Pomegranate Gin Cocktail to Celebrate all of 2013

When the first few days of 2013 passed, we knew it was going to be a big year and a year of many firsts. We love diving into “firsts” because the excitement of wondering what’s going to happen is thrilling.  Our first cookbook, Bountiful, was going to be released in October and back in January 2013, it felt like a long road away. Before we knew it, we were on the road visiting so many of you in some of our favorite cities.  Can’t believe that big moment of cookbook release and travel are over. That’s a first we won’t ever forget.

Another “first” was traveling to Australia and capturing some incredible stories of the people who make food by hand. Adding to travel adventure was experiencing fly-fishing for the very first time. We did it, finally! And though we didn’t catch many fish, we were able to spend some quality time with family and friends.

We can think of so many other reasons why 2013 was the start of many new beginnings for us. This was a year that ignited many new passions that we look forward to pursuing and hopefully we can continue them before 2014 is over.

Most importantly, 2013 was a year of celebrating meals with friends, family and new colleagues. This was the year that we made extra time to gather with people we care about and share a meal. 2013 was the year that we consumed more calories and traveled more miles than the last 3 years combined. Yes, that’s all a good thing!

To celebrate the end of 2013 and new beginnings of 2014, we’re sharing some scenes from a holiday tapas party shoot that we and West Elm collaborated together with.

Thanks to West Elm’s beautiful Crafted red dinnerware and gold rimmed stemless glassware,  and Lindsay’s white platters, we were able to make the  tapas feasting table simple, yet beautiful.

So what do we eat to celebrate the New Year?

To drink, it’s going to be a big batch of these Pomegranate & Grapefruit Gin cocktails from our Bountiful cookbook. To eat, the table spread includes our famous sweet onion crack dip served with grilled bread and vegetables. Also on the munching table are our favorite chicken skewers with homemade teriyaki sauce. All recipes are also from our cookbook.

It’s going to be a great New Year’s Eve. We’re excited to end the year with another great gathering and ring in the new year in the same way.

All four of us thank you all tremendously for being here with us and being a part of our lives. We’re truly grateful for you all and wish you plenty of more great food, gatherings and love for 2014.

Hugs and love you each and everyone of you!

Todd, Diane, Sierra and Lexi.

Here’s a list of all our favorite cocktails for your New Year’s Eve gatherings!

Yield: 1 cocktail

Total Time: 10 min

This recipe is from our cookbook Bountiful. Gins will vary quite a bit so feel free to adjust to your household's gin or to your preferred taste. We developed the recipe based off of Hendrick's Gin and that is what we usually make it with.

3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds1 1/2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice1 1/2 ounces gin1 ounce simple syrup *see note 1A few dashes orange bittersIceMuddle the pomegranate seeds in a cocktail shaker. Add the grapefruit juice, gin, simple syrup, bitters, and ice.Shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

To make simple syrup combine an equal amount of sugar and water. Heat to dissolve. It keeps for over a month in the fridge, so feel free to make a large batch to always have on hand.

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