ARE YOU BACKED UP?

This has been a month of adventures. Some of them building on familiar practices, like juice feasting and daily yoga and mindfulness practices; and some forays into new territory; a RASA Pantry & Cleanse trunk show at Suite 303 and a DETOX OVER DRINKS event at Huckleberry Bar.  The common thread running through the month was connection, collaboration, relationship and process of giving support and being supported.

So last Wednesday, the day of a the RASA Life/Huckleberry Bar collaborative event, I was minding my own business, getting some work done on my less than a year old i MAC- and all of a sudden-everything freezes.  A few hours of phone support later it's determined that the hard drive has likely gone kaput. And so the question became-"are you backed up?" It was almost comical. I've backed myself up in so many ways this month yet, in this one fundamental technological age requirement I dropped the ball.  Note to self: Sometimes you have to remind yourself to back your own self up.  And sometimes you need a little help from your friends.  

In many ways this was impetus for the DETOX OVER DRINKS event.  The collaboration was based on the concept that life, especially your social life, doesn't have to stop if you are taking a break from whatever your particular poison might be. In fact it can be a tasty adventure.  So, based on my experience with combining seasonal foods & herbs and Stephanie's cocktail know-how, we brought some dimension and deep background to the idea of alcohol free cocktails and developed a luscious menu featuring six mocktails.

Who's got YOUR back?

Rogue Rouge Shrub-for 1
3/4 oz Goji Berry Shrub* (Goji, Caraway, Vinegar)*
1/2 oz Beet Juice
2 oz Orange Juice
Shake ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice.
Garnish with orange peel, a pinch of smoked salt and a sprinkling of crushed caraway seeds

* Goji Berry Shrub (cold method)
Soak 2c of goji berries in 3c water for 20-30 minutes.  Strain and mash the berries.
Place in a sterile glass qt container-a mason jar works well and add 2 cups raw honey, 2 tablespoons of crushed caraway seed and the peel of one organic orange.  Stir well to combing the ingredients and let stand for 2 days.  After 2 days add 2 cups of raw apple cider vinegar and the juice of one orange.  Let stand for 3 days to allow flavors to mingle and develop. Strain the "liquor" from the solids into a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator.  The shrub is also really delicious with a splash of sparkling water.