summer hosting
batched cocktails and BBQ
Summer is a full-time job. Ideally, I’d fill every minute of every day basking in the sun stuffing my face with strawberries, tomatoes, peaches and plums. Seriously, if I go a single meal without consuming an item of seasonal produce, I feel like a failure. Like wow… cereal? In July? *eye roll*
And since my shopping addiction knows no bounds, I physically cannot resist driving past an abundant fruit and without buying up one (or two) (or three) of everything. Not ideal for someone cooking for 2. Luckily, I’ve made a habit of filling my weekends with visitations from friends, so no veggie goes uneaten, and I can continue to feed my shopping addiction in peace.
Do I love to host? Yes. But I also love to sit at beach all day until 4:30, weather permitting. Therefore, I take a much simpler approach to my personal summer hosting style. I know this is difficult to wrap your head around because many of you know me as Wishbone Kitchen, the private chef in the Hamptons that’s whipping up 4-course tasting menus in July. But I have news for you… me, Meredith Hayden, is a girl who likes to CHILL in the summer. Like, talk to me in the fall and winter when it’s too cold to go outside.. THEN I’ll bring back the fancy menus. For now, we’re keeping it as low-maintenance and low-key as possible.
Which is why this week I am highlighting 2 of my favorite lazy but luxurious summer hosting recipes: a big batch of strawberry lemonade and easy AF oven baked ribs. But first..
My Beef with Batched Cocktails
Now, I love a batched cocktail for hosting. It’s efficient, it’s festive, it’s inviting, and it can be really delicious when executed properly. My beef is that they are so often not executed properly for two reasons: ice and carbonation. You should not be adding ice or carbonated liquids to a batched cocktail. I’m typing this while screaming I feel so angry just thinking about it omg. This isn’t a bucket of jungle juice in a college dorm room.
Say you wanted to prep your iced coffee for the week, you wouldn’t fill a pitcher with ice, coffee, and milk, right? You’d get a cold brew concentrate and pour it over ice when you’re ready to drink it. Well, a batched cocktail should be no different IMO!!
Ice melts and dilutes the cocktail meaning it tastes like crap after about 10 minutes. Instead, keep ice in a temperature-controlled bucket next to the batched cocktail and encourage guests to pour the batched drink over ice.
Carbonation also has an expiration of about 10 minutes, so like the ice, keep bottles of club soda, prosecco, or champagne on ice near the serving station and encourage guests to top their drinks off fresh.
What I’m cooking
