Friday, August 27, 2010

Lemon Drops for Date Night - part of our Weekly Feature series!

Last weekend, we packed up a picnic lunch and played tourist in our city by the bay. Driving over the Golden Gate towards Marin County, I always marvel  at the sights below in the bay;  sailboats racing, freighters coming in and out , cruise ships, fishing boats, seals, we even saw a school of dolphins once!


 These photos are taken from the Golden Gate  bridge deck looking back towards Sausalito and Fort Baker - I could stand here all day and simply drink in the views of the incredible blue-green water of San Francisco Bay.  (Can you tell that I love living here?)


First a stop at Point Bonita Lighthouse. Have got to remember that the bridge to the lighthouse closes at 3:30.. we made it down the trail and through the rock tunnel, but we were too late to cross over.  Dang it!  Oh well, it was still a spectacular view out to the Pacific Ocean.  Can you see the fog bank?  Lying in wait to roar back in as the sun sets into the sea...
Then we drove to the top of Mt. Tam - the highest point in the Bay Area for a wide-sweeping view of the city, the bridges and everything surrounding.  The picture is a little hazy, but I think you get the idea... windy, twisty, I close my eyes most of the time we drive on these crazy roads! Tom loves driving on them, I just hang on tight - trying very hard to let on that I am a little freaked out.  The views on the way up are incredible!  Found a park with walking trails on the top, and decided that we needed to come back another day when we had the whole day to explore.


Yay!!! Now back down the mountain to Sausalito for Lemon Drops at Scoma's. (my reward for not totally freaking out on the drive down!)  These are pretty special lemon drops as they are made with Limoncello liqueur. The best part is,  of course, we get to enjoy them at Scoma's overlooking the Bay. Hope you can see Angel Island, Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge off in the distance, with just a shadow of the moon showing...


Last Saturday we had the best time taking pictures and gossiping about the anchored super-yacht  that was visiting our fair city.  Scoma's fun bartender had all the details: Owned by a super secret Russian billionairre, it's 394 feet long and with a price tag of $300 million. Everything inside is custom and over the top design. We thought it looked  a little like something out of a James Bond Movie! Here's a fun article from the Wall Street Journal with more details, including how several of the companies that helped build it went bankrupt - "A" Superyacht.   


Cannot even fathom this kind of wealth and excess.  To be honest, I really don't want to. Fun to talk about, but in my humble opinion a little wasteful, There's a lot of ways to spend $300 million;  starting with the Feeding America program....   (sorry, I will get off my soapbox!)




On to the lemon drops - not sure if this is the recipe that Scoma's uses, but it does look good!  Recommend using your best martini glasses, for me that's part of the whole experience.  A delish cocktail just does not taste right in any old glass!
(picture taken at Scoma's with our Calamari appetizer) 


Limoncello Lemon Drops

  • 1 1/2 oz. Absolute Citron Vodka
  • 1 1/2 oz. limoncello lemon liqueur
  • 2 oz. sweet and sour mix
  • 1 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sugar
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes; shake well.  Swirl half a lemon around the rim of a martini glass (the more elegant the better!) and dip in sugar.  Pour the contents of the cocktail shaker into the glass, and serve with a nice lemon slice.  Yum!

I confess, as I was packing a set of these sealife martini glasses for shipping, I broke 3 of them, and am left with one..so tonight my lemon drop is going into the non-broken martini glass!   Hmm... I do have the shakers in the warehouse too....

Have a fab weekend!




























7 comments:

Seawashed said...

What a wonderful day! I love S.F too! It is my Paris. I've never been on the top of Mt. Tam because I cannot drive those winding roads. NOpE can't go there. That superYacht is crazy...and yes, a waste of money. I can't help but think of how much more happiness it could bring him to go somewhere like Africa and feed the starving children.

Anonymous said...

It really is fun living here, isn't it! I love driving the winding roads too - Mount Tam, Big Sur, the Corniche... Don't like being a passenger though.

I need to drag my husband into the outer world this weekend, he has been working solidly, and I think a drink in Sausalito would improve us both no end!

Erin | Bygone Living said...

Such beautiful photos! I would love to visit the West Coast one of these days :)

And that Lemon Drop recipe sounds amazing... and the martini glasses are lovely (I'm sorry you were only left with one though; well, one's better than none! :p) ♥

Swell Studio said...

Helping feed those in need is a cause close to my heart as well. I'd love to hand out millions of dollars to families who need it. The yacht owner does seem to be living a life of excess, but maybe he's got a charitable side, too. And who am I to throw stones- my multiple pairs of flip flops could be considered excess, and that $5 bottle of nail polish I just had to have could have bought someone a decent lunch...

Swell Studio said...

I nearly forgot to mention that I enjoyed reading about your trip- San Francisco sounds and looks like a lovely place!

Privet and Holly said...

Hi Caron!
I love tagging along....
Beautiful photos!
I discovered limoncello
on my {one and only}
trip to Italy....
I'd like to try making
it and THEN use it for
one of these Lemon Drops ~
yummy! I'm having major
Pac NW withdrawal....our
trip to the Oregon Coast
was amazing!
xx Suzanne

Gberger said...

Caron, we saw this yacht in Antibes when we were on vacation in the summer of 2009 - I have pics of it, too! Amazing that it came to Cali! xoxo

Relax and Live at the Beach Every Day of the Year!

Most Popular Beach Posts!