it's been another productive week over here at newfoodtuesdayz. lot's of teaching and cooking and just getting shit done. if you have some time, check out our new collaboration page to find out how to work with the newfoodtuesdayz team (me and wes). 

this weekend, i am having a little pop up bake sale at one of the studios i teach at. if you live in orange county and are looking to support local businesses and small artisans, please come check out the craft fair at kaya yoga remedy in huntington beach, this saturday from 1-4.
after testing plenty of full flavor, gluten free and vegan treats, i'm spending all #friyay baking. and drinking. duh. 

when you are your only real employee, you get to drink on the job. 

today i wanted something fun and bright to pick me up as i work well into the evening. plus, with all the germs roaming around right now, i need to pump up my vitamin c intake. 

i had these really cool sweet limes i found at my local produce store (there is a bunch of really cool citrus in season at the produce markets right now). they had the sweetness of an orange, but the flavor of a lime. and because the lime is so sweet, much less sugar is necessary to sweeten this tasty cocktail. 

casco bay sparkling limeade
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz citron vodka. 1 oz sweet lime juice. 1 oz lemon juice. 1 oz simple syrup. splash of cranberry juice. .25 cup club soda. 2 cups ice, divided. channel knife to make lime peal garnish. collins or tulip glass. 

using the channel knife, hook it into the lime peal and gently slide it the diameter of the lime to create your curls. 

in a pint glass with half the ice, combine the vodka, juices and simple syrup. 

strain into a glass with the remaining ice.

top with desired amount of club soda. 

garnish with lime twist and enjoy. 

xo, a 

casco bay sparkling limeade
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz citron vodka. 1 oz sweet lime juice. 1 oz lemon juice. 1 oz simple syrup. splash of cranberry juice. .25 cup club soda. 2 cups ice, divided. channel knife to make lime peal garnish. collins or tulip glass.
using the channel knife, hook it into the lime peal and gently slide it the diameter of the lime to create your curls.
in a pint glass with half the ice, combine the vodka, juices and simple syrup.
strain into a glass with the remaining ice.
top with desired amount of club soda.
garnish with lime twist and enjoy. 

it is that time again. we all made it to the end of the week. and man o man was this one a doozy. 

between prepping for wednesdays shoot, shooting all day in the desert wednesday, food and dessert deliveries thursday and working at the studio friday morning, i pretty much burnt the candle at both ends for the entire week. and it's possible i am in a zombie like state. 

but all the hard work and lack of sleep was well worth it. wednesday's shoot was drop dead gorgeous. all the vendors came together to produce some really beautiful work. 

i was particularly thrilled with the way our styled cocktails turned out. these cocktails make the desert feel like the coolest place to be. 

a little trick to always have a picture perfect cocktail ready is to create some pretty ice in advance. if i have extra herbs, berries or fruit, i freeze it in ice trays for future use. that way when guests come over, even the simplest vodka soda can look like a fancy beverage with the addition of lavender or blackberry ice. once the ice is frozen you can store it in bags or baskets in the freezer till you are ready to use. 

since i'm running on fumes, today i put together a tasty libation with leftovers from the shoot. ginger + pears made the perfect slightly sweet and spicy compliment to your favorite whiskey. 

ginger + pear whiskey soda
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 7 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 oz whiskey (i used bulleit rye). 1 tsp grated ginger. 1 tbs chopped fresh pear. 1 tsp lime juice. club soda. pear slice for garnish. 2 dashes bitters if you have some on hand. shaker or pint glass with strainer. 2 cups ice divided. 

start by combining your pears, ginger and lime juice together in a bowl. muddle until the pears are smashed.

combine the pear mixture in the shaker with 1 cup ice and the whiskey.

shake well.

strain the mixture into a glass with the rest of the ice. 

add club soda to taste. add bitters if available. 

garnish with pear wedge and enjoy. 

xo, a

ginger + pear whiskey soda
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 7 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 oz whiskey (i used bulleit rye). 1 tsp grated ginger. 1 tbs chopped fresh pear. 1 tsp lime juice. club soda. pear slice for garnish. 2 dashes bitters if you have some on hand. shaker or pint glass with strainer. 2 cups ice divided.
start by combining your pears, ginger and lime juice together in a bowl. muddle until the pears are smashed.
combine the pear mixture in the shaker with 1 cup ice and the whiskey. shake well.
strain the mixture into a glass with the rest of the ice.
add club soda to taste. add bitters if available.
garnish with pear wedge and enjoy.