CRAFTconditioned

Nearly two days after the last guest left, I think the housemate and I finally finished the last bit of clean up from an ambitious brunch potluck we hosted for a small group of friends Sunday afternoon.

Setting aside my beer interests for a day to embrace my inner mixologist, we  hosted a “juice brunch”. We offered to supply fresh juices, mixers, and booze if guests brought their favorite brunch foods. This was either going to prove an awesome idea or a nightmare. After six hours of “brunching”, the verdict appears to haven fallen in favor of awesome, albeit messy.

It was only successful for a few key reasons. We purchased our weight in produce in preparation.To keep the supply/demand manageable, so we wouldn’t be tied to a juicer all afternoon, we trimmed our typical party list to a fraction of its size (this may have been the most difficult part for me). We then prepped the fruits in advance, peeling citrus, scooping out the watermelon, cutting cantaloupe and pineapple. This preparation allowed us to take turns juicing in batches so there were always 2-3 varieties pouring. We found a good balance between hosting and kitchen duties.

Some highlights:

• Always one for a little DIY and fun presentation, I converted a watermelon into a juice dispenser, which we refilled with watermelon juice, although any watermelon-infused drink would have worked nicely. I have similar plans for pumpkins come fall.

• Locally-distilled Green Hat gin proved a very versatile and favored mixer for all the juices, the grapefruit juice especially.

• Freshly-squeezed tomato juice, on the other hand, wasn’t what we expected. The juice was watery flavored and kept separating. A few people took a stab at making a Bloody Mary, but no attempt was particularly successful. After a little research, I figured out a better juice combination for next time – a bit of celery and other favors added to the juicer with the tomatoes for a richer, more stable base juice.

• After a few basic cocktails, the creativity started to flow. It wasn’t long before a mint simple syrup was being concocted for some cantaloupe juice (and mint juleps). And when someone uttered “Margarita Thatcher”, the experimenting quickly began. Using only ingredients we had on hand, we designed a cocktail that married both traditional British and margarita flavors. Tequila remained the base. For the sweet element, we made a simple syrup with chamomile and mint, which we combined with fresh cucumber juice. A splash of freshly-squeezed lime juice added tartness. A pinch of sea salt made the flavors pop. Although refreshing, it remains a work in progress. For example, next time, I would remove the skins from the cucumber before juicing to avoid any bitterness and tone down the green hue. How would you  make a Margarita Thatcher?

• Everyone felt a general sense of healthiness despite the quantity of pastries eaten and splashes of alcohol that found its way into many of the drinks. Quote of the party: “I know I’m drunk but I feel so hydrated!”

After everyone left, we found ourselves with piles of dishes and a seemingly never-ending sticky residue on every surface. It took some attention and patience, but we finally got it cleaned up (in a day or so). Despite the work, the brunch was loads of fun. We’ll definitely do it again, but maybe not for a few months. That should give us some time to concoct some autumn juice blends, dust off the fire pit, and find the right pumpkin to convert with a spigot. Comment if you have any suggestions!