A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of co-hosting a weekend brunch with Minute Maid Lights. It was fah-bu-lous, dah-ling! You know what they say… ladies who brunch enjoy the punch… or in this case, the hand-crafted Minute Maid Lights Mimosas personalized with flair and flourish.
(FYI – I totally just made up that saying, just because I have a strange need to make words rhyme. I’m a poet and I want everyone to know it! Okay, moving on….)
Introducing Minute Maid Light Light Orange Juice Beverage. It’s made with the goodness of Minute Maid but with 50% fewer calories than their regular orange juice – yet still provides an excellent source of Vitamin C.
Minute Maid Light Lemonade is made with real lemons, is an excellent source of Vitamin C and has 65% fewer calories than their regular lemonade. It’s the goodness of Minute Maid, now in a delicious Light version.
What can you do with Minute Maid Light Lemonade? Well, you *could* enjoy it straight from the carton, as it happens to be super tangy and refreshing, but I’d rather see you whip up some Lemon Ginger Punch. (Recipe to come, folks! Plus a sweet little giveaway.) Pictured above is the “adult version” with added Pimm’s – yum!
Back to our brunch. The “Cocktails and Creations” event included a very special cocktail demo with sassy food expert Nadine Hughes, who happens to be my favourite mixologist too. You can just see her lovely face peeking out from behind the flowers.
(Side note: this would be a great time to give a shout out to the brand team at Minute Maid, who literally made Pinterest come to life with their inspiring decor. You’ll see what I mean in the photos to come! And you’ll want to steal some of their ideas for your next brunch, too – like these citrus place card holders.)
Just before our guests arrived, I had a chance to marvel at the stunning DIY Mimosa Bar, starring Minute Maid Lights. From berries to basil, sparkling water to sparkling wine, it was sure to be a hit. With the bustling lights and sounds of Toronto’s Dundas Street in the background, our little brunch space was an urban oasis.
Once we were settled, it was time to begin the cocktail demos. In a very intimate setting, Nadine took us through the steps, creating a Toasted Coconut Orange Macarooni, Blueberry Lemon Popsicles and of course, the famed Lemon Ginger Punch.
I suppose if there was one takeaway from the cocktail demonstration, it would be that creating gorgeous-looking, delicious-tasting and über-creative mixed drinks is actually very simple. Truly, it’s easier than you think! All you need is a little imagination, a knowledge of complementary flavours, and in our case, an expert like Nadine Hughes to show you the way! Now wouldn’t you be the talk of the town if you served an Orange Macarooni at your party?
After the cocktails demos, our guests were free to create their very own Minute Maid Lights Mimosa. And after one glance at the DIY station, you’ll agree that the options were virtually limitless. Strawberry and basil lemonade? How about a raspberry and mint mimosa? Or my favourite combination – a mixed fruit lemonade with rosemary and sparkling water. Crazy, right? But so good!
Our guests – local influencers from the food, fashion and lifestyle scene – took turns preparing their signature beverage, which would complement the upcoming sit-down brunch at L’Ouvrier Restaurant. Everyone got into the spirit, and if you followed the #MinuteMaidLights hashtag on Instagram or Twitter, you’d find quite the assortment of inspired mixed drinks!
It was time to sit down to a light, scrumptious brunch with friends. What a wonderful way to celebrate the first day of summer! Good food, good friends and great cocktails, thanks to Minute Maid Lights.
A very special thank you to Minute Maid for collaborating with me on this event, to Nadine Hughes who served up delicious summer concoctions, and of course, to all the guests who made the event a success! Stay tuned – I’ll be back to share the recipe for Lemon Ginger Punch, and serve up a juicy summer giveaway!
What a great setup! I look forward to the recipe for the punch!
It’s so good Victoria, you’ll love it!
Looks like fun! I love adding Minute Maid Orange juice to cranberry juice.
Mmmm – I like that combination too!
Wow! I really love the idea of using the punches as a base for drinks.. Dont ask me WHY I havent thought of it, but I love the great ideas (and presentation!) in your post
Hahaha I think there are a lot of us guilty of not thinking the same thing! Which is strange because it’s SUCH a good base!
looked like a lot of fun. did you try the Blueberry Lemon Popsicle sounds so good.
Yes I did – and it was divine! I may just have to share the recipe for that as well :)
sweet! sound delish
Wow! Looks like a fabulous time! I can’t wait to try that punch, and omg the Blueberry Lemon Popscicles!
I know!! It was made with Greek yogurt, lemonade and blueberries cooked with sugar to make a syrupy concoction :)
yum! that mimosa looks delish!
All of the drinks were so good!
The set up is so beautiful! I love the fresh herbs! I would enjoy cocktails made with these products as I enjoy sweeter drinks!
That’s awesome Anne, you’re my kind of gal!
Looks like you enjoyed the event!
We did! It was a great brunch :)
i like that this comes in Light varieties
Me too – perfect for summer!
AHHH, love this! they’re so much more creative with minute maid than I am, lol
Agreed! Though I’m happy to have a little inspiration now!
It was such a great way to kick off my weekend – thank you again for having me! And I was SHOCKED at how easy it was to create pretty looking drinks. I was totally the “just serve it from the carton” type of girl but this brunch and Nadine totally inspired me :)
So happy to hear that Elaine! That was exactly our intent :) And yes, Nadine is amazing!
That mimosa bar looks SO interesting – and you all look like you had fun making them !
I would definitely have to use the regular Minute Maid though.
I checked the light ingredients on their website, and alas – as I had suspected – they contain Aspartame (I am allergic to aspartame and a plethora of other artificial sweeteners).
Would also love it if you shared the recipe for the Blueberry Lemon Popsicles as well :)
I know that Light beverages are always a personal choice, and I love the original just just as much! And will totally have to share the popsicle recipe now :)
looks like great fun
It was a blast!
Looks like quite the event. I love the Minute Maid Light Lemonade and have already enjoyed several cartons of it this summer!
That’s awesome to hear! It’s my fave :)
Looks like a great time! Yum, mimosas!
Indeed! They were so delish!
Looks like a wonderful brunch. Cheers!
Thanks Melinda, cheers!
Looks like a great and yummy day out!
We had such a blast!
Looove the toasted coconut rim still, that ones my fav!
And it was sooo good, Renee :) I have to re-create that!
love the lemon name holders
It was such an ingenious design idea! Totally agree!
Ok, the Orange Macarooni looks way too good. I want some!
It is SO easy to make too! I need to get more creative in the kitchen!
It looks like it was a whole lot of fun.
It was a great time, Donnas, thank you!
This looks like a lot of fun. My son recently tried the Minute Maid lemonade and loved it!
I think they make the best lemonade, and I love the Minute Maid Lights version too!
i love the photo with the slices of lemon, orange and lime! so colourful :-)
YES! Makes me want to reach through the computer screen!
Such a beautiful setup and I like the pictures!
Thank you Helene!
love those giant drink dispensers with the faucet
Hahaha yup, I need to get me one of those :)
I read this post on my phone but waited to comment until I was on my laptop – loved the event – was just showing hubby your post so he could see how amazing it was…and you’re right – it was so pinterest-worthy – especially the mimosa bar :-)
I’ve already made the lemonade cocktails at home – and I can’t wait to make the blueberry popsicles – they were so yummy and I know my kids would love them.
Thanks so much for inviting me – and I’m so glad I got to sit next to you and catch up – can’t wait for our next meet-up!
Thank you so much for joining us! I admit I’ve made the Ginger Lemonade at least three times since the brunch – it’s my favourite by far! It was a great afternoon :)
wow looks like so much fun , i didn’t realize minute maid came in light that’s awesome :)
It does! And it’s very awesome!
Did you say Mimosa? Any way you have lemonade it’s a winner..My daughter loves Lemonade So does the husband for that matter!!
A family of lemonade lovers… love it!
Looks fun… and the drinks look yummy!
The drinks were scrumptious Keri!
What a fun event! I love any drink featuring lemonade!
Me too! I think it’s my fave summer drink!
went to walmart yesterday didnt see any of the light juices there.
Oh poops :( Do you have a Loblaws near you? I used to see them at Walmart, but they’ve been sold out recently for me too… found them at Loblaws though!
I wish I had your creativity.
Oh, I can’t take the credit! The Minute Maid brand team is behind the decorations!
hope you post this recipe soon my mouth waters thinking about it. Blueberry Lemon Popsicles
Oh!! I will definitely do that for you Chandra! Thanks for the reminder!
awesome pictures! would love the recipe for the punch!
Click on over to my giveaway post! It’s there!
Everything looks amazing! And I love your hair Lena, you’re so gorgeous!
Aw, *blushing* – thank you Jenny!
This all looks delicious and it looks like you had a fun day