Mixing it up with an delicious line of eco-friendly mixers

 

With a name like Stolen Fruit, it sounds like the makes run into vineyards in the middle of the night and steal the fruit they use to create their delicious cocktail mixers. Actually, it is the complete opposite! The non-alcoholic mixers are made using three ingredients that most likely go to waste during the winemaking process. The first ingredient is verjuice also known as verjus. The word verjus is from the French term vert jus, literally meaning “green juice.” This green juice is created by the grapes that the winemakers thin from the vines just when the crop is beginning to ripen. Unlike wine, verjus is not fermented, so it doesn’t have any alcohol in it. Verjus was used a lot in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to make vinegar, dressings, and sauces. Along with verjus, stolen Fruit is made with the remnant dried grape skins after pressing, as well as fresh varietal grape juice from local California vineyards. What’s great is there is no added sugar in the Stolen Fruit mixers.

Stolen Fruit cleverly uses the juices and skins that are usually thrown away during the winemaking process and transforms them into delightful mixers that can be used to create unique and delicious cocktails or mocktails.

This ingenious idea was created by Dry Creek Valley grape growers Doug & Susan Proviser together with friend, Sonoma County chef Peter Brown. And to take it one step further, this dynamic trio didn’t create just one flavor, they created five exceedingly splendid mixers that can be used for mixing or cooking:

• Lemongrass Ginger Sauvignon Blanc
• Jasmine Juniper Viognier
• Hibiscus Grenache
• Blood Orange Muscat
• Fig Grains of Paradise Zinfandel

To celebrate their success, they hosted an intimate dinner party at their stunning home in Sonoma wine country. Each dish in the epic six-course meal created by Chef Brown, was accompanied by a cocktail specially crafted to complement the dish using one of the five Stolen Fruit mixer flavors.

Here is the menu that you can used to create your own amazing Stolen Fruit dinner party.

First Course

• 

  Sweet crab meat with crunchy fennel, a juicy hit of mandarin orange, against a backdrop of summer garden greens and a fresh tarragon finish.

• Paired with Juniper Jasmine Collins.

 

Second Course

Chicken Coconut Curry

• Delicately spiced coconut broth with tender pieces of chicken, peppers, cilantro and toasted peanuts.
• Pair with Lemongrass Ginger with Fresh Mint.

Third Course

Teriyaki Sesame Crusted Salmon

• Wild salmon marinated in rice wine, soy sauce, and ginger, with deeply roasted sesame, perfectly

  

  complements the blood orange in this delectable pairing.

• Pair with Blood Orange Punch.

 

Fourth Course

Seared Duck Breast with Fire Roasted Tomato, Poblano, and Corn Salsa

• The deep and sultry flavor of duck is balanced with an earthy, yet refreshing fire roasted salsa.
• Paired with Hibiscus Cooler.

 

Fifth Course

Grilled Ribeye with Gorgonzola Butter

• Heavily marbled, thick and tender steak seared over fire, richly caramelized, topped with tangy gorgonzola butter and a drizzle of fine olive oil.
• Paired with Fig with Grains of Paradise Manhattan.

 

A Sweet Finish

Mexican Hot Chocolate with Fig and Grains of Paradise.

Peppery and floral Grains of Paradise dance against a backdrop of fig and chocolate, with a whisper of chili and cinnamon.

You can find the recipes here.

For retail locations. 

Stolen Fruit website.