What do you do when you have people stopping by to talk business on a scorching hot workday, and you suspect it’s a bit too early to pull out some wine, even for an avid drinker such as myself?
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Instead of cracking open a local Woodinville wine (though I really wanted to!), I made up a big pitcher of Sonoma Chardonnay Iced tea, from Republic of Tea. The tea mixes wine grape skins from Sonoma with infusions of pineapples and peaches. There’s also a bit of citrus flavor, due to the lemongrass and organic orange peel.
I quickly rearranged my outdoor bar table, using a simple white table runner, my colorful “Rainbow Stripes” melamine plates, and some vintage blue Fostoria tumblers to drink the tea from.
I also made a pitcher of ice water available (not shown in photos) in case one of my guests wasn’t a fan of iced tea or wine flavors.
The cookies on the left are Meyer Lemon thins from Costco, and the cookies on the right are lemon shortbread cookies from Shortbread House, available at Cost Plus World Market. I felt I had to serve some sort of nibble – I was brought up with the notion you always, always offer guests food and beverages immediately upon them arriving at your home.
Does it taste like you’re drinking a glass of Chardonnay? No, sadly, but it’s a refreshing summer drink that definitely reminds me of wine and makes me look forward to a glass of the real stuff with dinner later on in the day!
This little spread was a nice alternative for people stopping by on business and my non-wine-drinking sister who came over for a quick visit later on, too.
-Carrie
