Gin & Croquet

A few weeks ago, there was an article in the New York TImes’ Dining and Wine section which talked about gin & tonics, and what the twist on them was for the summer. All of the recipes sounded so delicious, that we decided to have a little get-together to test some of the recipes. We thought, what would go better with gin & tonic than croquet?

We picked up a few different brands of gin, including Hendricks in its distinctive black glass bottle, and a new brand, The Botanist, from Islay, Scotland, generally home to single-malt scotches. We prepared garnishes including lemons, limes, grapefruit, mint, cucumbers, and raspberries.

We made some customary foods found at English garden parties, including cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches, all sans crust, jam tarts, and strawberries and cream. A friend brought Gin & Tonic Cupcakes, which were excellent!

We asked everyone to wear white, which they did.

Some of us even wore hats!

The croquet game turned rather competitive after about the first two wickets, with much “roqueting” of balls (sending hit balls afar).

 

Everyone’s technique varied, from Karen, who preferred not to put down her drink,

to David I (there were three Davids at the party), who used the classic between the legs technique,

to Lance, who used the classic double-handed golf swing.

Some friends adopted elegant croquet poses, like David II, and others, like Martin, just struck a classic pose.Marina got sent off into the rough and had to chip her way out, while David III, (and his HOT PINK shoes) rolled one right through the wicket.After a few days of storms, due to Tropical Storm Andrea, the weather cleared right in time, and we were rewarded with a clear, cool and sunny afternoon for a party. A fine time was had by all!