This is the story of a neighborhood party that took forever to pull off, but which resulted in the discovery of my new go-to adult summer beverage, thereby making it well worth the wait.
John and I had been talking with our neighbors about throwing this special sort of block party for quite some time. Months, actually. But this was not to be just any old shindig. There were rules, you see (probably why it took us so long to get all of our acts together).
It's what is known as a "Progressive" dinner party, and I hadn't heard anything about this business until our friend and neighbor Robert spelled it out: you get a few neighboring houses together, each one serving 1-2 tapas/family style dishes with a paired beverage, and you progress from one house to the next, eating and drinking all along the merry way.
Um, a roaming party? I'm in.
Um, a roaming party? I'm in.
To keep it interesting and eclectic each house would choose an ethnic cuisine to plan their menu around. The neighborinos chose Cajun and Mexican, respectively; we landed on Japanese. Seeking to diverge from the typical Japanese fare (sushi rolls, tempura, meh), we wound up serving an ahi tartare/tostada creation with avocado puree and a killer mango-jicama salsa. Oh, and there were wasabi mashed potatoes. Nailed it.
But back to the drink, which was truly the star of the show. Something Japanese. Hmmm. We could have gone down the sake road...but that would have been too easy. No, something more whimsical was in order. All I knew was that it had to be served in mason jars with cutesy straws, and John wanted something that we could just whip up in advance and keep in a large pitcher. Practical, that one. We were stumped.
And then, tucked away in the ever growing DVR list of food shows I never have time to watch was the answer, this little gem of a drink concocted by one Mr. Bobby Flay. I don't know what makes this drink particularly Japanese other than the fact that we swapped regular iced tea for green tea, but it had everything we were looking for. Mason jars? Check. Cutesy Straws? Check. Pitcher friendly? Check!
Now you see why I will be sucking these babies down all summer long.
adapted from Bobby Flay
serves 12
Ingredients
8-10 bags peach green tea
6 medium ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped plus 1-2 peaches, sliced, for garnish
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
20 ounces gin (or more if you like a stiff drink)
Bitters, to taste
Champagne or sparkling wine, for serving
Ice, for serving
Instructions
1. Brew tea bags by steeping in 6 cups hot water for up to 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags and chill completely.
2. Puree peaches, lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding solids. Set aside.
3. Make a simple syrup by combining remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
4. Pour chilled tea, peach puree, simple syrup, gin and bitters into a pitcher, stirring to combine. Refrigerate until well chilled.
5. To serve, fill glasses with ice, top with iced tea mixture and top with a float of Champagne. Garnish with peach wedges.
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