Cocktail: The Sophisticated 7-Up



This light, sweet cocktail was perfect for an Oscar party, and I dare say would be for other occasions besides.

 The Sophisticated 7-Up was born one evening in Brooklyn, invented by a couple we're friends with who had every intention of making us Old Fashioneds, but alas, didn't have the requisite ingredients and the corner store was closed on a Sunday evening. Lucky for us they had some other delicious cocktail makings, and some humble 7-Up. The St. Germain adds a sophisticated, floral twist to the 7-Up, and the Pimm's cuts the sweetness with an herbacious little kick.



Sophisticated 7-Up:
Fill a small tumbler with ice
Add 1 shot of Pimm's No.1
Add 1 shot of St. Germain
Top off with 7-Up, stir, and garnish with a small lemon wedge


D.S. & Durga























On a recent trip to NYC I stopped by the rad little boutique In God We Trust. They have their own small collection of women's and men's clothing, an awesome wall of $15 sunglasses ("holy shit, these sunglasses are only $15!), and those little heart necklaces that everyone loves with the cheeky phrases engraved on them. But the one thing I just had to come back for is this amazing D.S. & Durga perfume (or is it a cologne? wondering is part of the charm), Cowgirl Grass.

D.S. & Durga is run by a fetching husband and wife team from Brooklyn — he concocts the complex, nostalgic, Americana-inspired scents, and she designs the pretty, botanic-apothecary vibe packaging. Names like Siberian Snow, Boston Ivy & Mississippi Medicine are paired with equally evocative descriptions that spin vintage narratives and list the rarefied ingredients that make up each fragrance. And if they sound dreamy, sophisticated and esoteric it's because that's how they smell. Like something very old and very modern.

Some of the scents are powerful enough to be challenging to wear, although the super friendly girl working in the shop that day said she wears Burning Barbershop, their strongest scent, but that "because she's a lady" she sweetens it up. Charming, and so true because scents can totally shapeshift depending on the wearer. They also make some less intense scents, which are easy to find since there's a little continuum guide from light-bodied to full-bodied for each fragrance.

Not only do I love the smell of Cowgirl Grass in and of itself, but for me it has that extra special associative power of scents to so strongly remind you of a certain time and place, and it will always remind me of my first trip to NYC!

Santa Cruz









Spent the weekend before last on a mini road trip to Santa Cruz with friends and fiancé. We did some thrifting on the way, stopped in Pescadero, and drove a little ways down Highway 1, always breathtaking.

We wanted to try out the Dream Inn this time, but it wasn't in the cards. In between going out with friends and to a vaguely Superbowl -themed housewarming, we got to hang out at a few beaches and drink lots of Verve coffee. Definitely pretty alright.