This peach mint cocktail (Short Girl, Tall Order) is super-simple to make, and all you need to do is blend the ingredients: vegan rosé wine along with frozen peaches (PACK’D sells ready-made frozen peaches in easy-to-recycle packaging if you don’t have fresh), fresh mint and some agave syrup (you don’t need this if your peaches are super-sweet).
Mash peaches for young children (avoid for sensitivity to birch tree & pollen). Keep peaches away from pets due to natural cyanide. Read more on food safety for people & pets.
Ripen juicy peaches at room temperature, in season from July to September). Originally from China, peaches are particularly popular in the Deep South states of the USA (Georgia is known as ‘the peach state’).
You can adjust this recipe to use up seasonal gluts of fruits too like strawberries or raspberries, but again they need to be frozen. Again, PACK’D offers many other frozen organic fruits to stash in the freezer.
How to Store and Prepare Peaches
Avoid peaches with mould or bruising and choose ones that yield slightly, when squeezed. Farm shops tend to sell loose produce (and peaches more likely to be organic and locally-grown).
To prepare, cut around the ‘dimple line’ with a sharp knife, then twist into two halves and slice (remove ‘fuzz’ with cold water). To remove tough skin, boil peaches for 15 seconds, then plunge into cold water.
Store fresh peaches in a silicone airtight container, away from other fruits in the fridge. To freeze peaches, wash and peel and remove pits, then pour water over and store in a freezer-safe container, up to a few months.
How to Buy a Blender
You don’t need to spend £200 on an expensive blender. But if you do like making homemade drinks, go for a good one (say Russell Hobbs brand at around £50) with a glass jug. This way you won’t burn out the motor and have to replace it.
Know that when you buy new electrical appliances in the UK, it’s the law that the store you buy from has to take back your old one. So if you have a cheap plastic jug blender with frayed wires in the cupboard, take it with you to the kitchen shop, supermarket or Argos and they will recycle it on for you.
