we are finally starting to feel the first bit of crisp fall air in socal. while the cooling temps and shorter days don't exactly get me revved up (i am an endless summer kind of girl), the appearance of colder weather produce in stores does.

i haven't bought an orange or grapefruit in months and i am more than ready for blood oranges and big fat ruby reds.

citrus juice is one of my favorite cocktail mixers because it basically completely neutralizes the harsh flavor elements of booze. mixing it with something floral and something herbaceous makes it the perfect drink to welcome those earlier sunsets with. 

five o'clock sun down is the perfect compliment to happy hour.

rosemary + hibiscus greyhound
serves: 1 cocktail prep time: 2 minutes active time: 2 minutes total time: 4 minutes ingredients: 4 oz grapefruit juice. 2 oz vodka. .5 oz hibiscus syrup. 1 tbs rosemary leaves. 1 cup ice. shaker. sprig of fresh or frosted rosemary for garnish. 

start by filling your shaker with a couple of ice cubes. take the rosemary leaves and smash them in your hands to release the oils and add them to the shaker. 

pour in the vodka, grapefruit juice and hibiscus syrup. shake well till everything is well combined. 

fill your serving glass with the remaining ice and pour the contents of the shaker over the ice. 

garnish with fresh or frosted rosemary and enjoy! 

xo, a

rosemary + hibiscus greyhound
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 4 minutes
ingredients: 4 oz grapefruit juice. 2 oz vodka. .5 oz hibiscus syrup. 1 tbs rosemary leaves. 1 cup ice. shaker. sprig of fresh or frosted rosemary for garnish.
start by filling your shaker with a couple of ice cubes. take the rosemary leaves andsmash them in your hands to release the oils and add them to the shaker. pour in the vodka, grapefruit juice and hibiscus syrup. shake well till everything is well combined. fill your serving glass with the remaining ice and pour the contents of the shaker over the ice. garnish with fresh or frosted rosemary and enjoy!

um... when did it become october? i'm pretty sure my head is still back in late july. in fact, it wouldn't be too terrible to go back in time a few months. think about it. let's go back to before all the crazy hurricanes (and i do mean ALL because they are still coming?!), this crazy shooting and the death of a musical legend. i'd gladly take back my sweltering summer kitchen to erase all that mess. but i digress... 

october is here. whether i like it or not. it's not that i don't care for october, it just means summer is really over, the days are getting shorter and i'm no longer playing with adorable kids in the pool every day. but you know what makes up for it? new produce in the markets. i hit the jackpot when i went to the store wednesday and found my absolute favorite, blood oranges. and what are blood oranges best for. drinking. duh.we have a dinner party coming up in a couple weeks and we needed a fun, fall cocktail to serve up. winner winner, chicken dinner. enjoy! 

blood orange + blackberry martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 6 minutes
ingredients: blackberry juice (makes 4 oz) - 1 cup blackberries. 1 oz simple syrup. food processor or muddler. strainer. 

martini - 2 oz vodka. 2 oz blood orange juice. 1 oz triple sec. 1 oz blackberry juice. shaker. martini glass. 1 cup of ice. blood orange slice for garnish.

start by making your blackberry juice. in the bowl of a food processor, blend the blackberries and simple syrup. 

strain the juice through the strainer and discard the seeds and any remaining pulp. fill your shaker with ice. 

add in the blackberry juice. 

add in the blood orange juice, triple sec, and vodka. shake well till everything is combined. 

pour the liquid into a martini glass. 

garnish with the blood orange slice and serve. 

xo, a

blood orange + blackberry martini
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 6 minutes
ingredients: blackberry juice (makes 4 oz) - 1 cup blackberries. 1 oz simple syrup. food processor or muddler. strainer.
martini - 2 oz vodka. 2 oz blood orange juice. 1 oz triple sec. 1 oz blackberry juice. shaker. martini glass. 1 cup of ice. blood orange slice for garnish.
start by making your blackberry juice. in the bowl of a food processor, blend the blackberries and simple syrup. strain the juice through the strainer and discard the seeds and any remaining pulp. fill your shaker with ice. add in the blackberry juice. add in the blood orange juice, triple sec, and vodka. shake well till everything is combined. pour the liquid into a martini glass. garnish with the blood orange slice and serve.