FOOD LA LA

Our very own Jennifer Caballero, the FOOD LA LA Queenpin of Spirts, is dishing on her top five holiday cocktail tips to spark joy during a chaotic holiday season!

Zero-Proof Spicy Margarita with FOOD LA LA and NBC’s California Live!

Valentine’s treats with FOOD LA LA and NBC’s California Live!

We were honored to be featured in Modern Luxury Silicon Valley’s July issue talking all about summer sips. We rounded up a few of our favorite warm-weather tips and spilled the gin on one of our most beloved summer drinks.

Summer means bottles of bright green aloe from the local drugstore to soothe scorched skin. But, did you know you could grab a juicy leaf of the fresh stuff at most grocery stores?

Four refreshing (and surprisingly simple) drinks to brighten your spring!

Two little things are brightening my winter weekday routine—and I think you just might 'love ‘em too!

Lillet is a French wine, similar to vermouth. (Technically it’s a blend of wine and citrus liquors, aged in oak. Its ABV is higher than wine but lower than hard alcohol.) It isn’t overly sweet but includes honey, herbal, citrus, and floral flavors.

Any Bachelorette or DWTS fans out there?! Over Valentine’s week I got to co-host a cocktail segment with Kaitlyn Bristowe and her Spade & Sparrows wine club virtual event. (

A Bees Knees has been my cocktail of summer, one of the rare indicators that yes, it is in fact Friday. The name is an homage to the honey simple syrup that offsets the tang of the lemon but also provides added flavor.

Entertainment and libations wrapped into one!  This Christmassy Old Fashioned ‘tis but the worth of a moment.  A few party tricks (smoked rosemary branches, and walnut-stuffed dates) add to the festivity and are easier to execute than first-glance might suggest.  

 This fall-inspired sangria strikes a perfect balance of tricks and treats—it’s loaded with figs, apple, and cinnamon, and is topped off with a creepy floating ice-hand for a good-spirited spook!

If you’re new to the spritz scene, it’s a refreshing and dry (slightly bitter) bubbly cocktail with a low alcohol content. 

This cocktail is a fun project. If you want to make a simple version, skip the fancy steps, and muddle then shake your raspberries, plain gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and aquafaba.

A lovely substitute for coffee, or for me, a 3pm pick-me-up when the alternative is curling up for a nap I don’t have the luxury of taking. Whipping up (literally) this matcha latte has become a peaceful break in my day.   

The fizzy, tart, and refreshing Moscow Mule is a favorite—and the best part is of course the copper mug it’s served in.  A girlfriend recently shared this healthy “mule makeover” with me though and I love it even more than the original.

Don’t try to make your own clay cup, or smash your favorite mug today.  But make some homemade chai and try, even if for five minutes, to ease your mind into the present moment.  Sipping hot, homemade chai tea.  Doesn’t that feel good?

With a big warm smile, the bartender handed me a Carajillo.  It’s a cocktail made from liquor and coffee.  Sometimes it’s served hot, but mine was cold.  And damn was it good. 

I LOVE watermelon.  And when it’s so hot outside, it’s the most refreshing treat.  Whole watermelons are typically crispier than their pre-cut counterparts, but I’m not often able to eat the whole thing before it goes bad. Cue:  frozen watermelon.

When I was little, frozen lemonade was the house slumber party cocktail.  Kind of like a frozen margarita, but instead of lime and tequila it’s lemon and strawberry.  Even when you’re 8, sipping a mocktail out of a fancy glass just feels grown up.

Heart-shaped marshmallows or not, you’ll love this coffee.  Blended with coconut oil, it becomes creamy and frothy but without any dairy.  And, the coconut oil generally keeps me full for awhile.

A typical pumpkin spice latte is loaded with sugar, syrups, and artificial flavorings.    Just a grande pumpkin spice latte (with no whip) has 49 grams of sugar—that’s more sugar than THREE servings of ice cream. 

I often drink very green smoothies (spinach, coconut milk, chia, flax, coconut meat, lemon juice, and a few blueberries) so this flavor combination was a really nice change. 

While rosé is perfectly delicious and refreshing right out of the bottle, it reaches new heights as frosé—a brut rosé sweetened ever so slightly with homemade lavender simple syrup then frozen to a slushy consistency. 

While this patriotic icy champagne bucket is reminiscent of childhood summer popsicles, it’s sophisticated enough to make any adult smile and wonder how you did it. 

Biodynamic wine is produced using only natural and holistic practices.  For example, cows might be onsite to make compost and fertilize the vines; and rather than machinery, sheep prune the vineyard.  The symbiotic relationship between the environment and the grapes makes a biodynamic vineyard flourish.

Why wait in line for brunch and bottomless mimosas (with undesirable juice-to-champagne ratios) when you can recreate your own mimosa bar at home?  Give your traditional mimosa bar some oomph with a few fun, unexpected twists: flower ice cubes, fruit peel cut-outs, berry skewers, unicorns, and blood orange!

My fiancé, who moonlights as our in-house bartender, introduced me to the 3-2-1—a clean, tangy margarita perfect for ringing in Cinco de Mayo.*   Sometimes I prefer “3-2-2” with more lime juice, so adjust the proportions to your liking.

This spring, bachelorette parties, baby showers, and bridal showers abound.  If you’re on deck for party planning, borrow this trick to dazzle your guests.  Because what’s more fun than baby roses bobbing in your rosé?

What’s the best way to start your morning on St. Patrick’s Day?  With an Irish Coffee o’ course!