greetings from ft. collins, colorado. last night, i hopped on a jet plane after my last yoga class and woke up this morning about an hour outside of denver. i am here visiting one of my best friends (we met on the swim team at lmu) and recharging. i told her my priorities were her, sleep and yoga. in that order. i'm sixteen hours in to my four day visit and so far we are right on track. 

the last week was a non stop hustle to get done everything that needed doing before i left. and wes was a huge help. we had a test shoot for the cake calendar at my house thursday morning and he went above and beyond whipping our place into shape and helping me with the deliveries that still had to go out while i was away. 

so i treated him with a tasty margarita (one of his favorite cocktails). i still have a bit left over from a few friends winter citrus bounty and in the bunch are some beautiful pink and meyer lemons. of course, you can use whatever lemons you can get your hands on, this cocktail will be just as tasty. 

honey + lemon margarita 

serves: 1 cocktail 

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 1 minute

total time: 2 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz tequila (i used casa amigos because he loves it and we have it on hand). 1.5 oz lemon juice. .5 oz st. germain (if you don't have this you can purchase it HERE or you could sub something like triple sec in a pinch). 1 tsp honey. 1 cup ice. shaker. 

in the base of your shaker, add together all the ingredients.

add in two ore three ice cubes depending on how large your ice. too much ice and the honey will harden and not combine well. shake well for 30 seconds till everything is well combined.

place the rest of the ice in your serving glass and pour all the contents of the shaker into the glass.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

honey + lemon margarita 

serves: 1 cocktail 

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 1 minute

total time: 2 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz tequila (i used casa amigos because he loves it and we have it on hand). 1.5 oz lemon juice. .5 oz st. germain (if you don't have this you can purchase it HERE or you could sub something like triple sec in a pinch). 1 tsp honey. 1 cup ice. shaker. 

in the base of your shaker, add together all the ingredients. add in two ore three ice cubes depending on how large your ice. too much ice and the honey will harden and not combine well. shake well for 30 seconds till everything is well combined. place the rest of the ice in your serving glass and pour all the contents of the shaker into the glass. serve and enjoy.

the seasons are changing.

sure, it is technically spring already, but seasons don't just change in one day. every day, the sun is out a little longer, things get a bit greener, and slowly but surely things in the garden start to grow. herbs start flourishing. flowers start blooming. fruits start growing. early spring is like a new surprise every day. suddenly, there is progress everywhere. 

and personally, i'm trying to harness that same energy. wes and i have been doing some spring cleaning around the house, i've been planting seeds in the garden and setting the ground work for many upcoming business projects (don't worry, i am going to tell you... soon). 

after a long week of getting things done. it is time for my sweet, sweet reward. 

sage + citrus sparkler

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz cara cara orange juice (you can always sub for blood orange, navel or valencia oranges). 2 oz sparkling water. 5 small sage leaves + a few extra for garnish. 1 cup ice. shaker. 

place half your ice in your serving glass and half the ice in your shaker. tear up your sage leaves and smash them between your hands a few times to release their oils. add them to the ice in your shaker. pour in the vodka and then the orange juice.

shake well until the sage oils have released into your vodka and juice. about 30 to 45 seconds. strain the contents of the shaker into the serving glass.

top with the sparkling water and give it a stir. 

garnish with a few sage leaves and serve. 

xo, a

sage + citrus sparkler

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz cara cara orange juice (you can always sub for blood orange, navel or valencia oranges). 2 oz sparkling water. 5 small sage leaves + a few extra for garnish. 1 cup ice. shaker. 

place half your ice in your serving glass and half the ice in your shaker. tear up your sage leaves and smash them between your hands a few times to release their oils. add them to the ice in your shaker. pour in the vodka and then the orange juice. shake well until the sage oils have released into your vodka and juice. about 30 to 45 seconds. strain the contents of the shaker into the serving glass. top with the sparkling water and give it a stir. garnish with a few sage leaves and serve.