Check out this beautiful cocktail from the Asian-fusion molecular-gastropub, Red Medicine in Beverly Hills. According to their tumblr, it's made with Leblon, rhubarb, lime, ginger ale, orange peel, and lavender. It's almost too pretty to drink.

[1. Red Medicine via Oh Joy!]

Hold on to your hats! Our Meyer limocello is ready for consumption.


[1. c. lynn]

Last year for our office secret santa exchange, I made several bottles of homemade limoncello, a traditionally Italian lemon digestif with a strong lemon flavor that is both sweet and highly alcoholic. This sweet liqueur was such a big hit, that I've decided to make another couple of bottles for holiday gifts this year. 

I always use the same simple recipe to prepare my limoncello with small variation. I choose to use everclear instead of the high-proof vodka that the recipe suggests, since I don't want the liqueur to pick up any trace notes of anything aside from the lemons. 

Also, I try to make this recipe when I see the Meyer lemons hit the produce bins as these special lemons (a cross between a standard lemon and a common orange) have a particularly bright and sunny taste, but you could use any citrus fruit you like. I think that a tangelocello would be divine!

Also, it's helpful to have a lemon zester onhand for this project. Any pith that is added to the mix will only add in bitterness. I love my new lemon gadget (a zester and cocktail twist maker in one) for this task.

Since the recipe calls for the lemon zest to slowly dissolve into the alcohol over the course of several weeks, I try to start the process at least a month in advance. I pour the finished cloudy yellow liqueur into these pretty little bottles for a great gift presentation.

[1-2. c. lynn]

A favorite cocktail of mine while traveling in Japan is an umeshu soda or an umeshu no oyuwari (umeshu with 2/3rds hot water), which I favor for winter months. Umeshu is a liqueur made from unripened ume (うめ) fruit, which is similar to a Japanese apricot or a Chinese plum. Many households in Japan make their own version, which seems relatively simple—steeping the ume in shochu and sugar; if can find some ume, learn how to make it here.

[1. denslee]

I tried the most delicious aperitif the other night at Laurelhurst Market. I intially ordered a glass of Lillet Blanc over ice, but having run out of my selection the barkeep suggested that I try a glass of Cocchi over ice. He explained that Cocchi is a reproduction of the original recipe for Kina Lillet, before the French purveyor changed the recipe in 1986 to rid the drink of its bitterness entirely, dropping the "kina" from the name. An Italian company later branded the old recipe under a new name Cocchi, pronounced "coh-key." According to the T magazine, Cocchi, like Lillet is produced from "moscato d’asti, a sweet white wine fortified with a touch of brandy, then flavored with gentian, cinchona bark and other bittering aromatics, along with orange peels and herbs."In the Cocchi version, the grapefruity bitterness of the cinchona bark makes for a richer flavor profile and a pleasant aftertaste.


[1. c. lynn]

With a beverage dispenser of this sort, your guests will never forget who hosts the best parties. Each dispenser looks so pretty with sliced fruit bobbing along inside. While a bit pricey, they are definitely an investment in parties to come; for more.

[1 & 2; Roost]

And so it begins, the first barbecue of the season.

For my own part, I brought some Food 52-inspired watermelonade and a simple orzo pasta salad with crumbled feta, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and a marjoram lemon dressing. I must say that the drink was a hit with grownups and kids alike. Do try and make it for your next summer party; it's really simple—make lemonade to taste filling about 3/4s of a pitcher, and then add the liquid of one half of a 5 lb. watermelon. The liquid is easily extracted; just slice the melon into cubes, throw it in a food processor or blender, and then strain it through a sieve.

For the orzo salad recipe, click here.

[1. A]

My first Pimm's cup of the season.

Originally created by James Pimms in the 1840s, here's a delicious updated version of the cocktail by mixologist Brooke Arthur from Range in SF (via Bon Appetit).

[1. c_lynn]