paaaaaaarty!

Photo fail! I neglected to photograph...anything last night, with the exception of this shot of Sarah finishing off the kiwi/lychee cocktail ('lycheetini'). The pitcher she's emptying out was surprisingly popular, given its less than stunning color. The tartness of the kiwis, though, disguising the surprising punch, is hard to resist.

(recipe given for approx. 3/4 pitcherfull)
in the blender, mix up:
the fruit of 3 kiwis
2 lychee
2 shots of the syrup from the lychee can
10-ish shots of vodka

pour mixture into pitcher, add approx. 1 liter of ginger ale (I busted out the new soda machine)
stir, serve over ice

Additionally, I re-visited the rum cream, made a modified Conquistador with dark rum and bitters instead of bourbon and Fernet Branca (working with what I got on hand, you know), and set out our range of rums of all colors. I ended the night with a couple of light rum, elderflower, club soda mixtures. Feeling pretty awesome this morning.

Failed to make: avocado daiquiris...maybe later in the week.

white sangria...mmmmm

Like so many good things, this recipe was adapted from Everyday Food. This delicious beverage was once again enjoyed on the back deck, in the night time, Achy + me, Jenny + Kemi, alongside some bleu-cheeseburgers. Shutup.

For the pitcher-full:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brandy

Let these sit for 5 minutes for sugar to dissolve, then add:

2 bottles of white wine (we used pinot grigio)

2 peaches (or similar stone fruit)

2-3 sprigs of fresh mint

Note: this was a little heavy on the wine, light on the brandy for the tastebuds of Achy and I. As Aunt Becky always says: don't be chintzy with the liquor!