The document provides recipes for 5 summer cocktails that use locally grown ingredients from the Visalia Farmer's Market: 1) A sangria is made with wine, citrus fruits, strawberries, and honey that are picked up at the market. 2) A bloody mary is made from homemade tomato juice blended from tomatoes sautéed with onions and garlic, and garnished with olives, cheese, pickles, and herbs from various market vendors. 3) A mojito gets a colorful update with rum, mint, and edible flower petals to brighten ice cubes and is topped with a cherry. 4) A whiskey ginger is made with lemon juice, grated ginger, and

1. DIY Champion
SANGRIA
For those who enjoy a sweet and
melodic drink, craft flavorful sangria,
rich with fruit from the market. If
you are up for a short field trip, visit
Cacciatore Winery in Pixley to pick up
a bottle or two of Terra Bella White
Zinfandel. Then head to the farmer's
market to gather your citrus. Vendors
currently have kumquats, blood
oranges, tangelos, and lemons, so
decide if you want to serve a tangy
or softer libation. Strawberries add a
beautiful red and a new texture. Cut
berries in half and citrus into slices. In a
pitcher or punch bowl, pour wine and
add fruit. Prepare ahead of time and set
in refrigerator to chill. When ready to
serve, dramatically drizzle honey from
Wells Apiary into glasses, pour sangria,
top with soda water (if bubbles are
desired), smile, and share.
For a non-alcoholic variation try
substituting chilled Kombucha (fizzy,
probiotic beverage available at many
grocery/health food stores in a variety
of flavors) in place of wine, but do not
prepare ahead of time. You can also try
using Ferry Farms Blood Orange juice
instead of wine and then top off the
sangria with a natural soda.
BLOODY MARY
If sweet isn’t your thing, make a
savory – even spicy – bloody mary like
you’ve never had before. Are you ready
for a challenge? You promised you
wouldn’t eat grocery store tomatoes,
so there is no sense in buying pre-made
bloody mary mix. With our help, you
are going to make your own tomato
juice. If you have a juicer, you can
simply juice the tomatoes (and add
carrots, cucumbers, kale, peppers –
whatever your heart desires). If you do
not have a juicer, no need to fear. First,
sauté chopped onions and garlic in a
saucepot before adding in three or four
chopped tomatoes (beefsteak tomatoes
are often available at the farmers
market). Simmer on low for about a half
an hour, let cool, and blend in a blender.
If guests are going to be picky about
consistency, it might serve you well to
put the blended juice through a sieve
before chilling overnight.
When ready to indulge, mix the juice
with your choice of vodka. Garnish with
habanero, lemon peel, garlic-stuffed
olives from Haas Olives, a cube of
pepperjack from Dairy Goddess, or
some smoked cheese from Fagundes
Farmstead. Do not forget to add a
pickle (cut in quarters, length-wise)
from Pollen Ranch and an enthusiastic
sprig or two of parsley from one of
several vendors. Provide a selection of
hot sauces for your guests to peruse
and add to their drinks, if they dare.
Call it a chaser, call it a beer-back
or a “snit.” Whatever you call it, from
now on, serve your bloody mary with
an 8-ounce glass of beer on the side.
Rumor has it this is only tradition in
the Midwest, but you deserve a little
something extra for making your
bloody mary from scratch, don’t you
think? Check out the selection of small-
batch beers from the Kaweah Brewing
Co. at the farmers market.
For a non-alcoholic option, omit the
vodka and you have yourself the most
intense and wondrous smoothie ever
served. Perhaps a wheatgrass shot
could substitute the snit as well, just so
no one feels left out.
Five zesty summer cocktails
get a refresh with locally-
grown ingredients from the
Visalia Farmer's Market.
D
o you remember the first time you had a tomato
from the garden? It was a fruit so unfamiliar and
delightful, you vowed to never again succumb to a
grocery store tomato. Many of us enjoy farm-fresh additions
to our meals, but now it’s time to give our drinks the same kind
of love. In this feature, classic favorites like sangria, bloody mary,
mimosa, whiskey ginger, and the mojito are given new personalities
with just-picked ingredients that are in season where you live.
FARM TO
HIGHBALLT E X T B Y A M B E R N E W M A N
SIP
46 LIFEST YLE | MAY 2016

2. MOJITO ME CRAZY
For a confetti-inspired mojito, simply treat
yourself to your favorite rum and a beautiful
bouquet from Whole Systems Agriculture. Choose
a bouquet with calendula and lots of mint. Use
the orange or yellow flower petals to brighten up
a tray of ice cubes, and top with a cherry from
Hamada Farms. Now your mojito will be ready to
party. For a non-alcoholic option, add confetti-
cubes, cherry, and mint to lemonade.
WHISKEY GIN-GIN
Do you enjoy whiskey gingers? Several vendors
have fresh herbs and spices available all
throughout the season. If you happen to have
extra time on your hands, you could experiment
making your own ginger ale for this, but for now,
just squeeze fresh lemons and grate ginger root
into soda water and your whiskey of choice.
Garnish with twisted lemon peel. For a non-
alcoholic option, simply omit whiskey; or have
Joia all-natural soda on hand for a sweeter drink
to which you can add grated ginger. Fitting
flavors include Ginger, Apricot, and Allspice, or
Blackberry, Pomegranate, and Ginger.
Last-Minute Hosts
MINUTE MIMOSA
For less-involved or last-minute ideas for which you
can still use farmer's market ingredients, try making
a mimosa with mandarin juice from Ferry Farms,
and top it with a cheerful cherry from Hamada
Farms. For a non-alcoholic option, make a half-and-
half concoction of sparkling juice and soda water,
and top with mandarin juice and a cherry.
SIP
48 LIFEST YLE | MAY 2016