With Valentine’s Day just on the horizon, how about a spicy dark hot chocolate (this one by Jessica Foster) spiked with Cointreau to share with your beau?

Simply mix up your favorite hot cocoa and add a one shot of  Cointreau for a burst of orange flavor. Garnish with a marshmallow and orange twist. Enjoy!

And more chocolate and Valentine’s Day goodness can be found right here:

A mid-century hot chocolate bar

A pop up chocolate shop by Elizabeth Colling is coming to Santa Barbara!

Chocolate ice cream float with eggnog

A DIY valentine’s day table

A French Chocolate & Blue inspiration board

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies stuffed with caramel

The art of handmade truffles

Mudslide Milkshake

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

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Its superbowl weekend, and while I may not know who’s playing, that’s not gonna stop me from (kind of) watching the game and enjoying some champagne waaay before happy hour.

A few possibilities, I’m thinking from the archives:

Champ-sicle

Blood Orange Mimosa

Ginger Sparkler

Bellini-tini

Pear Potion

And some links for your weekend, plus a bit about some projects I’m working on:

I visited Sunstone Villa this week to refresh my memory (I worked there before on this wedding with Elizabeth Messina) for an upcoming shoot with Flutter Mag & Michael Costa. Can you say Italy in Santa Ynez? Also, our “Escape to” editor, Cynthia is their new social media manager and is LIVING in the villa. Can you imagine? Also, we discovered a secret tower.

I joined Vine, twitter’s new video app. I’m not sure if I like it, but you can follow me (@kellyoshiro) if you’re into cute puppies and some behind the scenes sneak peeks. A great explanation of what Vine is, and how to use it, is here and here.

If you’re into watching bad movies and making fun of them, check out Birdemic. Truly the biggest train wreck of a movie I’ve ever seen.

I’m obsessed with two weddings from Snippet & Ink this week, classic black and white perfection with photos by Jose Villa & A Swedish summer wedding, hello dreamy!

Have a good weekend!

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From the archives, this lady-like Mint Julep will no doubt keep you warm and snuggly especially given the unusual cold weather we’ve been having in Santa Barbara (and yes 40 degrees is cold, to me anyway). You can mix up this pretty lady with:

Ingredients:

2 dashes of bitters

1 tsp of maple syrup

1 1/2 shots of bourbon

Fresh mint

*In a martini shaker, muddle a few mint leaves, add bitters, maple syrup, and bourbon, shake well and serve up with a few mint leaves for garnish

And around the web, I’ve spied a number of tasty libations, here are a few of my favorites:

Cider Rum Punch via the Sweetest Occasion

El Calle Real via Mrs. Lilien

Orange Rosemary Spritz via Snippet & Ink

Champagne three ways via Could I Have that

Blood Orange Margarita via Annie’s Eats

And you can browse all the On the Rocks posts right here.

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TGIF Indeed! It seems to me that there are many birthdays during the month of January (my own included) and I’m always trying to think up fun “party drinks”. What better way to drink champagne than to stick an ice-cold Popsicle in it?!

Not only do the popsicles keep the champagne nice and cold, they also melt and infuse the drink with tasty fruity flavor. For this champ-sicle, I used strawberry flavored Popsicles (strawberries + champagne = YUM!) Whether your guest choose to sneak bites of their Popsicle or simply use it as a chilly stirrer, I think I will name this THE birthday cocktail…Enjoy!

*Add your favorite flavored Popsicle into a glass of champagne and voila! Opt for a sugar-free pop and you have a “diet” drink–okay not really, but work with me here!

XOXO-Melissa

And you can browse all the On the Rocks posts right here.

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Happy 2013 Santa Barbara Chic readers! It’s great to kick off a New Year with one of my favorite concoctions — sangria! As I’ve said before, it’s a bit difficult to give an exact recipe because every sangria is different, and you should taste as you go adding more or less of your favorite ingredients. This winter-inspired guava sangria with a hint of sage is sure to impress. Enjoy!

Isn’t it so pretty?! I love the vibrant colors of the cranberries and sage together… And the fresh guavas (from Kelly’s humongous guava tree in her front yard) add such a lovely tropical flavor.

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Since finding the perfect bar cart for my new house, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect accessories and these are items are definitely on my list. Gold glassware adds a bit of elegance, a golden tray keeps all the liquor wrangled and tidy, and a gold martini shaker makes sure the libations are shaken, not stirred.

Shop the look:

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In honor of the holidays, its time to break out the rum, grab some eggnog and make my go to holiday cocktail.

I use Captain Morgan for this cocktail (also know as “saluting the Captain” in my house).

Add some eggnog…

And enjoy this simple cocktail! And you can browse all the On the Rocks posts right here.

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