my favorite season is finally upon us. i'm not even going to pretend i'm not 100% biased towards summer. summer is my season. i love light weight, flowing dresses, wearing my bikini every day and summer produce. 

as a kid, i was a bit freaked out by fruit that had some fuzz, but as an adult i have developed a true appreciate for fuzzy stone fruits. that juicy, summer sweetness is undeniable. and right now, my local produce stores are bursting at the seems with tasty peaches. 

i love the sweetness of peaches, but i do not love super sweet cocktails. the heat from jalapenos brings the perfect balance to the sweetness of the peaches and the boozy kick of the vodka. bring it all together in a chilled glass and you will have a cooling cocktail that also packs a bit of a punch but goes down way to easy. drinker be warned. 

spicy peach martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 7 minutes
ingredients: 2.5 ounces vodka. 1.5 oz peach juice (i used hand juiced white peaches, but you can buy peach juice at the grocery store). 1 oz lime juice. .5 oz simple syrup. 5 thin slices of jalapeno (seeds removed). 1 peach wedge for garnish. 1 lime twist for garnish. shaker full of ice. chilled martini glass. 

start by filling your shaker with the vodka, peach juice, lime juice, simple syrup and 2 of the 5 jalapeno slices. shake well to combine. 

place the remaining jalapeno slices in the bottom of the martini glass. 

pour your liquid into the martini glass. 

garnish with peach wedge and lime twist and enjoy. 

xo, a

spicy peach martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 7 minutes
ingredients: 2.5 ounces vodka. 1.5 oz peach juice (i used hand juiced white peaches, but you can buy peach juice at the grocery store). 1 oz lime juice. .5 oz simple syrup. 5 thin slices of jalapeno (seeds removed). 1 peach wedge for garnish. 1 lime twist for garnish. shaker full of ice. chilled martini glass.
tart by filling your shaker with the vodka, peach juice, lime juice, simple syrup and 2 of the 5 jalapeno slices. shake well to combine. place the remaining jalapeno slices in the bottom of the martini glass. pour your liquid into the martini glass. garnish with peach wedge and lime twist and enjoy. 

the countdown is on till mother's day. and long gone are the days where the only ladies i am celebrating are my mother and grandmothers. 

these days, there are beautiful mommies all around me. many of my coworkers, best friends and family are now mommies. and i don't know a better way to celebrate all the lovely moms in my life than with a very pretty, very delicious cocktail. (especially for those new mommies & mommies of teenagers). 

the great thing about this cocktail is that while it is bright and tangy, you can easily adjust the sweetness of the drink to your liking. not a huge lavender fan? not a problem! you can easily tailor this drink to your taste by using whatever fresh herbs you love in your garden. the goal isn't necessarily a lavender cocktail, but one that reflects your favorite herb form your spring garden! all you need to do is sub the lavender for the same amount of your favorite herb. thyme, marjoram or basil would be great options. 

spring splash
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
*author's note* if you already have simple syrup on hand you can soak some of your simple syrup with the fresh herbs for thirty minutes to an hour. if you need to make simple syrup, add in an additional half hour to make the syrup and allow it to cool to room temp before use. you can store your simple syrup on hand in the fridge for a month. 

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 oz fresh pink lemon juice. 1 oz lavender simple syrup (use this simple syrup recipe just add .25 cup fresh lavender leaves or any of your other favorite garden herbs, strain and use or store). .5 oz campari. club soda to taste. lavender sprig for garnish. shaker. 2 cups of ice divided. serving glass of choice. 

start by combining half your ice with the vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup in your shaker. if you know you like a sweater cocktail, i would recommend using 2 oz of the herb simple syrup. 

shake well till bubbly. about 10-15 seconds. fill your serving glass with the remaining ice. 

pour the contents of your shaker over ice. 

top with club soda till just sparkling. 

top with campari. 

garnish with lavender sprig and enjoy!

xo, a

spring splash
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
*author's note* if you already have simple syrup on hand you can soak some of your simple syrup with the fresh herbs for thirty minutes to an hour. if you need to make simple syrup, add in an additional half hour to make the syrup and allow it to cool to room temp before use. you can store your simple syrup on hand in the fridge for a month.
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 oz fresh pink lemon juice. 1 oz lavender simple syrup (use this simple syrup recipe just add .25 cup fresh lavender leaves or any of your other favorite garden herbs, strain and use or store). .5 oz campari. club soda to taste. lavender sprig for garnish. shaker. 2 cups of ice divided. serving glass of choice.
tart by combining half your ice with the vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup in your shaker. if you know you like a sweater cocktail, i would recommend using 2 oz of the herb simple syrup. shake well till bubbly. about 10-15 seconds. fill your serving glass with the remaining ice. pour the contents of your shaker over ice. top with club soda till just sparkling. top with campari. garnish with lavender sprig and enjoy!