Lemons & Lillet

Tenaya Figueira knows how to throw a good party. The vivacious owner of The Old Fashioned Caravan runs her mobile event space out of charming refurbished 1954 Boles Aero trailer. Staying true to the spirit of the caravan, Tenaya approaches developing bar menus for clients by celebrating the balance of the old and the new. This means pairing classic cocktails with unexpected garnishes and mixers, or opting for rarer types of spirits, all while utilizing vintage shakers, mixers and glassware. And did we mention citrus? Lots of citrus.

The caravan’s next stop is a particularly special one, as Tenaya’s own wedding takes place in Joshua Tree. To toast and celebrate the occasion with her nearest and dearest, she’s planning a roster of tried and true customer crowd pleasers –  including a Sunday in the Park, one of her personal favorites. We happily spent the afternoon with Tenaya, slicing, squeezing and sipping, perfecting her bar menu just days before she packed her bags (and the caravan) and headed out for the desert.

Try Tenaya’s  favorite Lillet-inspired summer cocktail, Sunday in the Park :

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Lillet Blanc

1.5 oz bourbon

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1 dash Angostura bitters

1/4 oz simple syrup

2 oz soda water

2 springs fresh Thyme

Preparation:

Fill your cocktail shaker with ice, then the chilled Lillet with bourbon (Tenaya used Koval single barrel bourbon). Add in the lemon juice, bitters, simple syrup and a sprig of thyme. Shake well and double strain into your  ice-filled glass. Top off with soda water and garnish with a new sprig of thyme.

Voilá!

Tenaya wears the Richmond Optical in Tokyo Tortoise.