Cocktails in the woods
Even though I live in the woods, I love a little vintage glam. Sometimes I wish I would have been around in the late 1940s or early 1950s- I love the whole aesthetic of that time. I found this bar cart in an antique store in Santa Rosa, CA, a few years ago and it’s fun to pull outdoors for parties so guests can mix their own drinks. Most of what adorns it has been collected over the years at rummage sales and antique stores, but the cocktail basics (like the gold shaker, mixing glass and bar spoon) are all from Umami Mart in Oakland.
The San Francisco Chronicle did a piece last weekend in the Sunday paper showing 5 different designers’ bar cart set-ups (including mine!) in preparation for the holidays. I mention our favorite seasonal cocktails including my favorite cold weather drink. Check out the article by Anh-Minh Le- it’s a fun read.
Cheers!
Swiss Chard Roll-Ups from Fresh Made Simple
I was just sent an adorable new cookbook, and the watercolor illustrations are so sweet I had to share. The book is called Fresh Made Simple and all the recipes are displayed this way- no measurements or complicated instructions, just fun, simple illustrations. The style jives so much with my own that I had to try a recipe. I chose the Swiss Chard Roll-Ups and put my own twist on them, using a few different ingredients and they were delicious! A heartier lettuce wrap that would be fun to serve bar-style so guests can make their own. Great idea!
Top illustration is by © Katie Eberts and is excerpted from the book Fresh Made Simple by © Lauren K. Stein. Used with permission of Storey Publishing.
My Go-To Fall Cocktail
The Bourbon Clementine
Fill a tumbler glass with ice and add your favorite bourbon (about 3 oz)
add a few drops of Angostura bitters. Stir.
Slice a wheel of fresh clementine and add it to the glass.
Squeeze the juice from the leftover clementine into the glass. Stir again.
Cheers!
Happy Fall! This is my favorite time of year in the woods. Warm days, changing colors, ripe blackberries and less fog, which means glorious sunsets. The evenings are a bit brisk, but still so nice to sit outside for a drink after the baby goes to bed. Do you find that you drink different cocktails in the summer than in the winter?
Cheers!
Fireside Cocktails in Better Homes and Gardens
I am so excited to be included as a Style Maker in the September issue of Better Homes & Gardens Magazine! After seeing this campfire cocktail post I did, the magazine asked me to come up with a special fall menu that would be fun around a firepit. Because we have more space outdoors than in, we actually host a lot outside year-round (thanks, California). When it starts to get chilly, we light up the firepit and pass out blankets and warm drinks. For this article, I came up with a Hot Pear Toddy that can be made in the crockpot as well as some spiced nuts and a build-your-own endive cup bar.
The magazine flew a couple editors and photographer David Tsay out for a day-long photo shoot which was so much fun! (Ezra was just 10 months old in the photo!) See the slideshow and the whole menu, along with my entertaining tips in the September 2015 issue of BHG and online here. Also online they have a free downloadable party kit which includes printables of my watercolor buffet signs.
Cheers!
Photos by David Tsay (all except magazine shots)
