Receta A Luna Cocktail and Mocktail for This Beautiful Fantastic

by Eliot

A Luna Cocktail and Mocktail for This Beautiful Fantastic By Eliot, on June 25th, 2019 I would like to start out by saying “WELCOME BACK, HEATHER!!!!!” Heather (All Roads Lead to the Kitchen) is the founder of Food ‘n Flix, one of my favorite blogger groups.    We’ve missed Heather recently and glad that she’s back and hosting This Beautiful Fantastic. I love this genre of movie—the quirky, border-line fantasy, character drama. The characters I could relate to, even in their eccentricities and oddness.  I knew I would love this film. The main character, Bella, is described as  “The oddest of oddballs.”    It’s “just her and her books” and a lonely existence.   I loved her librarian chic wardrobe. Billy is Bella’s love interest.  He’s a bit quirky in his own right, working on his animatronics.   He’s a reader, too, always hanging out in the library.  (I kind of like his wardrobe, as well.) Her curmudgeon of a neighbor, Alfie, becomes her lifeline. Vernon is Alfie’s cook whom Bella steals. That about rounds out the cast of quirky characters. Because of Vernon, there’s some good food in the film.   Other food references are of the solo-dining variety as Bella eats for sustenance only, as Billy sneaks snacks in the library, and as Alfie tries to subsist without a cook.  Here’s a list of what I caught as I viewed the film: Bangers, mash and peas and carrots Waffles, cheese, peas, beans Tea from a thermos, hard boiled egg with salt tea and chocolate biscuits Vernon makes eggs benedict, and spinach on toast (??) Cabinet full of canned fruit cocktail, peas, rice pudding, et al. Baked fish, peas, asparagus, potatoes, lemon wedge Fresh apricots, baked beans on toast (something totally unappetizing looking as Alfie yells, “Give me back my cook!”) Salad and quiche Cheese sandwich Cookery section:  Dinner for One Chocolate cake with raspberries Party rings Toast and no black pudding Sandwich on an onion bun (Billy getting busted in the library.) Pink wafers pain au chocolat strawberries in the garden champagne and red wine and lemonade in the garden Cocktail on the left. Mocktail on the right. My original plan was to research a solid British recipe.  Instead, I was inspired by one of the last scenes of the film, the soiree in Bella’s now lovely garden.  I also wanted to give a nod to Billy’s creation and Bella’s book. Luna Cocktails By Debra Perfect for an early summer evening in one’s garden. Ingredients 2 oz. sparkling white wine, chilled 1/2 oz. raspberry liqueur 1 oz. good lemonade 3-4 frozen berries* Instructions Wash and dry berries and pop in the freezer until firm. Chill a champagne class (flute or saucer). Remove glass from freezer, pour in champagne. Add lemonade and top off with the raspberry liqueur. Drop in a few frozen berries. Serve. *I had just put up 18 quarts of blackberries so we used our own freshly picked and frozen berries.  Obviously, raspberries would be a good choice here, too. Now for something for the kids (in the spirit of Bella’s book). Luna Mocktails By Debra Perfect for a kid friendly garden party. Ingredients 2 oz. sparkling water, chilled (I used a raspberry Bubly.) 1/2 oz. raspberry syrup (like Torani)* 1 oz. good lemonade, chilled 3-4 frozen berries Instructions Wash and dry berries and pop in the freezer until firm. Chill a champagne class (flute or saucer). Remove glass from freezer, pour in sparkling water. Add lemonade and top off with the raspberry syrup. Drop in a few frozen berries. Serve. *I used some homemade blackberry framboise syrup.  More about that soon. Honestly, the color on the mocktail was prettier and I actually enjoyed it more.  :)Truly thanks for hosting, Heather.   I know that I’ve given you the barest of synopsis, but I encourage you to find this film.   The colors were fantasy-fabulous, the characters were lovable, and this fairy tale of a film is now on my “most-favorite” list. Join Food ‘n Flix for July.  Culinary Adventures with Camilla is hosting The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.   (The title sounds extremely quirky, too.)  Look for her announcement post on her blog soon. Clubs and Blog Hops, Recipes   beverage, beverages, Champagne, cocktail, cocktails, Food n' Flix, lemonade, raspberry