another wild one in the books folks. exciting things are developing in the minichiello household. i can't go spilling all the beans just yet, but good things are in the works. all will reveal itself in due time. 

in addition to normal food deliveries and fitness classes, we had another styled shoot this week with some awesome new vendors. part of the color scheme this week was blush colors so i was digging deep into the grapefruit ideas to get a pop of color. i experimented with some great things, but the clear winner was this refreshing cocktail. 

paloma
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila or mescal. 2 oz grapefruit juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 tsp sugar. 3 oz club soda. 1 tsp grapefruit zest. 1 grapefruit slice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 4-5 ice cubes. 

start by combining your salt and grapefruit zest onto a shallow plate. mix till well combined.

rub the edge of your glass with a little bit of lime juice. 

then gently dip the rim of the glass into the salt and grapefruit zest mixture till you have lightly coated the rim of the glass. 

in the bottom of the glass, combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice and sugar. 

mix well till the sugar is dissolved. 

pour in the tequila and mix. 

add in the grapefruit slice and ice. 

top with the club soda. 

stir till combined and serve. 

xo, a

paloma
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila or mescal. 2 oz grapefruit juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 tsp sugar. 3 oz club soda. 1 tsp grapefruit zest. 1 grapefruit slice. 1 tsp kosher salt. 4-5 ice cubes. 
start by combining your salt and grapefruit zest onto a shallow plate. mix till well combined. 
rub the edge of your glass with a little bit of lime juice. then gently dip the rim of the glass into the salt and grapefruit zest mixture till you have lightly coated the rim of the glass. 
in the bottom of the glass, combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice and sugar. 
mix well till the sugar is dissolved. 
pour in the tequila and mix. 
add in the grapefruit slice and ice. 
top with the club soda. 
stir till combined and serve. 

friyay is usually my day off. but today, i subbed a class for an instructor who had a sudden obligation. i had a nice morning at home with wes, drinking coffee and researching cocktails and then i headed to the studio. all morning i had this nervous feeling i couldn't shake. i arrived at my class early, excited to teach to a group i don't usually have. five minutes before class, the teacher before me informed me that the speaker was malfunctioning. low tones of my music weren't coming through. making my music, well, lackluster. for a thirty minute spin class. sweet. 

and then i realized it is friday the thirteenth. sounds about right. so i took a deep breath, remembered it was friday and in a few short hours i would have a cocktail in my hand, and i got through it. 

luckily, i'm in for the evening and will be hunkering down to avoid further disaster. with this delicious cocktail in hand. 

i found this vintage cocktail in a really cool cocktail book that wes's mom andrea gave him for christmas. i flipped to the page purely because i thought the name was cute, but i fell for it after reading the ingredients. clean, bright and just a little hint of sweetness. i have some really beautiful fresh marjoram in my little garden at the moment and it was the perfect floral compliment to the gin and lime juice. if you can't find any marjoram in your local store, try subbing lavender or other floral herb you can find. 

in rickey + fresh marjoram
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 tbs lime juice. 1 tsp simple syrup. 4 oz club soda. 5 sprigs marjoram. lime wedge for garnish. 1 cup ice + ice for serving. stainer. 

start by removing the leaves from three of the marjoram sprigs. grab the top of the sprig with one hand and run your index finger and thumb down the length of the stem, removing the leaves as you go. 

in a mixing glass or shaker, combine the leaves, ice, gin, simple syrup and lime juice.

shake or mix until well combined and the marjoram leaves have bruised to release their oils. 

strain the gin mixture over ice into your cocktail glass. 

top off with your desired amount of club soda.

garnish with the remaining sprigs of marjoram and lime wedge and enjoy. 

xo, a

gin rickey + fresh marjoram
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 tbs lime juice. 1 tsp simple syrup. 4 oz club soda. 5 sprigs marjoram. lime wedge for garnish. 1 cup ice + ice for serving. stainer.
start by removing the leaves from three of the marjoram sprigs. grab the top of the sprig with one hand and run your index finger and thumb down the length of the stem, removing the leaves as you go.
in a mixing glass or shaker, combine the leaves, ice, gin, simple syrup and lime juice.
shake or mix until well combined and the marjoram leaves have bruised to release their oils.
strain the gin mixture over ice into your cocktail glass.
top off with your desired amount of club soda.
garnish with the remaining sprigs of marjoram and lime wedge and enjoy.