By The wider family is delighted. Mama is already planning her flights from Tulsa to the apartment for the spring — not flights, drives, the twenty-eight-minute drive from Broken Arrow that she has been doing every Wednesday since the diner closed, but more of them. Kathy has started knitting. Aunt Linda has offered her old crib that has been in the basement since her own pregnancy attempts in 2008 had not held.
Sunday I made sparkling white grape juice as a non-alcoholic version of the family-style sparkling-grape-juice toast we used for celebrations growing up. Pure white grape juice combined with sparkling water and a touch of fresh lemon, served chilled in champagne flutes Aunt Linda had given me as a wedding gift.
Mama came over for Sunday dinner. Cody drove down from Tulsa. The four of us at the apartment dining table. Mama gave the toast: to the baby. To Brayden. To the next family chapter that we did not know we were waiting for. Cody clinked glasses with everybody. Dustin held my hand under the table. The toast lived at the table for about ninety seconds before we settled into the meal. The pregnancy is the kind of news that reorganizes a family without anybody having to do the reorganizing.
Mama’s Wednesday call was the small mid-week anchor. She talked through the cafe’s small breakfast-and-lunch numbers, the small Cody-news, the small Aunt-Linda update. The cafe is in its small steady-state rhythm. Cody is at the small operational-lead for the lunch-and-dinner rotation. Mama is on the small breakfast-and-brunch shifts. The small Sapulpa-cafe-life continues the way it has been continuing for years.
The technique-detail I always lean on: the rest at room temperature for at least twenty minutes before the small final cooking step. The rest gives the small protein-or-dough time to relax into its small final-form. Skip the rest and the texture goes wrong. Honor the rest and the texture honors you back.
Sparkling White Grape Juice
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 4 cups white grape juice, chilled
- 2 cups ginger ale or club soda, chilled
- 1 cup white cranberry juice, chilled
- 1/2 cup frozen white grape juice concentrate, thawed
- 1 lime, thinly sliced (for garnish)
- Fresh mint sprigs (optional, for garnish)
- Ice, as needed
Instructions
- Chill your ingredients. Make sure all juices and the ginger ale or club soda are fully chilled before mixing. This preserves the bubbles and keeps the drink refreshing.
- Combine the juices. In a large punch bowl or pitcher, stir together the white grape juice, white cranberry juice, and white grape juice concentrate until well blended.
- Add the fizz. Just before serving, slowly pour in the ginger ale or club soda, pouring along the side of the bowl or pitcher to retain as much carbonation as possible.
- Add ice and garnish. Add ice to the bowl or to individual glasses. Float lime slices on top and add a sprig of fresh mint if desired.
- Serve immediately. Pour into glasses and serve right away so the sparkling bubbles stay lively. Raise a glass and toast the moment.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 15mg