Among the fresh juices that we offer at Bubby’s are orange, blood orange, grapefruit, pomegranate, pineapple, cranberry, and apple cider. Some of our mixed drinks call for cranberry juice, and in these we use only our own Fresh Cranberry Juice (page 240), sweetened with a light hand.

　　

Ingredients

　　

Squeezing Fresh Juices

Step 1

Squeezing fresh juice may seem like an unnecessary step, but once you try a freshly squeezed juice, such as cranberry juice, you will never consider using anything else. It requires a vegetable juicer, which extracts juice from solid fruits and vegetables such as apples and carrots. A high-end juicer is expensive (around $250), but it is well worth the price if you use it. Squeezing fresh juice takes some time, but it is always an effort that is appreciated. Follow the instructions on your individual juicer.

　　

Squeezing Pomegranates and Grapes for Juice

Step 2

Not all fruits go into a juicer, and one that does not is pomegranates. To squeeze these, use a citrus press. (It can be a little messy when the seeds burst, so wear an apron!) Another way to squeeze them that is not so splattery is to remove all the fruit into a big bowl and mash them with your hands, then run this through a sieve. From four or five pomegranates, you will get two or three cups of juice, depending on how fresh and juicy the fruit is.

　　

Step 3

Another excellent fruit to squeeze in much the same way as you do pomegranates is Concord grapes. Try squeezing them in the fall, when they are in season.

　　

Juice Duos

Step 4

There are infinite ways to showcase fresh fruit juice in drinks. And while a freshly squeezed fruit juice is so naturally good that it’s hard to improve on, combining two different juices gives the drink even more appeal. At Bubby’s, we’re known for our “virginal juice cocktails,” which are actually juice duos. Somehow, the flavor combination of two juices is even better than a solo juice.

　　

Step 5

Here are some of the combinations that we like:

　　

Step 6

Grapefruit and orange: 1 part grapefruit juice and 1 part orange juice

　　

Step 7

Grapefruit and pomegranate: 2 parts grapefruit juice and 1/2 part pomegranate juice

　　

Step 8

Orange and cranberry: 1 part orange juice and 1/4 part cranberry juice

　　

Step 9

Apple cider and cranberry: 1 part fresh apple cider and 1/4 part cranberry juice

　　

Fruit Presses

Step 10

Another way to showcase fruit is with presses. At Bubby’s, presses are something we make and serve instead of commercial soda pop. They require only fresh fruit, a splash of simple syrup, ice, and seltzer water. The best thing, besides their inherent deliciousness, is that you can make them as sweet or tart as you like.

　　

Step 11

To make presses, you will need to know how to make Simple Syrup (page 281), a very basic recipe that keeps for one month in the refrigerator.

　　

Step 12

These are two of our most popular presses.

　　

Step 13

Lemon press: Slice 1 lemon in 1/8-inch rounds, keeping them together as you slice. Place the cut lemon into a 20-ounce glass, add 1 or 2 ounces simple syrup, and smash down with a muddler, which is a wooden pestle used by bartenders. If you don’t happen to have a muddler, just use a small longhandled spoon. Fill the glass with ice, then fill it to the top with seltzer and stir.

　　

Step 14

Lemon-lime press: Slice 1/2 lemon and 1 lime in 1/8-inch rounds, keeping them together as you slice. Place the cut fruit into a 20-ounce glass with 1 or 2 ounces simple syrup and smash down with a muddler. Fill the glass with ice, then fill it to the top with seltzer and stir.

　　

Notes

Step 15

Here are some other ideas for presses. They use about the same ratios as above, though you could use a little less sugar in these.

　　

Step 16

Orange press

　　

Step 17

Blood orange press

　　

Step 18

Cranberry and lime press

　　

Step 19

Meyer lemon press

　　

Step 20

Pomegranate and Meyer lemon press

　　

Step 21

Pineapple and lime press

　　

Step 22

Concord grape and lemon press

　　Bubby’s Brunch Cookbook by Ron Silver and Rosemary Black. Copyright © 2009 by Ron Silver and Rosemary Black. Published by Ballantine Books. All Rights Reserved.