i wouldn't have said it in the months following my wedding, but now that we are closing in on a year of marriage i can admit that i would like to do it all over again. it was pretty epic. but alas, it was a one time thang. 

luckily, i'm going to relive working with a lot of my wedding vendors next week for a photo shoot. i'll be cooking up appetizers, a dessert bar and some cocktails for a wedding/engagement inspiration shoot. 

with halloween and the shoot on the horizon, i've been working on some dark, moody cocktails. this one was so good i've already had two. tgif. 

blackberry lemondrop
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice. .5 oz triple sec. .5 oz simple syrup. 6 blackberries. 1 lemon slice for garnish. 1 cup crushed ice. pint glass. tumbler for serving. 

start by muddling 5 of your blackberries in a small bowl. they are very easy to smash. reserve 1 blackberry for garnish. 

in a pint glass, combine the ice, vodka, lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup. stir well and pour the ice/cocktail into a tumbler. 

our your blackberry puree over the top of your cocktail.

garnish glass with a blackberry and slice of lemon and serve. 

xo,a

blackberry lemondrop
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice. .5 oz triple sec. .5 oz simple syrup. 6 blackberries. 1 lemon slice for garnish. 1 cup crushed ice. pint glass. tumbler for serving.
start by muddling 5 of your blackberries in a small bowl. they are very easy to smash. reserve 1 blackberry for garnish.
in a pint glass, combine the ice, vodka, lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup. stir well and pour the ice/cocktail into a tumbler.
pour your blackberry puree over the top of your cocktail. garnish glass with a blackberry and slice of lemon and serve. 

one month from today, my family and i will be getting off a plane in brazil for the olympic games. 

on thursday, we are headed down to san diego for the official olympic team announcement where we are expecting to hear that my youngest brother joshua has qualified for the 2016 rio games. and if for some reason he doesn't qualify, i'll be spending almost three weeks with my feet in the brazilian sand. fuck zika.

yesterday, in addition to celebrating our nations birth, the samuels clan celebrated josh, his long road coming to a climax, and just being together as a family. 

and i couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with a refreshing, bright summer cocktail. i'm usually a standard vodka soda drinker, but this lightly fruity but crisp concoction really hit the spot on a summer day spent by the pool. 

cucumber pineapple smash
prep time: 3 minutes
serves: 6 oz
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 4 oz club soda. 3 sprigs cilantro. 3 slices cucumber. 3 large fresh pineapple chunks. ice.

in a pint glass or shaker, combine the cilantro, 2 of the cucumber slices and the pineapple. using a muddler or a tablespoon, smash together the herbs and fruit till they are pretty well smashed. 

add the vodka to the glass/shaker, fill with ice and shake well. 

fill a tumbler with ice. strain the vodka and fruit mixture over the ice. 

top the vodka with the club soda. garnish with remaining cucumber slice and any of the pineapple chunks if you like and serve. 

xoxo
a

cucumber pineapple smash
prep time: 3 minutes
serves: 6 oz
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 4 oz club soda. 3 sprigs cilantro. 3 slices cucumber. 3 large fresh pineapple chunks. ice.
in a pint glass or shaker, combine the cilantro, 2 of the cucumber slices and the pineapple.
using a muddler or a tablespoon, smash together the herbs and fruit till they are pretty well smashed.
add the vodka to the glass/shaker, fill with ice and shake well.
fill a tumbler with ice. strain the vodka and fruit mixture over the ice.
top the vodka with the club soda. garnish with remaining cucumber slice and any of the pineapple chunks if you like and serve.