The B's

Blood Orange. Bourbon. Balsamic...... and Bees

With plans constantly shifting and changing before me, and while Europe freezes over (even Mallorca got 5 inches of snow!!) I choose to hunker down in a sweet 72 degree California winter.

A lesson on Bee keeping with our very own new members to the Santa Barbara family. Pizza dough was left to rise in the warming drawer, and our fourth cup of Mariage Frere black tea was now finished for the morning. At 10:00 am, two young bee keepers came to the house to teach us the ways of Bee house-keeping.

After smoking the bees out with essential oils to calm them down, we disassembled the box and carefully searched through it's solders to find the queen. Worker bees carry pollen on their hind legs and litter the waxed comb plates. Glistening nectar shines up from bellow, and dreams come to surface of what we will do with our future supply of backyard honey...... Homemade chevre with honey. Morning toast with peanut butter and honey. Flatbread with sopressada, caramelized onions, rosemary and honey. Pear tarts with creme fraiche and honey. Moroccan mint tea with honey.....

By evening time, and while our counter tops were quickly being taken over by hands hard at work with flour and dough. Making the perfect size pizza base for their moment in the wood-fire oven. It was 5:00 in California and aperitivo time was before us.

In the wake of a serious citrus season in the California, we were left with far too many blood oranges, piled in baskets on the counter. A blood orange cocktail is made to go alongside our reunion dinner and honey bee conversations.

The B's

1.5 oz Quality Bourbon

1 c Blood Orange Juice

Dash of balsamic vinegar

Dash of lemon juice

Dash of simple syrup

Mix in a shaker (I'm super into this one!!) and adjust flavors to taste. Best serve over ice with a wedge of blood orange, on a winter night in California, alongside wood-fire oven pizzas at home.

Love and Light -Ash