i just spent the last twenty minutes musing about all that has gone on in the last few weeks. 

and then i stopped, realized it's friday, and deleted the whole thing. 

for weeks, my life has been nothing but running, stress, negotiations and LOTS of food. but f*ck it. it's the first friday in december and we should just be focusing on the drinking. i can bore you with my monologue another time. 

let's focus on a delicious cocktail instead. this drink is pretty much a christmas party in a glass. bright, boozy and smelling like an evergreen, this vodka cocktail is sure to wow at your holiday party or your friyay night braless couch session. 

winter citrus punch
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz blood orange juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz hibiscus syrup (you can purchase it HERE). 1 cup ice. 1 sprig rosemary (bottom two inches of leaves removed). 2 blackberries. shaker. tumbler or old fashioned glass for serving. 

start by making your rosemary & blackberry garnish. skewer the blackberries up to the edge of the rosemary leaves and set it aside. add your ice to the shaker. pour the remaining ingredients into the shaker. shake will to combine. 

pour all the contents of the shaker including the ice into your serving glass. 

garnish with the rosemary & blackberry skewer and serve. 

xo, a

winter citrus punch
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz blood orange juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz hibiscus syrup (you can purchase it HERE). 1 cup ice. 1 sprig rosemary (bottom two inches of leaves removed). 2 blackberries. shaker. tumbler or old fashioned glass for serving.
tart by making your rosemary & blackberry garnish. skewer the blackberries up to the edge of the rosemary leaves and set it aside. add your ice to the shaker. pour the remaining ingredients into the shaker. shake will to combine. pour all the contents of the shaker including the ice into your serving glass. garnish with the rosemary & blackberry skewer and serve. 

lately, i feel like a broken record. friday comes and i tell you all what a crazy week it has been and that we all deserve a drink.

well guess what? this week is no different. in fact, it was the craziest week i've had since my life got turned upside down two years ago when i was laid off from my stable, well paying job and decided to become a yoga instructor and cook instead. 

let's say the week starts sunday. it was a great start to the week. i taught two great classes (some of my highest numbers in my very new time slots) to some amazing friends and clients and i just felt the most comfortable and happy teaching i have ever felt. it felt glorious. and i spent the rest of my sunday cleaning my house from the catered dinner the night before and getting myself ready for styled shoots on tuesday and wednesday.

then baking, teaching, cooking and shooting on monday, tuesday and wednesday morning. 

wednesday, as i was winding down my photo shoot and clearing up my stuff to head home, my phone started BLOWING up. suddenly i had a dozen text messages and missed calls. i checked my email to discover that the spin and yoga studio that i teach most of my classes at was closing. in one week. ONE WEEK. 

sure, i'm bummed that i will no longer have a steady paycheck, but my emotions run so much deeper than that over the sudden loss. i started taking yoga classes for the first time ten years ago at the location in venice. and while that is not where i really developed my love for yoga, it got me my start. and when it came time for me to find a teaching job, it felt like the most natural home. when i moved to costa mesa with wes, i didn't have many friends or a network to rely on. but the second i needed a job, they embraced me and it was my first job back to work after i got married. it was my first teaching job when i got certified. soooooo many of the clients have turned into food and swim lesson clients, but even more than that so many have turned into friends. and some of my fellow teachers turned into family. 

BUT. 

after my immediate rush of emotion and shock as i stood photographing cake stands to use for future wedding dessert bars, it hit me. this is not the end of something. it is just the beginning of something. yas closing is making space for me, my fellow teachers and my clients to find a new home. one where we can create the vibe and community we crave. 

so i'm opening up my eyes and my ears to possibilities as they come. and in the mean time, i'm going to TAKE a lot of yoga and spin classes and enjoy other teachers for a while. but first, i'm going to enjoy a drink. cheers to yas. a ten year journey that brought me to the person i was always meant to be. 

coffee martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1-7 minutes (dependent on how long it takes you to brew coffee)
active time: 1 minute
total time: 8 minutes
ingredients: 4oz hot, freshly brewed coffee (whatever brew method you prefer). 2 oz vodka. 1 oz baileys irish cream. whole star anise or cinnamon stick for serving. micro plane. shaker. martini glass. whipped cream optional. 

in the shaker, combine the vodka, baileys and hot coffee. shake well to combine and to get the mixture a bit bubbly, about 30 seconds. be careful when you are shaking as the hot coffee will create steam pressure. you should use a dish towel to hold over the top of the shaker. 

pour the liquid into the martini glass. 

use a micro plane to grate a little bit of your whole anise or cinnamon and garnish with two whole stars or sticks. option to top it with whipped cream and serve. 

xo, a

coffee martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1-7 minutes (dependent on how long it takes you to brew coffee)
active time: 1 minute
total time: 8 minutes
ingredients: 4oz hot, freshly brewed coffee (whatever brew method you prefer). 2 oz vodka. 1 oz baileys irish cream. whole star anise or cinnamon stick for serving. micro plane. shaker. martini glass. whipped cream optional.
n the shaker, combine the vodka, baileys and hot coffee. shake well to combine and to get the mixture a bit bubbly, about 30 seconds. be careful when you are shaking as the hot coffee will create steam pressure. you should use a dish towel to hold over the top of the shaker. pour the liquid into the martini glass. use a micro plane to grate a little bit of your whole anise or cinnamon and garnish with two whole stars or sticks. option to top it with whipped cream and serve.