Catering Chronicles – Food for Thought

Looking for a signature cocktail for your fall wedding, but don’t want anything heavy? Check out Aloha Paradise. A beautiful amber colored champagne Cocktail. Bar Manager Mark Anthony mixed the following to create this bubbly delight: 1/2 oz grape soda, 1/2 oz. Mandarin Orange Syrup, mix the 2 ingredients with ice, then strain into glass filled with 3 oz. sparkling wine, and garnish with a raspberry.

A favored fruit is a great place to start when creating a cocktail for your celebration. This weekend I noticed an abundance of mandarins ripening in a bowl. I love their flavor and fragrance. In a shaker I mixed the fresh mandarin juice together with vodka, Cointreau, ice, and the light syrup I drained from a can of mandarin oranges. Garnish with mandarin and blueberry. Very fragrant with a little kick. The perfect fall cocktail.

SERIOUSLY!!! The color alone is enough to die for. It reminds me of cool vintage fabric my mother had. AMAZING!  Like an Otter Pop for grown-ups. This week Bar Manager Mark Anthony mixed up Grape Vodka, Triple Sec, Blue Curacao, Sweet and Sour Mix, a splash of 7-up, layered grenadine at the bottom of the glass and a cherry garnish. Happy Friday!

Add a personal touch to your celebration menu with a signature cocktail. What kind of cocktail, you ask? Start with your favorite flavors. Perhaps it’s pineapple or tangerine. Do you want a stiff cocktail with hard alcohol or simply a spritzer type with bubbly? Consider colors, and the shape and size of the glass. Presentation and garnish is just as important. Don’t be afraid to try different mixtures. Tell a story with your cocktail. Incorporate something the two of you have shared and give it a meaningful name. This is great conversation starter for your guests.

Above we have an Asian Pear, created by our Bar Manager, Mark Anthony. It’s a tasty blend of unfiltered Sake, Prickly Pear, Seven-Up, and a splash of Cranberry. How amazing is that blush pink color? Garnish with a blackberry.

This cheerful and refreshing Cremesicle Cocktail is made with Vanilla Vodka, Orange Schnapps, Triple Sec, and Half and Half. Garnish with a mandarin and blueberry. Reminds me of my favorite childhood popsicle.

This gorgeous Jeweled Princess is just as tasty as it looks. A glorious mixture of Mango Juice, Grenadine, and Champagne. Dress it up with mango and blackberry on a bamboo skewer.

We are always looking for new ways to dress up some of our standards… thus The ICED TEA STATION with Fresh Fruit. As spring and summer weddings approach, so does all of California’s fabulous FRESH FRUIT AND BERRIES. This is an easy and inexpensive way to entertain your guests and dress up your beverage station. My favorite part… the SUGAR STICKS. I love stirring the fruit around in my glass and of course they always make me SMILE.