i can no longer deny it. fall is up on us.

personally, i’m more of an endless summer kind of girl than the fall leaves, pumpkin spice latte kind. BUT the light is changing, it’s cooling down even in sunny southern california and today at the mall my mother saw ACTUAL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. we are still a month out from halloween for goodness sake!

my point is, whether i like it or not, autumn is here. but the silver lining to the changing of the season is the beautiful fall produce. figs being one of my all time seasonal favorites. you just can’t get them any other time of year. figs are wonderful for all kinds of sweet and savory dishes. but one of my favorite ways to indulge in fig season is with a cocktail.

fig & flower

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

ingredients: 2 oz fig infused vodka (you can sub regular vodka if you don’t have any). 1 oz lemon juice. 1 oz creme de violette. 3 oz club soda. lemon twist. wedge of fresh fig for garnish, optional. 2 cups ice, divided. shaker.

start by filling the shaker with half your ice. pour in the fig infused vodka, lemon juice and creme de violette. cover and shake well till everything is combined. about 30 seconds.

fill your serving glass with the remaining ice and then pour in the contents of your shaker.

top with club soda.

garnish with lemon twist and fig wedge. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

fig & flower

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 1 minute

ingredients: 2 oz fig infused vodka (you can sub regular vodka if you don’t have any). 1 oz lemon juice. 1 oz creme de violette. 3 oz club soda. lemon twist. wedge of fresh fig for garnish, optional. 2 cups ice, divided. shaker.

start by filling the shaker with half your ice. pour in the fig infused vodka, lemon juice and creme de violette. cover and shake well till everything is combined. about 30 seconds. fill your serving glass with the remaining ice and then pour in the contents of your shaker. top with club soda. garnish with lemon twist and fig wedge. serve and 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.