with Melanie Wynne and Candice Kahn

Last week I attended an intimate party hosted by Romy Schorr of Romy Raves (disclosure, she is a dear friend, so I get to benefit from all the fabulous things she does) in honor of Eppa‘s red and white sangrias.

with Romy Schorr

I’ve written here before about my love of tasty adult beverages. My favorites are the refreshing drinks you can pour and serve on a hot day on the patio in the backyard. After one sip of Eppa’s white sangria I was sold forever.

The bonus of these drinks is that they are pre-mixed and you can just pour them. Done and delicious. Plus, they are made with natural ingredients and infused with superfruit juices to include twice the antioxidants of a regular glass of red wine. So drinking this makes you healthier, right?

Built around the tasty beverage, Schorr’s party was held at West Hollywood’s Petit Ermitage Hotel, a tiny place you’d never notice otherwise tucked into a corner north of Santa Monica Boulevard. The good news – for me and for you, Agoura Hills – is that I was able to take Uber all the way there with my pal Lexi Rohner of Thirty Fingers and Thirty Toes. Yes, it took forever, but I didn’t have to drive! I’ve been wondering when the service is going to be available here and now I know. It’s now. It depends on the time of day – Agoura isn’t exactly a hub of city travel – but around 5:30 when I requested a driver, one was available with only 3 minutes to wait.

The Hotel itself, once we arrived an hour and a half later, is a delight of custom decor, narrow hallways, friendly and helpful staff, and old-fashioned ambiance. Beautiful (but not unapproachably so) people lounged about in the public spaces, and the rooftop pool looked like a magic portal contrasting against the stormy sky. The party was held on the property’s Firedeck, a cozy nook of the rooftop with a fireplace.

Schorr had set up a few activity stations that went nicely with the theme of the party, which was #NamastEppa: the drink is good for you and helps you relax and de-stress. Amen. In one corner – Manly Handz, two lovely gentlemen who gave complimentary hand and foot massages to the ladies using KleanSpa‘s hand-mixed shea butter body butter, one of my favorite skin care products of all time.

In another, Agoura Hills’ own Laureen Crisafulli of The Engraved Letter etched wine glasses, a pair for each guest with messages of their choices, by hand. (I had her engrave “Wine O’Clock” and “Wine-thirty” on mine!).

To the side, Schorr’s beauty vlogging partner Stacy Cox had set up a natural ingredient facial and body scrub bar. Guests were invited to create their own combinations using things like yogurt, blueberry puree, cornmeal, honey, and citrus juice, and bring it home in a pretty little canning jar.

Laura Clark of LA Story suits up to make a scrub with me

True to form, Schorr gave each guest a stellar gift bag upon leaving the party, featuring the Eppa Sangria, a custom blend of KleanSpa body butter, gift vouchers for photo services by the wonderful photographer Lori Yohe of The Purple Tree (who took all the photos in this post), and a gorgeous handbag by Big Buddha.

Guests were treated to both the red and white sangrias by Eppa on this evening. I prefer the white because the taste is so refreshing and light, but the red is also delicious, not overpowering like some bottled red sangrias. I like fruitier sangrias more than spicy ones, and this red is perfect to serve on a more mild winter evening. Neither flavor was very strong, alcoholically speaking – it’s only 8.5% alcohol by volume. I drank at least three glasses and they didn’t knock me over, so it’s great for sipping without a heavy price to pay, if you know what I’m saying.

Eppa Sangria
available at Sprouts and BevMo
$11.99 per bottle