My current favorite cocktail to sip on is hands down the Paloma. I am a sucker for anything with fresh grapefruit juice so, my obsession was only natural. A popular cocktail from Mexico, one sip and you will be hooked! It is light and refreshing. Below I have listed my preferred way to sip this delicious cocktail. For a friend's going away party this past weekend I made a large batch of these and brought them to cheers her on her way. I placed the peels directly into the large bottles to infuse the beverage and kept the soda out to add once the drinks had been poured. Quadruple this recipe to make one 750ml bottle.

2oz blanco tequila (I used espolon)

2oz of St. Germaine Elderflower Liquer

3oz fresh grapefruit juice

A splash of soda

A fresh grapefruit peel to garnish

In a cocktail shaker filled half way with ice, combine the tequila, St.Germaine and grapefruit juice. Place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.

Pour contents into a cocktail glass with ice. Add a splash of soda on top and a grapefruit peel. Salut!

I will miss you my sweet Corinne! Cheers to you and all your future success in California!

About a month ago my dear friends Ben and Megan asked me to do the food for their housewarming. This was no ordinary housewarming, it was Gatsby themed from attire, food and cocktails. It was an amazing night full of great memories. I wanted to share images from the party to help inspire you for an upcoming event of your own. It's not too late to host a New Year's event with this theme or even take some ideas from the night! I hope you enjoy the photos and commentary, post any comments or questions below!

xxo Lexie

The assorted appetizers and signature cocktail of the evening. — *The assorted appetizers and signature cocktail of the evening.*

I made an array of crostini selections from classic tomato bruschetta, salami, ricotta and pepper jelly, grilled steak with chimichurri and pretzel with sausage and whole grain mustard. Ben was amazingly creative in some of these crostini combinations he requested, they were delicious. Assorted mini quiches and lettuce cups filled with mushrooms completed the one appetizer table. The cocktail was a classic Gin Fizz.

*Megan picked up some fun accessories to play with in photos!*

I loved these fun assorted mustaches, lips and glasses we were all able to play with to add some fun photo op moments!

*Assorted mini grilled cheese were oh so tempting.*

I love this shot of one of the appetizer tables, you can see how Megan added these incredible feathers to her cupcakes for a dramatic effect. She also placed a vase on the table to grab the fun party favors on a stick!

We definitely had fun throughout the night creating/capturing fun themed moments. I love their sitting chair in the living room, was a perfect piece to add to photos!

I used a few different apps to play with colors and effects to add different elements to the photos!

Could these men look more dapper? I love a well-dressed man!

Everyone brought their own style to the party, flair was a must! These ladies had incredible hair pieces, jewelry, stockings and dresses. The hair and makeup were so fun!

*Someone got a little heavy handed with refilling the Gin Fizz....I won't name names because I love the guy too much and he was efficient in making the cocktail happen fast!*

GIn Fizz Large Batch Recipe

Yields 56oz about 14 cocktails

2 1/2 cups of Gin (We used Plymouth)

1 1/2 cups Mint Simple Syrup*

1 cup Fresh Lime Juice

2 cups Soda Water

In a large dispensing container, fill the bottom 1/4 with fresh lime slices (about 4 limes) and several handful of fresh mint. Add the ingredients to the container, stir to combine.

Have a bucket of fresh ice next to the container along with glasses for guests to serve themselves.

*Mint Simple Syrup

1 1/2 cups both water and mint. Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir till sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add 2 large handfuls of mints. Let the mint steep in the hot liquid. Let the syrup come to room temperature, discard whole mint ( you may need to strain if leaves have fallen off stems). Syrup can be made ahead up to 3 days and kept in the refrigerator.

What a lovely night for revelry. Guests not only sipped on the Gin Fizz, bubbly (or champy as I like to call it), wine and delicious scotches were enjoyed!

*Besties, my twinkie, aka blondetourage*

I feel blessed and lucky to have such lovely friends. Thank you to M&B for all your love and support. I am happy I got to help make your event a memorable one! Love you guys!

Shen Beauty

Happy Friday

First of February

A Paloma Cocktail

Gatsby Themed Party