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. 

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!