On Saturday afternoons after we finish breaking down the farmer's market, we head back to my house to refresh ourselves with After-market Cocktails. This has been a tradition for several years now and friends and family randomly show up, knowing that we will be celebrating the fruits of the earth in a particularly festive fashion. Depending on the season, we try use as many market ingredients as possible in our After-market Cocktails. This is obviously easier in some seasons than in others, and this season is a good one. On a recent Saturday we returned from the market with an abundance of goods the likes of which I have not seen in a while: squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, peppers, garlic, watermelon, cantaloupe, and of course peaches. I set to work in the kitchen mixing up a refreshing beverage to rejuvenate myself and the crew.

Large bunch of mint leaves
4 oz Tito's
2 oz Zubrowka
1 oz Creole Shrub
1 oz Fee Bros. Peach Bitters
4 oz agave nectar
2 oz lime juice
16 oz cucumber juice

In a glass pitcher, muddle mint and agave nectar. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
Fill each glass with ice and fill 3/4 full with cocktail. Top with splash of sparkling wine. Garnish with cucumber wheel and sprig of mint. Recipe makes about four cocktails, or a quart-size jug to take to your next summer soiree.

I apologize for the vodka usage but we are trying to work our way through some of the Tito's we ended up with. I generally try to avoid using vodka but at least Tito's is a locally produced spirit and it works well with the summer market flavors, since it doesn't have a strong flavor of its own.

After we finished this pitcher of drink we mixed up a second and bottled it for our dinner destination: Hootenanny in the Holler, the long awaited fish fry hosted by some chef friends of ours outside of town. This drink is equally suited for both hot afternoons and summer night fish fries!