welcome to a special new years edition of friyay happy hour.

this year has been a crazy whirlwind. cakes took off like crazy, we doubled our catering business and we had such an amazing time being a part of people’s most special days.

despite getting a bug that had me dragging to the finish line of twenty-eighteen, it was a VERY special year. after years of struggling, it felt great to finally start to see growth and development in our cooking. for so long it felt like i was faking it, and now i feel like cooking really is my job.

not to mention, today marks three years of wedded to bliss with my right hand man, wesley. it’s been a true joy being married to my best friend and business partner and i’m looking forward to what the next year brings us both.

now to the important part. there is something very special about ringing in the new year with bubbly. and a tweak or two can take your bubbles to the next level. a splash of any fresh fruit juice is delicious, but blood oranges are in season and the perfect splash.

blood orange + hibiscus bubbles

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 1 minute

total time: 2 minutes

ingredients: 5 oz dry sparkling wine (or your favorite type of sparkling wine). 1 oz blood orange juice. .5 oz hibiscus syrup. blood orange wheel & golden sprinkles for garnish.

start by lightly rubbing the edge of your serving glass with the wheel of blood orange so it becomes slightly tacky.

dip the edge of your glass in the golden sprinkles.

pour the hibiscus syrup & blood orange juice into the bottom of your glass.

fill up the glass with bubbles.

garnish with the blood orange wheel.

serve & enjoy.

xo, a

blood orange + hibiscus bubbles

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 1 minute

total time: 2 minutes

ingredients: 5 oz dry sparkling wine (or your favorite type of sparkling wine). 1 oz blood orange juice. .5 oz hibiscus syrup. blood orange wheel & golden sprinkles for garnish.

start by lightly rubbing the edge of your serving glass with the wheel of blood orange so it becomes slightly tacky. dip the edge of your glass in the golden sprinkles. pour the hibiscus syrup & blood orange juice into the bottom of your glass. fill up the glass with bubbles. garnish with the blood orange wheel. serve & enjoy.

apple season is raging and the produce stores are packed to the gills with ripe, delicious fruit.

it’s not often these days that i stumble upon a new fruit or vegetable, but i couldn’t help myself from picking up some of these pink pearl apples when i saw them at my local store. they are GORGEOUS. and equally tasty. like a mild, but just as delicious honey crisp apple.

i knew i had to use them for a recipe, but i wanted to get out of the regular apple box. i’m all pied out and i have had enough whiskey lately to last me for a while. so instead, i mixed these stunning apples with some unexpected friends to make a refreshing cocktail that still has a holiday feel.

now, i know that pink pearl apples are not popping up in everyone's produce store, so if you aren’t lucky enough to find some, you can easily sub a pink lady or honey crisp apple in this recipe. and with the holidays in mind, i realize you may need to make more than one cocktail and muddling can be a little tiresome if you are making more than one cocktail. if you need to make a large batch, you could combine the rosemary, apples and vodka in a food processor and then strain the contents to get the tasty infused vodka apple juice if need be.

spiced apple smash

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice. 3 tbs chopped pink pearl apples (you can sub pink lady or honey crisp) + 1 wedge for garnish. 10 rosemary leaves + a sprig of rosemary for garnish. a couple of pinches of cinnamon. 4 oz club soda. 1 cup of ice. muddler. shaker.

start by combining the rosemary leaves, vodka and apples in the base of your shaker. use the muddler to smash the apples into little bits, breaking up the rosemary as you go.

once the apples are really mashed, add in the lemon juice, cinnamon and a couple of ice cubes to chill everything. cover your shaker and shake well till everything is well combined.

fill your serving glass with the remaining ice. strain the contents of your shaker into your serving glass.

top off with club soda. garnish with rosemary sprig & wedge of apple.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

spiced apple smash

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 2 minutes

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice. 3 tbs chopped pink pearl apples (you can sub pink lady or honey crisp) + 1 wedge for garnish. 10 rosemary leaves + a sprig of rosemary for garnish. a couple of pinches of cinnamon. 4 oz club soda. 1 cup of ice. muddler. shaker.

start by combining the rosemary leaves, vodka and apples in the base of your shaker. use the muddler to smash the apples into little bits, breaking up the rosemary as you go. once the apples are really mashed, add in the lemon juice, cinnamon and a couple of ice cubes to chill everything. cover your shaker and shake well till everything is well combined. fill your serving glass with the remaining ice. strain the contents of your shaker into your serving glass. top off with club soda. garnish with rosemary sprig & wedge of apple. serve and enjoy.