it's another cold and drizzly day in socal, but it is not dampening my friday mood! we made it through another hectic week and it's time to warm up with a nice, stiff drink. 

every time i stumble upon some blood oranges at the store i pick them up, just in case they are the last of the season. so of course i've got twenty blood oranges that now need homes. 

enter the classic old fashioned. it's sweet spiciness is the perfect compliment to the mild but vibrant blood orange. they are a match made in cocktail heaven. 

blood orange old fashioned
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz bourbon (you can sub other whiskey you have on hand). 1 tsp sugar. 1 tsp blood orange juice. 3 dashes aromatic bitters. 1 tbs water. 1 large ice cube or 1 cup of ice. blood orange twist & violas for garnish. old fashioned glass. 

start by combining the sugar, blood orange juice and bitters in the bottom of your old fashioned glass. 

combine the sugar and liquid till the sugar dissolves. 

if you are having trouble dissolving the sugar, add a bit of your water a little at a time until the sugar dissolves. 

pour the whiskey into your dissolved sugar mixture and mix well to combine.

add in your blood orange twist and ice. 

garnish with violas and serve. 

xo, a

blood orange old fashioned
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz bourbon (you can sub other whiskey you have on hand). 1 tsp sugar. 1 tsp blood orange juice. 3 dashes aromatic bitters. 1 tbs water. 1 large ice cube or 1 cup of ice. blood orange twist & violas for garnish. old fashioned glass.
start by combining the sugar, blood orange juice and bitters in the bottom of your old fashioned glass.
combine the sugar and liquid till the sugar dissolves. if you are having trouble dissolving the sugar, add a bit of your water a little at a time until the sugar dissolves.
pour the whiskey into your dissolved sugar mixture and mix well to combine.
add in your blood orange twist and ice.
garnish with violas and serve. 

eating is about so much more than just the sense of taste. the way something looks or smells can make a huge impression long before a single bite passes your lips. 

as long as you cook your food properly, the delicious aroma should follow, but presentation can be a little more challenging. some foods like a bolognese or a lavender tea cake aren't necessarily pretty on their own. foods that are one color or a mash up of multiple bland colors may need a little help in the visual department. 

that's where some items growing your spring garden come into play. thank you to the heavy california rains, my garden is starting to produce big time. here are a few flowers you can plant in your garden or in your windowsill to brighten up your late winter/early spring meals and cocktails. 

viola
they may be small, but boy are they stunning. violas come in all the colors of the rainbow in multiple different sizes and markings. they are perfect for decorating a bland plate, topping your cakes or frozen in an ice cube to spruce up your lemonade or cocktail. 

nasturtium
these are some of my go to color fillers. nasturtiums come in a variety of colors (red, pink, orange, yellow) and have not only delicious flowers, but tasty leaves as well. i often use the petals in a salad to add a pop of color.

i do not currently have any flowers blooming, but i use their leaves just as much. they are great as a salad filler, a plate garnish or chopped up as a garnish for pastas or meats. 

lavender
technically this is also an herb, but lavender flowers are gorgeous. not only that, there leaves are amazingly delicious. the flowers are beautiful dried or sprinkled on cakes, in cocktails or in ice. the leaves are great as a sub for anything you use rosemary for. 

xo, a