A couple weekends back we had an impromptu winter cocktail party while some friends were in town. It’s rare we have a get-together sans kids, but we really had a great time just enjoying each others company, without a single interruption or mouth to feed. ;)

Each person/couple brought a favorite cocktail and/or a favorite appetizer to share. We had a blackberry compote Bourbon drink, hot buttered rum, and Brett and I made fancy gin & juice. We had loads of good eats too–fancy deviled eggs, homemade macaroons, spinach and artichoke dip, and spiced cupcakes with eggnog frosting. Brett made Indian dumplings (idly) with rhubarb and cilantro chutneys. Yummm.

We had such a fantastic night, and managed to snap a few photos with the iphone and camera. The funny part was I forgot to get a good shot of the cocktails! Duh. But, I have the recipe for our gin & juice drink below. If you’re a gin drinker, you’ll want to try this! I’m not big into grapefruit, but this was amazing and certainly doesn’t have to be a winter cocktail. In fact, I already have big plans on this making an appearance at many spring and summer grill-outs.

We found the basics of the recipe for our cocktail HERE, and souped it up a bit.

Grapefruit-Ginger Gin & Juice with Pomegranate Ice
(makes 4 small cups)

2 large grapefruits, juiced
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons honey
pomegranate juice (we used sweetened)
3 tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced into thin strips
seeds from 1 pomegranate
springs of fresh rosemary

1. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds in an empty ice cube tray and carefully fill with pomegranate juice. Freeze.
2. In a small saucepan, heat water, honey, and ginger root to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Place in the freezer to cool.
3. Meanwhile, strain grapefruit and lime juices into a large pitcher to remove pulp and seeds, or leave some pulp if there if you wish. Mix. Strain in honey-ginger water, removing the ginger slices, and mix again.
4. Place around 4-6 ice cube in a rocks glass. Fill 1/3 with gin, 2/3 with juice- or adjust as you see fit. :)
5. Pop in a fresh stem or sprig of rosemary. It’s so beautifully aromatic, as you’re sipping away.

ENJOY!

When we heard we were doing a session with two teenaged boys, I was worried it might be hard for them to get “into” the shoot and feel natural and comfortable. Not the case. This family had a natural and caring vibe with each other. It had me dreaming of the time when our boys are older, and what our family dynamic will look like. ;)

Thanks Costners, for going with the flow, trusting us, and just being YOU.