It is the year of the Cool Auntie. A time to celebrate the childless cat ladies who show up to Easter brunch with a collection of wild tales and a passport that gets more action than Henry VIII had wives. The Cool Auntie is a vibe. She is a lifestyle. An essence. And not everyone appreciates her. Not everyone appreciates me. I have an out-of-the-box kind of lifestyle. I am a childless cat lady. The Cool Auntie to my friend’s kids and my nephew. The black sheep of the extended family who is talked about and most likely judged a little bit and definitely not at all understood. And to be honest, I do not always understand my life myself. It is not exactly what I imagined it to be and yet, upon reflection, I think I have always marched to the beat of an unexpected drum. I have chosen the artist's path, one that has not always been easy, but one that has been filled with exceptional stories and a lifetime of memories. I am not always sure of the life I lead. I have doubts. I have had dreams of a family life, oftentimes I still do. Planning kids birthday parties and holiday traditions, visions of family life, it all swims around in my mind from time-to-time. But ultimately, the universe had other ideas, other plans.

As we enter a new seasonal chapter, I am enthralled with farmers market finds and vibrant spring produce on display like little jewels piled high on humble plywood and sawhorse tables. Winter has come to a close, and with it, the rich comfort foods that nourished us in the darkest days of the year have lost their luster. No longer craving soups and dinners of roast meats and decadent sauces, my attention has shifted to simpler, ingredient forward dishes. Plates designed by the palette of the season, spring greens and robin egg blues all bursting forth after a period of hibernation. Spring, to me, is a lot of things. It is the promise of tender vegetables and ruby red strawberries. The fresh awakening after Mother Nature’s winter nap. It is slow mornings and a shift into longer golden hours. It is the pastels of tulips and the butter yellow of daffodils. It is, simply put, lovely.

With Cool Auntie inspiration winding through all of my Easter visions, I knew that I needed to create something wild and epic for my brunch cocktail menu. I simply could not serve basic mimosas and bloody marys, these cocktails needed to be worthy of an independent, jet set, fashion forward childless cat lady. The sips not only needed to be unique and fashionable, but also delicious. So I set out to develop the perfect cocktails to enhance and accessorize that Cool Auntie lifestyle.