... and a visit to the Design Social Pop-Up in Sonoma
Last night my husband and I had a few friends and neighbors over to kick off the holidays. We love the idea of entertaining, but it always ends up being a little challenging for us to plan and be ready on time. Thank goodness for Christmas cocktails! As soon as the last candles were lit and the music cued, we poured ourselves a much-needed drink before the first guests arrived, helpfully putting us in just the right frame of mind to enjoy the party. Here’s what did the trick:
Tequila Navidad
Inspired by the Rosita cocktail at Pizzeria Mozza, we served our Tequila Navidad with a few cranberries and a sprig of rosemary:
1.5 oz tequila
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz simple syrup
.5 oz Campari
French Kiss
This cheeky name for a Lillet Champagne cocktail was taken from a book a friend gave me called Very Merry Cocktails and was definitely a crowd favorite.
1 oz Lillet
4 oz Champagne
1 orange twist, for garnish

The Design Social Pop-Up
In November of 2022 I was so excited to attend my first Design Social Pop-Up, a boutique-style, curated trade show for designers featuring some of my all-time favorite artisan brands, including Alex Conroy, Ferrick Mason, Amanda Lindroth, McKinnon and Harris, Hoffman Hardware, and Lake August, to name just a few. I was more than happy to travel to scenic Sonoma, California to meet fellow designers and the names behind the brands. It was also a treat to hear designer David Netto speak and sign his monograph, David Netto, and meet Steele Marcoux, Veranda’s Editor-in-Chief, who kindly signed At Home in the South for the attendees. Truly a dream trip!




This week the Design Social Pop-Up takes place here in my hometown of Newport Beach, and I can’t wait to visit the new Pendry hotel and see the gorgeous offerings by these talented designers and craftsmen. Kaitlin Petersen, the EIC of Business of Home and Trade Tales podcast host will be interviewing John Robshaw and Peter Dunham, and the venerable Martyn Lawrence Bullard will be speaking and signing his book, Star Style. Merry Christmas me!
Thanks for reading! I am so glad to have you, and I wish you a fun, safe, and lovely holiday season. Cheers to special times with family and friends - the best part of this time of year. See you next time…
C x
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