ginger lemon drop

ou guys know how obsessed with ginger I am, right?  I can't get enough of ginger infused treats and cocktails.  I recently got to go on a tour of Heritage Distilling in Gig Harbor and participate in their My Batch experience where you get to distill your own craft spirits and at the end of the day, in addition to the spirits I created, I also couldn't resist picking up a bottle of their ginger vodka!  They have so many amazing flavored vodka flavors, and while I'm not usually a vodka fan, after trying their ginger vodka I knew I'd have fun making cocktails with it!  I almost picked up the blood orange vodka too, but I didn't and I kind of regret it.  Blood orange summer cocktails are calling my name!  Blood orange AND ginger?  OMG.  Okay, anyway.  After getting the ginger vodka I was brainstorming how to use it first.  I had a few leftover lemons, so a lemon drop fit the bill!  The lemon drop is a simple, sweet cocktail that is a definite crowd pleaser.  The bright, citrus flavor makes it a perfect cocktail for those hot summer days.  Now, if only those hot summer days would get here...

 
Ingredients (makes one cocktail):
2 oz Ginger Vodka
.5 oz Triple sec
1 oz Simple syrup
1 oz Fresh lemon juice

Garnish:
Brown sugar mixed with a bit of ground ginger (for rim)
1 Lemon twist
1 Piece Candied Ginger


1 / Coat the rim of a cocktail glass with brown sugar mixed with a bit of ground ginger and set aside.

2 / Add ginger vodka, triple sec, simple syrup, and lemon juice to a shaker and fill with ice.

3 / Shake until frosty, and strain into the prepared glass.

4 / Garnish with a lemon twist and candied ginger. Enjoy!

THE BRAVE // vintage rv renovation inspiration

lot has happened in the past week (including my first burlesque show on Saturday!), and I've got some Brave news forthcoming, but for now lets just look at pretty pictures, eh?  My aesthetic has changed quite a bit since my last Winnebago journey.  I was into textures on vintage prints on more textures next to more prints... you get the idea.  Hence my obsession with all things 70's.  Faux wood?  Hell yes.  Tacky patterns?  Bring it on.  But my current style is a bit cleaner and simpler, with some nods to that vintage style I was hot and heavy with back in 2008-2010.  The Brave needs a refresh, so it makes sense to give her a look that matches current me!  Plus, with my plans to film the video podcast inside the Brave,  I want something less dark, dim, and cave-like.  I know it's, like, all the rage to white wash the interiors of these vintage RVs and trailers, but the truth is, a good whitewash can seriously open up and brighten a space, and when you're dealing with a space appx 20 x 8 ft?  I'll take all the openness and brightness I can get.  
Obviously this is going to be a DIY-heavy endeavor, so I'm excited to share projects as things start to get rolling.  I have some boring mechanical stuff to deal with first, but I'm already filling my brain with inspiration for her cosmetic overhaul.  I don't even think Pinterest existed when I did my updates to the Brave before my last trip in 2010, and it's crazy how many RV renovations are out there now!  It's fun to see how many people have taken an interest in reviving these old gals since I was deep into that world in 2010!
 
  I really want her to be clean and bright, but still full of personality.  And for me, practicality and functionality has to be major.  I see a lot of cute RV or trailer renos and I feel like you'd have to remove half the stuff to make it driveable.  I mean, I love styling spaces as much as the next blogger, but I also am going to be driving this beast thousands of miles, so she really does need to be functional as a vehicle that drives on the interstate. It seems like most of the renovations I've found that I love are trailers, which seem a bit easier to work on since you don't have to deal with being inextricably enmeshed with the chassis of a truck.  The layout of my Brave is pretty much stuck, since everything is where it needs to be to work with the truck base, which is fine because I really love the layout I have.  I've been in a few Braves and mine is by far my favorite layout, very open and light, all things considered.   Right now on my to do list: 

• whitewash interior
• reupholster bench seating in rear
• refinish counter + table
• make new curtains, possibly new rods too
• redo bathroom (not sure what I want to do yet, though)
• finish flooring
• repaint flying W on exterior!

I seriously can't wait to transform the Brave into a mobile home and studio that reflects my style and give it a fresh new life!  It's gon' be awesome, y'all.  *does geeky excited dance*

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

rosemary gimlet

ife goals: be a full time cocktail photographer.  I'm sort of joking, but I don't know what it is about shooting cocktails, they're just one of my most favorite things to photograph!  Maybe I just need to publish a cocktail recipe book so I have an excuse to shoot a ton of cocktails, eh?  Yup.  Sounds like a plan.  At this point, though, this hypothetical cocktail book will have to wait a few months because I've got tons of stuff happening in the next couple months, ack!  
I'm super excited about everything planned, though, well, except taxes.  Taxes can suck it.  But other than that, the next couple months are full of some crazy amazing stuff!  I've got a bunch of styled shoots coming up that are going to be so much fun.  Our Adventures in Oz burlesque show is on stage again in April and this time we're doing two shows!  The next two months are going to be full of tons of practice, choreography, and costuming.  I'm doing a new part in the show this time and I'm giddy about it!  I'll give you a hint: my hair color is very apropos.  This march I'm going to California for a big website rebrand and launch, and it's the first time I'll have had outside help doing my website, I've always DIY'ed everything but I'm ready for a change and super excited about getting a fresh space that feels "me."  Then, the day after that, I fly to Texas to speak at TxSC Camp!  Holy whoa!  "Spring," March especially, is usually rough here in the PNW.  I always think it should be warming up and starting to feel more like, well, spring, but it's typically the most wet and grey part of the year, and drags on for far too long.  It'll be nice to have all this busyness to keep me preoccupied.  
Oh right, back to cocktails.  I've been having a gin moment lately.  I had one briefly in college, but haven't had much in the way of gin in the last five years.  I got a bottle a few months ago, though, and am appreciating the flavor quite a bit these days!  It's such an interesting spirit with a very distinct flavor that makes it pretty cool to pair with other flavor profiles.  I'm loving it with citrus, especially.  I've always been more drawn to smokier flavors, but gin is just so bright and fresh!  It's a nice change of pace.  



Rosemary Gimlet (recipe via savor home)
4 oz rosemary honey simple syrup
4 oz gin
3 oz fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sugar, for sugar rim
1 rosemary sprig, for garnish

First, get your glasses ready. Add sugar to a plate, run a lime over the rim of each glass and dip the rim in sugar to coat.

Fill your cocktail shaker halfway with ice, add simple syrup, gin, and lime juice.

Shake the cocktail for about 30 seconds, or until the shaker gets frosty and freezing cold.

Pour the cocktail into your rimmed glasses, and add a sprig of rosemary to garnish.  Recipe makes two cocktails.

blood orange rosemary gin cocktail

his is a somewhat tortuous post, since I'm currently still on Whole30 and not drinking any alcohol (or consuming sugar either).  Looking at these photos I remember just how delicious this drink was!  I'd never really had blood oranges, outside of those blood orange san pellegrino drinks (okay, those don't count).  I've seen plenty in photos and thought they were stunning fruit, the depth of the red is just so incredible!  And when you juice them, that red is maintained, such a rich color!  I think this drink would be a perfect cocktail for a Valentine's date or party, it's the perfect color and it's seriously so delectable.  One of my favorite little simple cocktails a few years ago was an Orange Blossom, with gin and fresh squeezed orange juice.  The rosemary and blood orange in this cocktail just take that to the next level.   I'll definitely be posting a follow up to my Whole30 experience once I'm done.  I've got about a week left of the 30 days and then after that is a week or two of reintroducing foods and seeing how my body reacts.  At this point I'm kind of tired of it, and not feeling any different or better, which makes it harder to press on and finish, but I will.  I suppose at this point I'm more interested in the reintroduction to see how those foods affect me than in the 30 itself.  One bummer: I'm not done with the 30 until after the Superbowl, boo!  If ever there was a time to enjoy a beer, that's it, especially with the Seahawks playing!  Enough Whole30 pity party though, are any of you doing it?  If so, how far into are you and how are you feeling?



Rosemary + Honey Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
5-6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
First make the honey-rosemary simple syrup.  In a medium pot, and add fresh rosemary, water, sugar, and honey and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, remove from heat and let it steep for 6 hours. After the syrup is done steeping, remove the rosemary and store the syrup in the refrigerator.

Cocktail:
1/2 c fresh squeezed blood orange juice
1/2 c rosemary honey simple syrup
2+ oz gin (add more, for more gin taste and more kick!)
1 rosemary sprig + blood orange slice, for garnish
Add orange juice, simple syrup, and gin to a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice.  Shake until the shaker is frosty and cold.  Pour into a glass and add ice, garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary and/or a slice of blood orange.  Yield: Two cocktails