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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Winter’s Citrus – Double Tangerine Cocktail

We’ve been pounced with rain for well over a week now. The unforgiving rain turned our roads into raging rivers and the dark clouds shut out the sun for about 5 days straight. That’s a rarity in Southern California, to not see the sun for so long. Now we know what the rest of the country feels like! Yes, we’re spoiled.

The only ones in our household really complaining about all the water are our dogs, who get limited outdoor romp time. Dante & Sierra practically have to be forced to go outside to do their duty. We won’t be surprised if they get bladder infections. Ha, they’re wimpy city dogs.

All our lettuce and green seedlings are living it up with all the extra water. And our fruit trees LOVE all this water. After the rains, all the citrus trees seem to get a huge growth spurt and new flowers start to appear. Rain water is like crack for them, not to mention a nice, needed shower.

Our Fremont Tangerine (mandarin) tree is starting to explode with color. During the fall, the all the green fruit dotting practically every inch of the branches were camouflaged amongst all the leaves. But recently after all the rains and a few moments of bright sunshine, the fruit are quickly turning color to a fantastic orange hue.

Some areas get snowballs this time of year, we get tangerines.

Post rain fruit is always spectacular and terrifically sweet. It’s a tradition for us to run outside and eat the deepest colored citrus. The fresh, bright, addicting sweet-tangy flavors are the best reward after being cooped up in the house during rain.

Here’s one of our favorite cocktails to make with the tangerines, simply named Double Tangerine. It’s always a toss up whether to make this cocktail or a Kentucky Sidecar.  This one is heavier on the tangerine and the Kentucky Sidecar has a nice kick with the whiskey.

-Todd & Diane

 Print This Recipe

Double Sidecar Cocktail Recipe
We usually make this with a ginger simple syrup (slices of fresh ginger infused into the batch of simple syrup) but it is quite good with a regular simple syrup. Adjust the simple syrup quantity to taste and by the sweetness of the tangerines.

3 oz (@2 tangerines) fresh Tangerine Juice
1/2 oz (@1/4 lemon) fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Ginger Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz Cognac

superfine sugar for coating rim (optional)

1. Rub the rim of a chilled cocktail glass with a tangerine wedge & sugar the rim.

2. Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, then shake it with passion for 15-20 seconds.  Strain into your cocktail glass.  Garnish with a tangerine twist, or for a sexy addition drop a few raspberries into the cocktail glass.

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