Lavender Martini

I could so go for one of these right now…

lavender martini from post ranch inn

Napa Napa Napa Part Deux

So, thennnnn we went to Long Meadow Ranch to see Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, part of a fun thing LMR is doing with Outside Lands.  My mom compared Nicki to someone famous singer with a beautifully gravely voice but I can’t remember whom.  Ooops.  But you should check her out.  I’m a fan.

lmr’s farmstead restaurant

they also grow deliciousness

omg yum

The madre commented how nice it was to see so many restaurants practicing what they preach, to actually see the farms where they’re growing the produce they’re using in the restaurant.  A lot of restaurants talk about that, but you don’t get to see it so first hand.  Not going to lie – it’s pretty incredible.

We made sure to drink some wine.

lmr sauvignon blanc

big big big big big kisses

Then we drove back into San Francisco and had the most incredible dinner at Ragazza with their friend Julia from their Bhutanese Yak Trek. Yes you read that right.

Anyway during that meal I think died and went to heaven.  And I think a bit of my soul might still be lingering up there.

Ramos Gin Fizz

It was my grandmother’s favorite brunch cocktail, and now it is mine too.  I even have the recipe with her original notes on it.  How unbelievably rad is that?

how yum is that

What’s super cool is that Nopa has an incredible Ramos Gin Fizz that I can meander on over and drink any Sunday.  Eff yes.

love their little brunch menu

And we did just.  We also ate an absolutely phenomenal brunch, but the Ramos Gin Fizz an absolute delight.  Definitely the highlight.

I do actually want to make it myself at some point…
Nick, it’s time for a science experiment!

Friday Night Tequila Cocktails

I’m a cocktail girl.  Always have been, have a feeling I always will be.  For the most part, I’m all about tequila.
I’ll mix it up a little bit, but blanco on the rocks with a couple squeezes of lime is my jam.

Kind of like Lindsay and her Johnny Walker Black on the rocks.  Baller.

I like to mix it up sometimes though.  Sometimes.  Like when it’s Friday night and I’m not feeling like such a baller.

But, sadness spurns creativity, right?!  Tell me it’s so.  It must be so.
It inspired this phenomenal concoction that is all my own.  Look at me now!

ugh i need to replace my broken camera

Recipe is as follows:
1 1/2 oz tequila (good tequila. obvs. i prefer blanco. corazon blanco is delish.)
1/2 freshly squeeze navel orange
splash of soda water
serve over ice
enjoy

Hope you like this as much as we do… that’s how good it is.  Getting ready to go out an I’m still blogging about it.

And this is what we’re listening to.  The blog’s pretty great too.

Blueberry-infused Vodka

Last year for Christmas, I made my coworkers blueberry vanilla vodka.  The blueberry aspect was amazing, the vanilla – not so much.  I’m a sucker for vanilla (and yes, I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk as a substitute for milk on most days) but in the vodka, phew – it was like pungent, medicinal battery acid.  Gross.

So, for my own personal gain, I decided to make vanilla-less blueberry vodka for a night of fanciful frippery.  I asked one of our bartenders last year about the types of vodka one should use for infusing alcohol, and the answer I got is that it doesn’t really matter.  Cheap vodka is totally fine as the infusion balances out most of the taste-centric reasons you would use a fancier vodka.  Although I am normally a Grey Goose kinda girl (you fancy, {shmancy} huh?) the fact that I have full leeway to use cheap vodka is the opposite of not awesome.

froggy is excited about the vodka

infuse infuse infuse

look at those colors

I added about 3/4 of a bag of TJ’s frozen blueberries to about 3/4 of a bottle of Vodka Monopolowa ($9.99 at TJ’s).  Baller.

Technically you’re supposed to let it brew for about a week before you drink it, but I don’t have that sort of patience.  I was mightily impressed by the powers of infusion, especially considering it was imbibed approximately 12 hours after the start.  We mixed 2 “jiggers” (ha I love that word) of blueberry vodka with approximately 8 oz of sparkling lime mineral water from TJ’s, a squeeze of fresh lime juice + a small handful of frozen blueberries.  Delish!

Can’t wait to see how it tastes in a week.

PS – Reading Born Round by Frank Bruni.  Love love love.  Inspiring.

Los Olivos Grocery

Who knew such a magnificent grocer was on the ride home? Halfway between Cayucos and LA… it’s perfect!

we ate lunch on the patio

Their sandwiches (effing hell I love sandwiches) were divine.  Ridiculous amounts of delicious cheese?  Check.  Olive oil collection?  Stunning.  Wine?  Best believe.

look at all of those oils!

and this isn’t the half of it

wouldn’t be complete without the vino

I’m stopping here every time I go to the Central Coast!

I Heart Chloe

I squealed in delight when Chloe announced she was already in town.  Seriously.  People turned around and looked at me funny.

I decided to turn our adventure into a surprise since she hasn’t been home in a bit so I planned the entire adventure from beginning to end.  Her only instructions were to be at my house by 8:30.

The night began at the Lazy Ox Canteen, which is one of my favorite restaurants downtown, along with Church and State.  We started with a glass of one of my favorites, Lambrusco, at the bar (?! it’s popping up everywhere).  Tables were turning more slowly than the restaurant thought so we ended up sitting at the bar all night, which was totally fine.  Our bartender was wonderful and we could watch the kitchen from our perch – and they were so thankful that we were mellow about it that they bought us our first round of drinks.  I love it when you’re rewarded for awesomeness.

the view of the kitchen from our perch

Everything was delicious… the only thing I wasn’t raving about was the crispy marrow with lentils, but since it was mistakenly ordered for us instead of the creamy farro, smoked sundried tomato + marrow butter it was totally fine… at least we got to try it!

The best part of sitting at the bar was the fact that our bartender paired tastes of wines with the dishes.  A little white for the egg dish (served in a shell, there is egg/pancetta/a bit of maple/a bit of something creamy, you stir it all up and eat it out of the egg with little mini spooooooooons oh em gee it was so much fun to eat!)

A little Crianza for our creamy farro… stuck with our Lambrusco for the yellowtail (the type of yellowtail you could eat every day for the rest of your life).  The 2003 Crianza we drank was everything opposite of what I normally hate about reds.  Super smooth.  No bitter burn after… it also didn’t give me the headache reds usually give me, so I wonder if it’s because it’s light in sulfates?  No idea but it was thebombdotcombackslashawesome.

Crianza Valdubon ’03

We skipped dessert as we had two more spots to hit up.

We skiddaddled over to the Varnish and got two of the bartenders choice… an Queen’s Park Swizzle and something with peach.  I have no idea what it was called.  I love the Varnish partially just because of the ambiance… it’s so secret and feels like a Speakeasy.  The 20’s ambiance also meant that taking pictures without flash was near impossible and I hate pictures with flash that just blow everything out.  So no pictures.

Then… per Chris’ suggestion we ran across the street to Las Perlas.  If you ever venture downtown it is a necessary stop.  I give it five stars.  Five gold stars.  It might even be my new favorite bar… SICK cocktails.  Mezcal.  Hot bartenders.  Check, check and check.

look at those colors!

ha

The 400 rabbits was amazing… tequila, edible flowers… but I had same picture problem I had at the Varnish, so I snagged a picture from an LA Times review.  Chloe’s Spicy Marg was also delish but so spicy I could barely drink it.  And I’m a girl who loves spice.  And jalapenos.

my pictures didn’t compare, so i snagged this picture from the LA Times

(r)evolution-a food truck/wine pairing event

Had so much fun tonight.  LACMA Muse (and the lovely Jason Gaulton) threw an event with Kendall Jackson.  They’re normally not my favorite winery, but I do have to say that tonight I was pleasantly surprised by their reserve wines – not the dessert wines though, those were disgusting.  But I hate dessert wines no matter where they come from.

Each wine was paired to a dish from a food trucks (kogi, nom nom, green truck, cool haus and a drip coffee thing).  Wine and street food.  Great concept.

the menu

We were put into a tent due to the impending threat of rain, with LACMA providing the perfectly lit backdrop.

The Bruery Orchard White

Never in my life have I been a beer girl… until recently.  It’s not that I drink beer all the time, but I am strangely enticed to try new beers when I come across them.  Teo turned me onto Unibroue at Robin’s in Cambria (he was drinking La Fin Du Monde – perfect beer for this blogger!) and it was delish and almost cinnamon-y.

I recently came across this amazing wine-shaped beer bottle at Whole Foods, which seems to be getting more and more common.  Brilliant marketing tool for enticing girls like me who normally drink wine (or cocktails).

Their “unparalleled California White Ale offers flavors of fresh citrus, bready wheat and a hint of lavender.”  Anyway, this girl is incredibly happy to have been suckered in by a brilliant (or inadvertent) marketing ploy.  Try it for yourself.

And next time I am at the market, I will be purchasing every single beer they make.

Lavender Simple Syrup and Martinis

Lavender is one of my favorite aromatic herbs.  There are 39 different species and it is part of the mint family (perhaps that’s why lavender and mint compliment each other so flawlessly?).  I’m thinking lavender mint chocolate somethingorother (lavender mint flourless chocolate cake?) should be my next baking project.

Simple syrup is so easy to make.  1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup water, boil for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves and voila – your simple syrup ready to go.  I infused mine with 1 tbsp of lavender from the stash I dried a few weeks ago.  You can infuse simple syrup with almost anything, just be sure to strain it before placing it in a storage jar.  I recently made a simple syrup with white peaches… that was delicious.  Simple syrups are a perfect refresher for sparkling water (add 1 tbsp for about every cup) and can also be used in cocktails, which is exactly what I did!

Lavender Martinis:

1 tbsp lavender simple syrup

2 oz vodka

6 oz sparkling water

Pour over ice and enjoy, or if you want to be extra classy, shake it up in a martini shaker with a bit of ice, pour into a martini glass, and drink it in style.