October conjures the color orange. If you are like me, your mind wanders to Halloween. The thought takes you to a place of costume reminiscence. Which leads you down a road of childhood memories. While the nostalgic train stop is different for all of us, my mind goes south. Quite literally. For the great American South is where I spent countless summers growing up. So, when I came across a back issue of Charleston Magazine, I gave a fizz from their Top Cocktail Contest list a good old cacalaca try. The Gentleman Jack winner by Evan Powell at Fish is a twisty mix for the season.

Make it at home with:

1 ½ oz. Gentleman Jack

1/2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

1/2 oz. elderflower nectar (d’Arbo preferred)

2 lemon wedges

Brandy-soaked French cherries (Les Parisiennes preferred)

Orange twist

-Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker over ice.

-Squeeze in juice from lemons, shake vigorously, and strain into a rocks glass with ice.

-Garnish with cherries and an orange twist.

-For a long drink, strain into a highball over ice and add a splash of soda.

What better way to enjoy your orange twist of a fizz than to pair it with a fruitful frock. My preferred attire includes three red-plus-yellow-make-orange robes. Enjoy!

Fizz: original recipe here.  // Frocks: 1, 2 and 3.

Sometimes the only kind of fizz that can do the trick is one from mother nature. The Mood Changer from Mangia is my go-to juice when I am running around New York City on behalf of my day job. Lately, I have been stocking up on ingredients so I may make it at home. One of my favorite blogs, MindBodyGreen, offers more than a dozen other combinations, too.

From the juicer to the red carpet, a comfortable yet fun frock usually works. My dear friends, who also happen to be colleagues, gave a grin before working an event last week. I am telling you, the green juice will keep your energy up and your skin fresh-faced. Give it a go. Cheers!

Fizz: MindBodyGreen / Frocks: Rebecca Taylor, Anthropologie and Adrianna Papell

The past ten days can be summed up in half as many words: no rest for the wicked. Amidst publicity campaigns for three major films, each with big events this past week, I have been a gypsy outlaw, avoiding sleep to keep the good energy of this fun blog going. I wonder how your week was? If you are in New York City, don’t let the forecast for rain get ya down. Instead, pour yourself a Stormy Morning and get on with it!

You can make it at home with the following ingredients:

1.5 oz Rathman Créme de Violette
1.5 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
4 oz Champagne
Lime wedges to garnish

Pour the Créme de Violette over ice, add the St. Germain and lime juice, and top off with Champagne.

I have a Friday secret to share. In the upcoming weeks and months, JBD will feature more personal style photos, from my favorite showrooms to my very own closet. Pair today’s fizz with a frock full of color. Cheers for a lovely weekend.

Fizz: Photo by Paul S. Bartholomew and recipe by Shannon Fristoe of The Bayona 

Frock: Jenny Graham in a Yuna Yang Collection dress, image courtesy of Jacqueline Iannacone 

Mario Batali is beloved in the United States and around the world. Known for simple Italian food with exquisite taste, he is also a powerhouse entrepreneur and family man. A chef who swears by Parmigiano Reggiano and the importance of a Nespresso machine, he recently made time to chat with JBD. Revealing the perfect dining companion and his ideal last meal, Mario Batali dishes it out.

What will never go out of style?

Orange Crocs. Or so I hope.

Orange is the color of the season. What else is a must-have in your wardrobe?

I favor cargo shorts and a vest. Almost year-round.

When you are not cooking, you are…?

With my wife and sons. Preferably either in Columbia County or on Lake Michigan.

What captivated you as a child?

I grew up in Seattle but my family moved to Spain while I was in high school. I was taken by the culture of the Iberian Peninsula and of Italy. We were able to travel throughout Europe.

What was your favorite meal as a child?

Every holiday my grandma made ravioli filled with calf’s brain, Swiss chard and ricotta. In my mind, it’s still the perfect pasta.

What do you eat for breakfast?

I start my day with a macchiato and eat a little bit while we film at The Chew. I have some of the best breakfast companions around.

A necessary kitchen tool?

I can’t overstate the importance of my Nespresso machine.

You have three meals to eat in New York City – where do you go and what do you eat?

I’d start the day with a sandwich at Num Pang; continue to Eataly for some crudo by Dave Pasternack; then finish the day at Le Bernardin for New York luxury.

Underrated dish?

Spaghetti cacio e pepe is often overlooked because of its simplicity but you can’t do much better than perfectly al dente pasta with cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.

Any recommendations for a homemade pasta sauce and/or an off-the-shelf pasta to purchase?

For sauce I love arrabbiata; with any Mario Batali dry pasta!!

Tell us the future! Which city is about to blow us all out of the garden with their cuisine?

We just opened our second restaurant in Hong Kong and it’s one of the most exciting food cities I’ve encountered in a long time.

Do you grow your own food at home?

Our New York City apartment is devoid of greenery but during our summers on Lake Michigan, we have a small but serious herb garden.

Favorite vacation spot and why?

The stillness of Lake Michigan is the perfect antidote to our busy life in New York.

I am traveling to Italy later this  year…what is one place you believe everyone should visit to dine?

You can’t go wrong with any small trattoria in Rome or Bologna, but lunch at L’Asino d’Oro is hard to beat.

Do you have a cocktail that trumps most meals?

There’s little more perfect than an Aperol spritz.

If you could dine with anyone (who you haven’t dined with before) who would it be and why?

President Clinton is the perfect dinner companion.

Tell us about the Mario Batali Foundation. Why did you start it? What are the goals for 2012/2013?

I started the Mario Batali Foundation in 2008 in order to focus my charitable work on children, specifically children’s hunger relief, disease research and literacy guarantee. Our most exciting recent work is with an organization called Books for Kids with whom we partner to design, build, and stock libraries in schools throughout NYC. Over the summer, we opened a location in Chelsea and just last week we opened another on the Upper West Side.

Go-to blogs and magazines?

The Sussman Brothers and Parla Food. Magazines: The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly.

Cheeseburger or cheesecake?

Cheese on its own. If I get to choose, Parmigiano Reggiano, the undisputed king of cheese.

Favorite episode, to date, of your time on ABC’s The Chew?

The season two premiere was our best show yet. It’s good to be back!

Where would you eat – and what would you eat – if it were your known last meal?

A single piece of fish or crustacean prepared by each Ferran Adriá, Eric Ripert, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Ducasse, Daniel Boulud, Massimo Bottura, Mark Ladner, José Andrés and Dave Pasternack each paired with wines from Bourgogne.

It is Friday.

It is New York Fashion Week.

Frock and fizz full speed ahead!

Jenni Kayne’s Spring 2013 collection embodies her signature style of effortless, boyish charm with an uncomplicated sophistication. The perfect pops of color let silhouettes radiate. Kids, in the following days plan to be awed by all that New York Fashion Week can fit into this little blog. In the meantime, when champagne isn’t flowing at the after-show scenes, I will be surviving on a fizz that comes from the oh-so-spectacular coffee bean.

No matter your home town, grab a cup of joe here and go scour the web for the best of NYFW.  Cheers!

Last minute lemon colored frocks are exactly what I am ordering for some almost-end of summer cheer. ASOS is a long-time favorite one stop shop of mine. I suggest one of the three yellow ensembles featured here today. Pair with the good idea of lemonade and you’ve got yourself a sublime date.

One of the best homemade lemonade recipes resides right here.

Cheers for a fabulous weekend!

Image Credits: Dress #1 / Dress #2 / Dress #3 / Lemonade

Friday Frock and Fizz is back! I usually do not plan the triple F far in advance, instead letting it hit me like a hot note. Well, I watched it bounce a few weeks ago at Maialino during an unexpected and exciting business meeting on behalf of this very blog. A hip waitress named Jess shared her versions of a Dirty Shirley:

This common throwback of a drink becomes instantly remarkable, similar to the potential of a classic sheath dress. Washington Roberts‘ use of leather and color immediately renew the La Marie Dress as a stand-out in a sea of trends.

Fizz: Jenny Graham / Frock: Photo by Thomas Iannaconne, Dress by Washington Roberts, Necklace by Kara Ross

A Frock and Fizz inspired by my recent interview with Denise Richards. The mother, actress and entrepreneur revealed her predilection for a Blood Orange Martini while draped in a white strapless sundress. I can’t think of a better combination as we head into a summer weekend.

P.S. Look for my full Q & A with Denise next week!

I think Martha Stewart is on to something with this Blood Orange Martini recipe. And, while Denise didn’t give an exact designer for a LWD (little white dress), check out Tibi’s Solana Eyelet Strapless for the embodiment of all-things-white-dress-delight. What do you think?

Cheers for a fabulous weekend, lovelies!

Image Credits: Frock / Fizz

A futuristic, feminine silhouette that feels fresh and classic. I haven’t stopped thinking about Cushnie et Ochs Resort 2013 collection since first spotting it a couple of weeks ago. The ultimate flirting mod-adventure must be paired with a stand-out Cucumber Ginger Fizz.

Create the crisp fizz like this:

Pour 1 1/2 ounces of vodka and 1 peeled and chopped cucumber in a nonreactive container. Refrigerate for one hour, then strain and discard the cucumber.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave another cucumber length-wise into large strips.

Fill 8 tumblers with ice.

Add 3 cucumber strips and 3 ounces of infused vodka to each glass.

Squeeze and drop a lime wedge into each glass.

Top off with sparkling water.

Stir in a tablespoon of ginger simple syrup.

Cheers!

Frock / Fizz

Kids,the temperature in New York City is hovering at 100+ degrees. The past few days have been steamy, to say the least. I walked out of my local market last night with Ayala’s Sparkling Herbal Water in glass bottles. Refreshing and satisfying doesn’t begin to explain the relief the lavender mint spritz immediately offers. Try one of four certified organic flavored waters at no harm to yourself or the sun.

In keeping up with my spur-of-the-moment lavender love fest, I give you a spur of the moment photo, captured during my most recent stint at an international movie premiere. Just as the theatre doors were to close, Ms. Salma Hayek glided in with the love of her life. Oh, wait, we were talking about lavender, right? Well, take a peek at this amazing Bottega Veneta frock, first worn by Hayek while gracing the pages of InStyle’s July 2012 issue.

Cheers and Happy Weekend!

Image Credits: 1. Ayala 2. Jenny by design 3. Giampaolo Sgura (Instagram’d by JBD)