it is starting to look a lot like summer. kids are getting out of school, the heat in socal is rising and the longest day of the year is less than a week away. and few things feel more like summer than pineapple. 

the problem is, pineapple drinks tend to be much to sweet. i like a cooling, floral cocktail with a hint of fruitiness. and this cocktail delivers. watch out, it's hard to have just one. 

pineapple sunrise
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 4 oz pineapple juice. 2 oz vodka. .5 oz campari. 2-4 oz club soda (to taste). tumbler glass filled with ice. toothpick, lime wedge and pineapple slice for garnish. 

start by combining your pineapple juice and vodka. stir well to combine. 

pour the vodka and pineapple juice into you glass. 

top with the campari (let it settle to the bottom to create that really pretty layer of color). 

top off your cocktail with club soda to taste. use your toothpick to skewer the lime and pineapple piece. 

garnish your drink with the lime and pineapple skewer. enjoy! 

xo, a

pineapple sunrise
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 4 oz pineapple juice. 2 oz vodka. .5 oz campari. 2-4 oz club soda (to taste). tumbler glass filled with ice. toothpick, lime wedge and pineapple slice for garnish. start by combining your pineapple juice and vodka. stir well to combine. pour the vodka and pineapple juice into you glass. top with the campari (let it settle to the bottom to create that really pretty layer of color). top off your cocktail with club soda to taste. use your toothpick to skewer the lime and pineapple piece. garnish your drink with the lime and pineapple skewer. enjoy! 

yeah yeah. i know. it's saturday. well i'm late for good reason. 

yesterday, i catered an elopement at one of my favorite places. the ocean institute in dana point, where wes and i got married. every time i'm there it feels very surreal. it feels like a place i keep being pulled back to. i first went there as a nine year old for a field trip. over the years, i visited it for random reasons. a charity event when i was twelve, a party i attended as my dad's date when i was a teen, getting married there. wes and i worked a wedding for another catering company there last year and even rented the couple the marquee letters from our wedding. 

and yesterday, i went back. to serve my own food. it was a total trip. it doesn't hurt that the locations is stunningly beautiful. it perfectly embodies the expression "breath taking." but what was supposed to be an easy job was of course way more difficult than expected. instead of serving food up by the kitchen, i had to trek four styled food platter & a beverage dispenser 500 yards down the beach. over rocks. so this friyay cocktail is now your saturday libation. trust me, it will be just as good. 

naranja margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes ingredients: 2 oz blanco tequila. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz orange juice. 1 oz triple sec (or other orange liquor). zest of 1 lime. 2 tsp kosher salt. 1 cup ice. shaker. tumbler glass. lime wedge (or dried blood orange in my case) for garnish. 

*note that you could serve this margarita three ways. you could serve it straight up with no ice since you are shaking it over ice. you could serve it on the rocks (over ice). or you could take all the ingredients and blend them for a blended margarita. 

start by combining the lime zest and salt on a shallow dish or on plate. rub the rim of your glass with a lime and then dip the limed rim into the zest and salt mixture. 

coating the rim of the glass. set aside.

fill your shaker with ice. 

pour in the tequila, juices and triple sec (if you are blending your marg, just place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth). 

shake well.

strain into your prepared glass straight up or over a large ice cube or additional cup of ice. 

garnish with lime wedge and enjoy. 

xo, a

naranja margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes ingredients: 2 oz blanco tequila. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz orange juice. 1 oz triple sec (or other orange liquor). zest of 1 lime. 2 tsp kosher salt. 1 cup ice. shaker. tumbler glass. lime wedge (or dried blood orange in my case) for garnish. *note that you could serve this margarita three ways. you could serve it straight up with no ice since you are shaking it over ice. you could serve it on the rocks (over ice). or you could take all the ingredients and blend them for a blended margarita. start by combining the lime zest and salt on a shallow dish or on plate. rub the rim of your glass with a lime and then dip the limed rim into the zest and salt mixture. coating the rim of the glass. fill your shaker with ice. pour in the tequila, juices and triple sec (if you are blending your marg, just place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth). shake well. strain into your prepared glass straight up or over a large ice cube or additional cup of ice. garnish with lime wedge and enjoy.