Spring Fling with a Cocktail
Being invited to play a part in every great event is just not possible, but when Percy Sales summons you to be on the “main stage” at one of his infamous festivities, attending is as sure to happen as ordering a crisp martini after a James Bond movie. So when the man himself gave us a ring to invite us to be at his stunning La Fete, it was no surprise that a resounding “yes” was our answer.
On a lovely spring evening in the Santa Ynez Valley, 30 of California’s finest gathered together to celebrate each other and drink life to the lees. Our Flair Project team was lucky enough to be on both sides of the bar that night. Our crew designed a memorable spring menu for the occasion that we just couldn’t wait to share with you. (recipes on the bottom of this post)
While our bartender-extraordinaire Michael was stealing the show at the bar, I had the pleasure of mingling with some of the most creative event professionals around. This was a memorable evening filled with great food, artisan cocktails, lots of laughs and, of course, the inevitable karaoke at the Maverick. GO, Kerrie, GO! Keep scrolling for the good stuff.
The mingle fun started at the beautiful Landsby hotel, where the guests of honor were welcomed with the most heavenly lamb lollipops and yuzu/butter shrimp, while DJ David Krieger was doing his thing disco style. After an hour, Jump on the School Bus transported the group to the main event – the spectacular Kestrel Park, where bartender Michael welcomed us with a hibiscus smoked sazerac spin-off and a delightful spring concoction of vodka, Aperol, fresh grapefruit juice, and basil.
The fresh ingredients and unique presentation of the cocktails combined with the imaginative menu provided by Cut it Lab, and the gorgeous glassware from Tent Merchant all worked in unison to create a real wow factor. Thank you, Kim and Joye, for making our bar at Kestrel a grand slam for us.
After the marvelous dinner by K’Syrah Catering, and, let’s be honest, a substantial amount of cocktails and vino from Zaca Mesa Winery, we relocated to the historic Santa Ynez Inn to close the evening out in style. Behind their piece-of-art bar, I had the chance to shed the suit and mix our latest liquid dessert creation – a nightcap of vodka shaken with homemade toasted macadamia nut orgeat, freshly brewed coffee and just a touch of orange bitters.
To top an already unforgettable experience, the “troupers” in the group ended up at the Maverick, where the Karaoke performances of our group left nothing to be desired…
Thank you, Percy, for putting this fabulous celebration together and having Flair Project be a part of it. Special thanks to Brian Maroun from Sunstone Winery for putting us crazies up at the Villa.
And thank the heavens Jenny Quicksall was there to capture every moment. Her photos are worth a million words. Words that are most definitely not included in my vocabulary 😜
Can’t wait to do it again. Cheers y’all!
Planner Percy Sales | Cocktails Flair Project | Food Catering K’Syrah Catering | Desserts The Sugar Philosophers | Rentals Barnwood Event Rentals | Glassware Tent Merchant | Menus Cut It Lab Linens Luxe Linen | Lights Spark Creative Events | Candles Vogue Candles | Calligraphy Brown and Co. Designs | Music Anthony Ybarra Music | Band MJ Entertainment LA
Cocktails
Hibiscus Smoked Sazerac
Ingredients
- 2 oz Bourbon
- .5 oz Simple Syrup
- 4 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Absinthe Mist
- Dried Hibiscus Flower
Instructions
-
Stir all ingredient, besides the Absinthe, with ice. Pour the mixture into a swing-top bottle and smoke the content with dried hibiscus flower using a smoking gun. Strain into an Absinthe perfumed glass and garnish with a lemon peel
The Valley Sunshine
Ingredients
- 2 oz Vodka
- .75 oz Aperol
- 1.5 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- 1 Basil Leaf
Instructions
-
Shake all ingredients in a shaker and strain over ice. Garnished with the oils of an orange and a lemon.
Sweet Dream
Ingredients
- 2 oz Vodka
- .75 oz Toasted Macadamia Nut Orgeat
- 1 oz Freshly Brewed Coffee
- 2 dash Orange Bitters
Instructions
-
Shaka all ingredients in a cocktails shaker and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange zest
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