It has been exactly one week, since I celebrated my birthday, and it was truly one of the most memorable celebrations. My boyfriend and I kept it super simple and decided to visit some of my favorite spots around the city of Denver. We started out at the Weathervane Café for some good coffee and shortbread, picked up the latest copy of Nourish magazine at Studio Colfax, scored five new albums at the record store, and had a hummus plate at Café Max. We drove back home and leisurely got ready for an early dinner at the famed farm-to-table restaurant, Fruition. The food was beautifully plated, exceptionally fresh, and perfectly coursed. Our sommelier, Aaron, even blinded us on the wine he chose, which we nailed almost perfectly: a 2001 Mersault-Genevrières.

That’s French for darn-good Chardonnay!

Earlier this week, I extended the birthday celebrations and treated myself to a cut and color. I decided to go for a more dramatic, asymmetrical shape, along with a series of copper and blonde highlights. I always enjoy going to the salon. It is like a getaway for me. I’m greeted with a big cup of coffee, and I basically have a two hour-long gab fest with my hair dresser, consisting of mutual confessions, some psychological counseling, and tear-inducing bouts of laughter. Aside from enjoying a glorious head massage during the shampoo session, I also indulge in my guilty pleasure of reading fashion magazines and catching up on the celebrity gossip in US Weekly or People. Sometimes, I even scan through an OK!, if I really want to know what’s going on. It’s the only time I break away from my usual Modern Farmer or Lucky Peach periodicals. This time, I opted for the latest Harper’s Bazaar. It must have been the magazine’s “age issue” because in between all of those clothing and perfume ads, it was peppered with stories on what it means to age gracefully, how to dress age-appropriately, along with musings on the topic of aging from a few fashion icons. I have always admired the work of designer, Carolina Herrera, so when I came across a short article highlighting some of her thoughts on the topic, I dove right in. It was inspiring to hear that she actually started her successful business in her 40s. She affirmed my stance on growing older: I seriously believe we should all follow our passions, whenever we discover them, at whatever point we are in our lives. My aunt, Edith Jackson, is also one of my inspirations on the whole “getting older” topic. She has been a painter and designer for almost all of her life. Every morning, she greets her basement studio, nestled in the Smoky Mountains, with energy and creativity. She is actually the person who prompted me to start a blog. She even honed my social media skills and was one of the first to introduce me to Tumblr and Twitter. She makes every, single day count, educates me on current events, posts a snap of her sketchbook paintings each day on Instagram, cooks from scratch, has overcome breast cancer, and just recently opened her Etsy shop. Did I mention she is 70? We can either start living or stop living at any point in our lives. I, like my beloved aunt, am choosing to live with ferocity!

“You don’t have to be afraid of getting older; fear is the most disgusting thing. You have to get older because the alternative is horrible. If you don’t get older, you’re dead!”

– Carolina Herrera

About that sangria. The word, sangria, actually translates as “blood” or “bleeding.” I know that doesn’t sound that appetizing, but there is a reason I am making this reference after posting my thoughts on living life with fierceness and purpose. Traditionally, sangria is made with brandy, fresh fruit, and red wine, hence the connection with the red-toned hue of blood. In many cultures, however, blood is symbolic of life and relates to living life with vigor, passion, intensity, and ferocity.

The recipe I am sharing is made with rosé wine and uses freshly juiced berries, apples, and lemons. Most sangria recipes toss fruit in as simply a garnish, not as a main component in the flavor profile. I recently became the proud owner of a Hurom HG Elite Slow Juicer, and I have already put it to use and made another sangria recipe, a juiced cucumber, melon, and white grape sangria. I justify consuming a couple of glasses of it because of all of the fruit servings I’m getting. It has to be healthy.

spring berry + gin + rosé sangria

• 1 bottle of dry rosé {I like a rosé of Garnacha, like Las Rocas}
• 6 ounces the Botanist gin
• 4 ounces Leopold Bros. “American Orange” liqueur
• 6 ounces berry juice {a good handful each of strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries}
• 6 ounces apple juice {about 3 apples}
• 1 ounce lemon juice {about 1 lemon}
• 1 ounce agave nectar
• soda water, for finishing
• blackberry-studded ice cubes {see instructions below}
• sliced strawberries or mint leaves, for garnish

Give yourself a day ahead to make and freeze your fruit cubes. You can juice the fruits and vegetables in advance, as well. That way, the juice has time to chill in the fridge.

1. Juice the berries, apples, and lemon, following your manufacturer’s directions. Juice each separately, so you’ll know the exact amounts yielded.
2. Combine the juices, bottle of rosé, gin, orange liqueur, and agave nectar, mixing well.
3. Refrigerate mixture until ready to serve.
4. Garnish cocktail or wine glasses with berry-studded ice cubes and pour juice mixture into each glass, saving a little room for a splash of soda.
5. Toss a sprig of mint or a strawberry slice on each glass for a garnish.
6. Don your sunnies, sit on the back porch {or fire escape or patch of grass}, and pour yourself and some friends a glass or two. There’s plenty to share.

Even if you don’t have a juicer, you can still make this particular recipe with a blender. Just strain the blended fruit purée through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois for a less dense juice. I have used my Vitamix in this very fashion. If the final sangria is a little too thick for your liking, simply add more soda to the final mixture or perhaps a little white grape juice. You can even add water to the fruit mixture, to dilute it just after you blend it.

blackberry-studded ice cubes

• 24 blackberries
• filtered water
• 2 ice cube trays {12 cubes each}

1. If you want your blackberries suspended in the middle of the ice cubes, fill the slots halfway with water and drop the berries in. Let it freeze and then fill the slots all the way up with water {I didn’t do this here; I just tossed the berries into the slots, filled them with water, and froze the trays}.
2. Freeze until solid.
3. Use them, along with plain ice cubes, as an eye-catching and delicious garnish for the sangria.

You obviously can choose whatever berry you’d like. Just make sure you have enough ice for your sangria. Iced tea tastes better with, well, ice. The same rule applies to sangria.

There won’t be a shortage of rosé, since more and more producers are making it, due to its rise in popularity over the past few years. Personally, I have always been a pink wine supporter, but I am happy to share that love with all of the new-found rosé drinkers out there. Pink really is the new white. 😉 So, after you make a juiced rosé sangria, experiment with some other spring-inspired rosé sangria recipes. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Guava Sangria With a Touch of Sage, via Santa Barbara Chic
• Sparkling Strawberry Rosé Sangria, via Brooklyn Supper
• Rosé Sangria, via David Lebovitz
• Watermelon Rosé Sangria, via Eating Well
• Strawberry & Limoncello Rosé Sangria, via the Kitchn
• Rosé Sangria, via a Cup of Jo

Do you have any favorite rosés that you’re already enjoying? I can’t get enough, so please let me know if you’ve had an amazing one. What is your favorite sangria recipe? Have you ever used freshly juiced fruit? What are your thoughts on getting older? Who keeps you inspired? Cheers to a freakishly amazing weekend! Jayme