Chelsea + Nick’s Hand Drawn Gingham Save the Dates

Happy Monday everyone! I spent most of this weekend dreaming of summer picnics and BBQs, so it’s only fitting that we start the week with save the dates for a country theme summer wedding! Rachel from Robinson Press created the entire design by hand, with hand lettering on the front and a hand drawn gingham pattern on the back. So fun!

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From Rachel: These letterpress save the dates were created for an outdoor wedding in Vermont with a country theme. The entire save the date is hand drawn in an intentionally naive way, including a hand drawn gingham pattern. Chelsea and Nicholas spend as many weekends as possible in Vermont, they love it there, and they wanted their friends and family to experience their favorite spot.

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The save the dates are letterpress printed on white Reich Savoy extra heavyweight stock, enclosed with Jute envelopes from Mohawk Paper. They are printed on both sides, with the gingham pattern on the back.

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Thanks Rachel!

Check out the Designer Rolodex for more tal­ented wed­ding invi­ta­tion design­ers and the save the date gallery for more beau­ti­ful cus­tom save the dates!

Photo Credits: Robinson Press

Welcome to the new OSBP!

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Hello, and welcome to the new OSBP! You may notice that things look a bit different over here today (and for those of you reading through a reader or via email, click on through to check it out!).

This change has been a long time coming, and I’m thrilled to finally share our new look with you – I hope you like it as much as I do! I was thrilled to work with Liz from Linda & Harriett, who contributed her beautiful hand lettering and illustrations to the new design, and Eli Van Zoeren, who worked his magic to bring our design to life on screen – including our first ever responsive (and mobile friendly) design!

We’ve also updated the navigation to make it easier to find content and move around the site, updated the Designer Rolodex (featuring a brand new logo by Meant to Be Calligraphy), and made our curated shopping galleries front and center with the new Market List section. Have fun exploring!

Friday Happy Hour: The Cocktail

We’ve written about a lot of different kinds of drinks: some with long ingredient lists and others that literally take weeks to prepare and others that are super simple to throw together. But we’ve never written about the foundation of all those other drinks: the Cocktail. That’s it, just: the Cocktail. So let’s kick off a month of back-to-basics with the most basic drink of all. – Andrew

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Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Cocktail

Spirits
Bitters
Sugar
Ice

Put everything together and shake. Or stir. Strain into a glass and serve over more ice. Or straight up. With a garnish (we used a brandied cherry). Or not. Your call. Enjoy!

That’s it: spirits, bitters, sugar, and ice. Every other cocktail is a variation or elaboration on this theme. It’s at least 200 years old and probably older (Americans have been loving their booze for a long time), and it’s just as good now as it was (as I love to imagine) back then.

Ok: so how to turn this list of ingredients into a drinkable drink? Easy: 2 oz of spirits, two dashes of bitters, and 1/2 simple syrup in a glass with ice and…that’s it. Give it a stir to mix in the sugar, but otherwise, that’s literally all you have to do. This comes from the oldest detailed recipe for a Cocktail I’ve seen. From 1833.

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Because Americans love taking a thing and figuring out how they can make it even better (and how they can add bells and whistles), it didn’t take long before the simple perfection of the Cocktail evolved into the Plain Cocktail – add a dash or two of orange liqueur and a squeeze of lemon peel – and then the Fancy Cocktail, same as the Plain, just throw the lemon peel in as garnish, and then the Improved Cocktail with a couple dashes Maraschino liqueur and a dash of Absinthe in place of the orange liqueur. These are all great. I recommend trying these versions out too. Just try the Cocktail first.

Spirits? Make sure you’re using solid pot-still liquor here: whiskey, genever, brandy aged rum, Tequila or Mezcal, that sort of thing. Steer clear of lighter, clear spirits, like dry gin or unaged rum, that won’t have enough body or flavor to support a drink as bare-bones as this. Bitters? Aromatic. Sugar? Syrup is easier to mix, while granulated sugar looks a little cooler. It also doesn’t mix as well as syrup, so you’ll need to muddle the sugar with the bitters before you add everything else. The amount of sugar you’ll need will vary based on your taste and on the sweetness of the spirits you’re using. A sweet bourbon will need less sugar than a malty and sharp genever.

Shaken or stirred? I like stirring myself, it dilutes the drink less and leaves it with a cleaner look, or just building the drink over ice. Garnish? Drop a lemon twist, or grate some nutmeg, or plop in a brandied cherry, or leave it alone. No rules. Go wild.

Here’s how I made the Cocktail in Nole’s beautiful photographs: an ounce of brandy, an ounce of rye whiskey. Two dashes of Fee Brothers Aromatic Bitters and an eighth of an ounce of rich simple syrup. Stirred, strained, and garnished with a brandied cherry. Beautiful.

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Don’t forget to let us know if you try any of our recipes. And if you do make one at home, you can use #osbphappyhour to share photos of these (or your own creations) on Instagram.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! I’m actually pretty excited for this weekend. We’re supposed to have a couple of nice days – and we’re heading to our first Caps game since Sophie was born with friends on Saturday! Sophie won’t be joining us for this excursion, but I am excited to take her to her first real hockey game at some point. I think she’d love it! But in the meantime…

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Camellia via Gardenista (I’m just going to post photos of flowers until Spring arrives, okay?)

…a few links for your weekend!

This week on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

Check back soon for this week’s cocktail! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here next week! xoxo

DC Guide: Where to Eat, Part 2

A couple of years ago, we shared our very first mini guide to DC – including some of our favorite restaurants in the District. And with the cherry blossom season only a few weeks away, I thought it might be time to share a little update for any of you planning Spring trips to DC. Now, our dining habits have changed quite a bit in the last two years thanks to Sophie, so most of these are either in our Capitol Hill neighborhood or the nearby H Street corridor – but luckily they’re all really good! And while we might not be the best at keeping up with the trendiest new restaurants, we can offer a few tried-and-true recommendations.

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Illustration by Molly Jacques for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Rose’s Luxury: I don’t think I could possibly say enough good things about Rose’s Luxury. This amazing restaurant opened up in our neighborhood just a few months ago and has earned rave reviews from every single food critic in town (examples here and here). We visited Rose’s Luxury shortly after their October opening with Sophie in tow, and it’s easily the best meal we’ve had in recent memory. They also have an amazing drink menu with several seriously delicious cocktails. And if all of that wasn’t enough, the staff was amazing with Sophie – even taking her on a little tour of the restaurant so we could have a few more minutes to enjoy our meal! Go, and you won’t regret it.

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Rose’s Luxury via EaterDC

The Red Hen: It’s surprisingly difficult to find good pasta in DC (or good Italian food, for that matter), so we were pleasantly surprised when we visited The Red Hen a few weeks ago. We focused in on the pasta, but based just on our one experience I’d wager that everything on the menu at this Italian-influenced American restaurant is incredible. You’ll also definitely want to save room for dessert: Sophie was a big fan of the maple custard with hazelnut crumble. We saw several other families dining there during our visit, and they even have counter-height high chairs for tiny patrons so you don’t have to wait for a table!

Union Market: Union Market isn’t a single restaurant, but rather a large market comprised of shops, artisan vendors, and multiple casual dining options. It’s one of our favorite spots for a casual lunch or dinner. We’re partial to the sandwiches from Red Apron Butcher, the Korean tacos from TaKorean, and the hummus from DC Mediterranean Corner, but you’re bound to find something you love at Union Market.

Graffiato: Graffiato is probably the only non-kid-friendly restaurant on this list, but it’s worth a special night out. We indulged in our last pre-Sophie night out meal at Graffiato and still talk about it today. We went with the tasting menu, but you can’t go wrong here. Just be sure to make a reservation well in advance: it’s one of DC’s most popular spots!

District Taco: For a casual family night out, we’re big fans of food truck turned brick and mortar restaurant District Taco. Everything is simple, made daily from fresh ingredients, and really delicious. From fish tacos to quesadillas to soft tacos, you can’t go wrong here.

Beuchert’s Saloon: We were so happy when this restaurant opened in our neighborhood last year! A re-imagining of an 1800s saloon and Prohibition-era speakeasy, Beuchert’s devotes equal focus to both its food and drink menus. On the food side, Beuchert’s sources most of its ingredients from local farms and co-ops with delicious results, while the house cocktail menu includes several throwbacks to the restaurant’s long saloon history. So good!

Batter Bowl Bakery: Located along the H Street corridor, Batter Bowl Bakery is one of our favorite neighborhood lunch and brunch spots. The menu includes a variety of breakfast platters and open faced sandwiches, along with a range of freshly baked pastries. If you’re a coffee drinker, you’ll love Batter Bowl Bakery: the lattes are some of the best we’ve found in DC yet.

Founding Farmers: Speaking of brunch, we would be remiss if we didn’t recommend brunch at Founding Farmers. You’ll need to make reservations well in advance, but the menu of farmhouse hashes, cast iron skillets, and signature breakfast dishes is well worth the advance planning. We visited with my in-laws just before Sophie’s first birthday, and everyone at the table (Sophie included!) was a big big fan.

p.s. DC is lucky to have two amazing food critics, so if you’re planning a visit to DC you’ll definitely also want to check out both the Washingtonian and Washington Post restaurant sections and even some of the DC foodie blogs like Metrocurean and Eater DC for the latest openings and reviews.