Fabulously fruity
Jun 26th, 2007 by Katie
When it comes to weddings, we tend to give a lot of thought to the alcohol that will be served - what will guests drink on arrival, will we have champagne, how many bottles of wine will we need, and other questions such as is it local, fair trade, organic, vegetarian?
But how often do you stop and think about the soft drinks you will offer your guests? Is it just a case of: let them drink water?
When you do think about it, it makes sense to give it some serious consideration. There will be guests who can’t drink because they are driving, are pregnant, are teetotal for religious or health considerations, or just personal preference. Then there are weddings where, usually for religious reasons, no alcohol is served.
So we were very excited when Fruto del Espíritu invited us to a Drinks Presentation and Tasting of Licuados (non-alcoholic Latin cocktails) at Sabor in London last month.
On arrival we were presented with a beautiful Maracuyá Spring Punch - Maracuyá (a yellow passionfruit) shaken with cloudy English apple juice, mint and fresh raspberries, sweetened with honey and served over ice.
This pleasant start set the tone for the rest of the evening as Mixologist Johan Svensson from Drinksfusion, presented each Latin fruit, which comes as liquid fruit (a fruit purée)** and the best style of drink for each. The exotic fruits we enjoyed were:
Mango - apple of the tropics
Guayaba - a blend of white apple and pink pear guava
Piña - pineapple - refreshing, thirst quenching and full of fibre
Lulo - exlusively Andean - like gooseberry, with a floral aroma and hint of Seville oranges on the finish
Mora - the Andean blackberry - the richness of rhubarb with the tartness of cranberry
Maracuyá - passionfruit - a vine fruit, which makes wonderful aromatic juice, sorbets or coulis
Mango was blended with jasmine tea, served ice-cold and seasoned with a blend of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and nutmeg.
Guava was shaken with freshly crushed strawberries and coconut cream, laced with vanilla and lemon, and served over crushed ice.
Piña (as in Piña Colada) was shaken with freshly squeezed lemon juice and basil sprigs, infused with spicy ginger, and sweetened with Mexican agave syrup, again served over crushed ice.
Moving on to the ‘fruits with attitude’, Mora or Andean Blackberry, which like Maracuyá has a natural kick to it while being completely non-alcoholic, was cut with with lemon juice, sweetened with quintessentially English elderflower cordial and honey, and lifted with crushed juniper berries, served over ice.
Mora can also be used in place of red wine for a non-alcoholic sangria-style punch - or for a winter wedding, a spicy Mulled Mora.
The highlight of the evening was the Spiced Lulo and Pistachio - Lulo shaken with pistachio syrup, honey and egg-white, balanced with fresh line and spiced with cloves and garnished with flamed cinnamon.
After testing a variety of creative concoctions, we had the chance to choose our favourite and have it made especially for us!
We went away thinking what an unusual and fun idea it would be to serve fruit cocktails at your wedding - so much more exciting than jugs of water, especially if you could have a professional Mixologist to put on a show for you at the same time!
Naturally we were thrilled to hear from Fruto del Espíritu that you can do just this - and much more as well, which is one of the reasons why we are writing about it on our Ethical Weddings blog…
To find out more about the Latin Fruits, Mixology, Cocktails, Licuados, Fruit Punches or Juices you can serve at your wedding, have a look at the Cordon Verde* website. Or get in touch with Fruto del Espíritu to find out how offering these fruit punches or cocktails based on exotic Latin American fruits such as lulo and maracuyá might indirectly save somebody’s life!
Fruto del Espíritu suggests a few ways in which the fruits might be enjoyed at a wedding…
1. Fruit Juices (served in jugs) - just add water and sweeten to taste:
Mora or Andean Blackberry (dark red) & Lulo (light green) offer a unique non-alcoholic option to red & white wine. Serve in wine glasses.
2. Fruit Punches - request recipes
3. Cocktails prepared by caterers: alcohol such as Martinis, Sours, Margaritas, Daiquiris, Mojitos, Caipirinhas - and non-alcoholic Licuados - request recipes
4. Cocktails prepared & served by a professional Mixologist at the wedding - see links on Events page at www.cordonverde.com
5. In desserts and sweet & sour dishes in the banquet or buffet
If you do decide to delight your guests with these delectable drinks, whether you mix them yourself or employ the services of a professional mixologist to do it for you, why not also think about giving them a trial run on your hen night - and perhaps saving some for the occasional cocktail on return from your honeymoon?
Have fun with the fruit…
Katie
*Cordon Verde is a culinary culture like Cordon Bleu, but using natural ingredients (ecological - green) and Latin/Spanish rather than french, hence “verde” rather than “bleu”.
**Liquid Fruit is simply liquidised fruit, with no added water or sugar. It is a culinary ingredient with the characteristic aroma and texture of each fruit. It is easy to use and there’s no waste!
The purées are natural strength – not a concentrate. Pineapple can be enjoyed neat. Due to their natural viscosity and intensity, the other fruits need to be diluted and/or sweetened to taste. Each bottle makes up 2-5 bottles of juice, varying by fruit.
Liquid Fruit has a shelf life of 12 months from bottling and only needs to be refrigerated once opened. Once opened, use within 4-5 days. Any fruit left over can be frozen in ice-cube trays and used later in juices, milkshakes, smoothies & frappés.
Photo: Harvey Lexton - www.harveylexton.com
Wow, these drinks sound awesome! Too bad our venue made us use their bar service and they can’t do anything fancy like this. But I am so keeping this list handy for my next house party. Thanks for posting it!