The margarita – probably one of our favorite drinks here at Sun Orchard, seeing as how we love to include margarita recipes whenever we’re talking about drinks. But how exactly did the margarita come about? Impress your fellow patrons this summer by sharing a bit of the interesting history behind America’s most popular cocktail.
Not a bad pairing - a tall glass of Sun Orchard OJ with a Homemade Turkey Sausage & Egg White baked hand pie, made with a homemade turkey sausage patty, farm fresh scrambled egg whites and creamy herbed farmers' cheese in a delicious flaky crust.
The mission is simple at AZ Food Crafters: “to provide the best, freshest clean food possible with an emphasis on locally sourced, in season ingredients mixed with the love and passion needed to create unique eats and tasty treats.” Based in Chandler, Arizona, a short drive from Sun Orchard’s Tempe plant, the guys at AZ Food Crafters were thrilled to find a supplier partner with a similar mission in their own backyard.
“We decided that we wanted to not only feature the best possible product, but we wanted to work with a company that is locally-based,” says AZ Food Crafters co-founder Eddie Castillo. ”Sun Orchard was an easy choice to make.”
AZ Food Crafters is becoming an easy choice to make at local Farmer’s Markets in the Phoenix area, and their specialty item – baked hand pies – is what makes their company so irresistible. Hand crafted with a flaky, butter pastry crust, their baked hand pies include varieties like “Green Chile Mac and Cheese”, “Veggie Greek”, “Fiesta Chicken”, and the “Sausage Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Hand Pie”. AZ Food Crafters even makes sweet, dessert hand pies like “Strawberry Lemonade” and “Dark Chocolate Orange”, which is stuffed inside with orange-infused chocolate ganache made from Sun Orchard Orange Juice.
“We are local food crafters with a focus on locally-sourced, responsibly raised and sustainable ingredients that are the best and freshest available,” says Eddie. “We inspire to create delicious, wholesome food with the care and love needed for it to be the best.”
Consider it done. In addition to their baked hand pies, AZ Food Crafters offers fresh-made, whole grain pasta salads and frozen made-from-scratch soups at their shop in Chandler, and they also provide catering options for a variety of occasions. Sun Orchard’s Orange Juice is often used in salad dressings and as a healthy beverage option. AZ Food Crafters is also looking to bring in Sun Orchard’s All-Natural Lemonade to add to their lunch menu, and they’re planning to launch a home meal service as well as a new toaster pastry in September.
When asked what inspires them to handcraft such delicious food, Eddie says, “we love what we do and the response from our customers is the greatest reward”. For AZ Food Crafters, there should be lots of reward to come.
For contact information and details on upcoming Farmers Markets, check out AZ Food Crafters at www.bakedhandpies.com.
Mixologist Bobby Gleason has incredibly high standards when it comes to making cocktails. As Master Mixologist for Beam Global, “Bobby G” is an industry authority and the headliner for Spirits Confidential, Beam Global’s “experiential education event” for the bar and restaurant industry, which visits 17 different cities in 2012.
Like any busy night in a popular bar or restaurant, Spirits Confidential requires hard work, precision, and supreme quality and execution from everyone behind the bar. Rather than waste time and create added stress by sourcing, washing, slicing, and squeezing fresh citrus for Spirits Confidential, Bobby G opts to use Sun Orchard’s 100% Pure Lemon, Lime, and Orange Juices.
Master Mixologist Bobby Gleason is a big fan of using Sun Orchard juices in his cocktails.
“When building a cocktail program or presenting cocktails there are three key factors: premium ingredients, fresh products, and consistency,” says Bobby G. “Sun Orchard brings all of this together with their line of juices. I prefer the 100% Lemon, Lime and Orange juices for my cocktails. Traveling all across the country I know I can rely on the freshness and consistency of Sun Orchard.”
Two mixers Bobby G crafts and uses often with Beam Global’s expansive line of spirits are Lemon Sour and Lime Sour, made with Sun Orchard Lemon Juice and Lime Juice, respectively. Below is his recipe for a good Lemon or Lime Sour, and recipes for a few other specialty drinks he likes to make with Sun Orchard’s juices.
Spirits Confidential will be hosting an event in Chicago tomorrow, July 10, and then moving on to Seattle July 17 and Portland July 18. Check out www.virtualspirit.org for details.
Lime Juice Sour / Lemon Juice Sour
Make simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a small sauce pan, cooking over medium heat, and stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once cool, stir in the Lime or Lemon Juice and refrigerate until ready to use.
Dancing with the Devil
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, or pour over ice into a double highball glass. Garnish with a cherry.
EFFEN® Spa
Pour Lemon Sour, EFFEN® Cucumber, and Thatcher’s™ Elderflower over ice in a tall glass. Fill remainder of the glass with club soda and stir. Garnish with cucumber slices inside glass.
Hot EFFEN® Shot
Rim a large shot glass with chili spice. Shake the Lime Sour and EFFEN® Cucumber with ice, strain into rimmed glass.
French-Canadian Side Car
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a half-moon lemon wheel on the rim.
Kentucky Brunch
In a mixing glass, add the orange marmalade and Maker’s Mark® – stir to dissolve the marmalade. Now add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or pour over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
“These trademarks are the property of Jim Beam Brands Co. and its licensees, and all other trademarks associated with any other product belong to the company/companies identified on those products. These companies do not sponsor, authorize or otherwise endorse Sun Orchard or this promotion.”
Grapefruit gets a bad rap – what with its sweet and sour flavoring. Despite this tangy flavoring, grapefruits are a healthy food, rich in phytonutrients like vitamin A, beta-carotene, and lycopene.
The temperatures are rising and the pool is looking more and more like an oasis. Now is the time for grilling – steaks, skewers, fish, and more!
One gallon of Sun Orchard 100% Pure and Natural Lemon Juice contains 84 lemons. No artificial sweeteners, just pure and natural lemons. Lemon juice is a good addition to all sorts of drinks, but our favorites are definitely lemon tea and lemonade in the summer.
When Cinco de Mayo comes around, the fiesta is always an experience. Why do we celebrate the 5th of May? We commemorate “the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862.” MexOnline.com goes into the history of the battle, as well as ways it is celebrated. Some ways the day is celebrated include:
As a juice manufacturer, we strive to perfect the process of fruit to juice. This means keeping the quality of the juice and juice safety in mind. With the relationships we form with our fruit growers, as well as a rigorously enforced HACCP program that ensures our high quality standards are met, we continue to perfect our process.
April is Earth Month – and what better way to celebrate than with organic drinks and recipes made with sustainable ingredients?
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In honor of Earth Month, all of our blog posts have “green” inspiration. In this week’s post, we offer 10 simple tips for how you can promote a healthy planet and green lifestyle.
