice. 3 dashes aromatic bitters. 1 tbs water. 1 large ice cube or 1 cup of ice. blood orange twist & violas for garnish. old fashioned glass.
start by combining the sugar, blood orange juice and bitters in the bottom of your old fashioned glass.
combine the sugar and liquid till the sugar dissolves. if you are having trouble dissolving the sugar, add a bit of your water a little at a time until the sugar dissolves.
pour the whiskey into your dissolved sugar mixture and mix well to combine.
add in your blood orange twist and ice.
garnish with violas and serve. 

one of my biggest pet peeves in the kitchen is waste. it drives me nuts when i let things go bad or if i spill something usable. so at every opportunity, i try to use every part of an ingredient. 

which leads me to a simple, but super effective ingredient you are probably throwing away.
citrus peels can be used in a variety of ways to add flavor, color or a little style to whatever you are eating and drinking. you can use the peel before the fruit, just store it after you peel it in a plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it. now pretty much any citrus fruit works for any of the following methods so have fun and get creative! 

skinny twist
uses: small pieces can be mixed with sugar to garnish a cocktail glass. can be used in any size to decorate cakes, bars and other desserts. larger twists can be used to garnish cocktails. you will need a channel knife which can be found HERE. 

hook the edge of the knife into your citrus. apply pressure with your thumb and slide the channel knife around the circumference of the citrus. 

lift the knife when you have the desired length. 

citrus twist
uses: cocktail garnish. beer garnish. cake decoration. food or beverage garnish.
to execute the twist, you will need a veggie peeler. you may have one in your home, but if not, you can get one HERE.

start by hooking your peeler into the citrus towards the top (where the citrus was picked off the tree). apply pressure and drag the peeler around the circumference of the citrus, guiding it towards the bottom.

lift the peeler when you have the desired length.

citrus zest
uses: GREAT flavor adder!!! use it in marinades, dressings, frostings, batters, doughs for great flavor with no extra liquid. it can also be used to decorate desserts, add color to a plate or mixed with fresh herbs as a coating for goat cheese. you can always peel and finely chop the peel, but a micro plane is a great help! you can get one HERE. 

hold the citrus against the micro plane. drag the citrus against the grate. 

continue until you have your desire amount. notice that it collects on the back of the micro plane so you may need to wipe it to release some of the zest. 

enjoy!
xo, a