Chris Evans: The Collection (Imagines and Short Stories)

A Wedding Makes Three 3

Reception and Time Past Midnight Meal

Following the ceremony, guests congregate in the AirBandB lobby and on the deck where the bride, groom, and bridal party had descended the stairs to reach the aisle. Guests-- famous to ordinary folks-- mingle cheerfully with food and drink in hand-- cultivating new acquaintances or rediscovering old ones. Either way, there's no sour face to spare. While that is going on, Felix oversees part of his staff putting the reception hall together (tagged the Glass Castle as it was a failed greenhouse, but it was too large for growing produce on the property and too expensive to do away with,so it served as a beautiful gathering place for weddings or celebrations). Alma on the other hand runs the cocktail hour, mainly serving Parisian style appetizers like cheese puffs, bruschetta, smoked salmon canapes, and for the brave foodie, escargot. There are sweet options including an array of freshly-baked pastries and tarts. They have overwhelmingly tantalizing aromas that lure hungry wedding-goers to ditch their diets. There are also charcuterie boards galore with imported and local meats, cheeses, and fruits. The spreads range from prosciutto and cheddar, gruyere and salami, and the far more adventurous with ethically-sourced foie gras and blue cheese. For drinks, individuals have the choice of selected wines (white, red, rose, and sparkling), beers, and three specialty cocktails (Santamaria Sangria, The Boston (America's Ass), and the Christodanarita) and one mocktail (The Captain) centered around the bride and groom.

The sangria is a gorgeous purple shade with floating lemons, limes, apples, and oranges at the top. It's made of the usual red wine and cognac, but with a dash of Swedish lingonberry liqueur for added fruitiness and fuschia coloriation. Of all the cocktails, it's the favorite. The Boston (America's Ass) is a simple Ward 8 cocktail made with whiskey from B-town but is topped with speared round cherries which are meant to represent America's favorite coveted ass. The last cocktail, the Christodanarita, is symbolic of both Dana and Chris by a shared love of margaritas and a funny story from a rendezvous in Mexico. After winning Dancing with the Stars, the couple wanted to lay low for a bit and Dana wished for her daughter and Chris to get closer with one another. They decided on a relaxing vacation in Puerto Vallarta. One afternoon, two days in, Luna and Chris got into a verbal fight during breakfast on the beach. It left him more discouraged than angry. Dana told him that Luna would come around at some point. After a tense exchange between mother and daughter, to let her blow off steam, Dana allowed Luna to go on a snorkeling trip. There was a boy she met in the pool who was vacationing with his parents and they took a liking to one another, so he invited her to go out boating on the ocean.

While Luna was snorkeling and making memories that would last forever, Dana and Chris decided to see what activities the hotel was offering for their entertainment. They weren't in the mood to leave their hotel paradise. Their eyes caught sight of margarita-making. Dana was skeptical as she had been perfecting her margarita cultivation skills since childhood, but it seemed like a fun thing to do with her man. Plus they loved a free drink. While Chris stuck to the basics of the instructor, Dana went on her own fruition, mixing chile powder, lime, tequila, agave, and a hint of tamarind. The creation was sweet, tangy, and came with an unexpected kick as she added lots of pepper. They decided to bring it back for their wedding, but with four tweaks: 1. It could be served either iced (with chile liquor) or blended (with dried fresh red chile powder) according to people's taste (although Dana preferred iced), 2. The glass would be trimmed with Tajin seasoning, 3. It was made without tamarind as it may have been too strong for unrefined palettes, and 4. a candied chilli mango would be stuck on the side as homage to while they were Mexico to when Luna got Chris hooked on the chili mango candies-- when there was surrender and fighting ceased. This version had spice and kick like Dana from the pepper, but was sweet from the agave and strong as it went heavy on the tequila like Chris. It's a unique but welcome additional alcoholic liquid libation on the menu.