About a week ago, some people came over to my apartment, and we had the most delightful time making what we later called (perhaps unoriginally) the Fresh Cocktail Hour. Basically, with the help of plenty of fresh produce from the Farmer’s Market (not to mention some homemade horseradish), we made Bloody Marys, guacamole, and a lovely salad. Never before has getting drunk felt so healthy.
In attendance were Sly, her friend Aletheia, Tobin, IndianJones, and Brother of IndianJones (although, the Indians didn’t arrive until the tail-end; so they barely should even get credit for being there â€â€Ã‚ but I’ll give IndianJones his tag regardless). Anyway, as there were multiple concoctions happening, we busted out the camera and documented it all (or as much as we could remember to). Pictures of the excitement after the jump…
Things start off easily enough with the simple act of putting ice in the glasses. Probably not photo-worthy, but I wanted Sly to get into the habit of taking pictures (something she frequently forgets to do when not prompted).
We didn’t really need a recipe, but here’s one that we found anyway.
All our ingredients are now in place.
A brief pause while I text someone something about who knows what.
And now: vodka!
Vodka has been poured.
Time to add the tomato juice. I apparently don’t have a little thing to create a spout in the can; so we pour it into a measuring cup and then pour from there (better control). It’s highly inefficient.
The exciting world of tomato juice.
As Sly egregiously neglected to document the all important Worcestershire Sauce phase, we now move directly on to the Spritz Of Lemon portion of the night.
Pepper and whatnot.
My grater is very course, as you can see here.
Stirring. (Some hot sauce was added as well)
Meanwhile, I cross to the other counter where Aletheia is in the early stages of guacamole preparation. I need her to chop some celery sticks for me.
Aletheia takes it to town.
We then return to our respective work stations. Aletheia starts dancing, and in this photo, she can be seen mid-bop.
Meanwhile, the celery goes into the drink.
Ta-da!
The drinks, however, are not quite up to par. We add a good dose of horseradish to them.
Aletheia meanwhile works with some ridiculously beautiful avocados.
And unlike what was seen on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, this guacamole was NOT made in a “rock.”
After several adjustments, Sly takes a sip of the Bloody Mary.
More pepper is needed. Same goes for lemon juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and vodka. Basically, more of everything.
At last it seems things are headed in the right direction.
Always could use just a tad more vodka though. Check out that product placement. You can thank me later, Skyy Vodka.
We were amused by the sight of the celery, which dramatically swooned to one side of the glass as if it were in the throes of despair.
I tried to emulate it, but I fell far short.
At last, our Fresh Cocktail Hour is ready to commence!
Ah! But there was more freshness to come, courtesy of this jicama.
Sly and Aletheia suddenly decided to whip up a jicama and pea shoot salad (with fresh radishes).
Pea shoots, etc.
Macro guacamole.
Tossed with a light vinaigrette of some sort, the salad was ready in no time.
There were some minor “clinging” issues with the pea shoots, but overall, it was all very tasty.
Alas. Dishes.
Anyway, I really enjoyed making drinks and snacks from such fresh ingredients, and I think this experience will certainly be replicated in the future. Plus, given that the night before I had partied just a tad too hard (I had breakfast with BauersSweetheart the next morning, and I think she can vouch for my state), this was a wonderfully pleasant way to ease into drinking again. Of course, now I sound like a wino, but that’s neither here nor there.