Flowers & Figs

This weekend was all about the ladies. My friends from Toronto came for their annual visit to the Hamptons for some R&R, cocktails and tons of great food. The weekend was perfect as always. To kick it all off, we served mojitos, figs, cheese and crusty bread when the girls arrived. They brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers which tied it all together. Abby whipped up the mojitos with the following recipe... Mojitos in the Garden: 10 servings Ingredients -  10 limes, fresh pulp and juice 30 leaves of fresh mint 3/4 cup sugar (it was a little sweet so I would start with 1/4 sugar and keep tasting from there) 1 cup white rum Club soda, chilled Directions - 1. Place lime juice, mint and sugar into a pitcher. 2. Using a muddle stick mash to release mint oils, and dissolve sugar into juice. 3. Add rum and lots of ice topped with club soda. Adding more club soda to glasses if a lighter drink is desired. 4. Garnish with fresh mint and lime slices. Abby took a cut lime to wet the rim of our gorgeous pink glasses and then swirled each through a plate with a mixture of sugar and lime zest which looked as pretty as it tasted. She styled the pitcher of mojitos + glasses on a lucite hexagon shaped tray, all from CB2. We served sliced figs, champagne grapes, manchego and brie cheese all on a tiered platter with toasted crusty bread that I laced with olive oil and garlic. Was seriously, delish. The girls never felt so welcome and were thrilled to arrive to a snack. What are you serving for cocktail hour this summer?  Tell us in the comments. We're always looking for new ideas!