Your Crush Kit, set up in ten minutes.
Everything you need arrived in one drop. Build the bar in the order below, squeeze as you go, and pour. No bartender, no equipment to figure out, and only the juicer, mat and board to rinse before we collect it.
About ten minutes from box to first drink
What is in your kit
- Hamilton Beach Commercial manual citrus juicer
- Rectangle bar mat
- Butcher's block
- Fresh oranges, counted to your drink total
- Waterman's Perfect Crush, bought by you from the distillery, collected and delivered by us
- Sprite™ or soda water
- Pebble ice
- Cups
- Napkins and straws
You supply
- A knife. Ours do not travel, so bring a sharp one you trust.
- A cutting surface other than the butcher's block, if you want a second station.
- A trash can and a bin liner.
Build it in this order
- 1 Rectangle bar mat, flat on the table.It catches the juice and the drips, and it stops everything above it sliding while you work.
- 2 Butcher's block on the mat.Center it. This is your cutting surface and the juicer's footing, so it wants to sit dead flat with nothing under one corner.
- 3 Juicer on the block.Set it toward the back so the handle has a clear arc, and press down until the grip feet bite. Give the handle one dry pull before you load fruit.
Lay the bar out left to right
Set it up in the order a drink gets made. A guest starts at one end and leaves at the other, so nobody reaches across anybody.
- 1 Fruit and your knifeOranges and the block. Halve them hamburger style as you go, one orange per drink.
- 2 The juicerOn the block, on the mat. Leave the handle a clear arc and set it back from the edge.
- 3 CupsStacked and ready. This is where a guest starts, so keep it reachable.
- 4 Crush and mixersWaterman's Perfect Crush that you order from the distillery and we bring, plus Sprite™ or soda water.
- 5 IcePebble ice in the tub with a scoop. Ice goes in the cup first.
- 6 Napkins and strawsLast stop, so a guest picks these up with a full drink in hand.
Five steps, in this order.
Ice, orange juice, spirits, soda, then flip it. Do it in that order and it tastes like ours.
Swipe sideways on a phone.
One crush, by the numbers
- Oranges
- 1 per drink
- Perfect Crush
- 3 oz
- Sprite™ or soda water
- A splash, about 2 oz
- Ice
- Pebble, to the top
Scale straight up. Ten drinks means ten oranges.
- Ice first, always.A crush is named after the ice. Build it on top of pebble ice or you have made a juice drink instead.
- The flip is the mix.Pour the full cup into a second cup. That is how ours are mixed. No spoon, no shaker, nothing to wash.
- Sprite or soda water.That choice is the sweetness dial, not the amount you pour. Sprite makes it sweeter, soda water makes it drier. Ask which they want.
The juicer, and how to get the most out of it.
A Hamilton Beach Commercial manual press, the same one that has been made since 1932. No electricity, no learning curve, and two parts that lift out for cleaning.
The parts, by name
-
1
Paddle lever
The long handle. Pull it down in one smooth motion.
-
2
Pressing dome
Comes down on the fruit and does the squeezing.
-
3
Strainer cone
Stainless. The half sits cut-side down on this.Lifts out for washing
-
4
Funnel
Sits under the cone. Juice runs through it to the spout.Lifts out for washing
-
5
Bowl and spout
Juice collects here and runs out the spout. We take the drip cup off its swing arm and stand a back-up cup underneath instead.
-
6
Weighted base
Holds the whole thing steady while you pull.
Two parts come out for washing: the stainless strainer cone and the funnel underneath it.
Working the juicer
- Halve the orange hamburger style, not hot dog style.Cut across the equator, not end to end. That opens every segment to the cone, which is where the juice actually comes from.
- Use a back-up cup, not the drip cup.We leave the drip cup off. On its swing arm it can snap back mid-pour and knock your cup over. Stand a spare cup under the spout instead.
- Cut side down onto the cone.Center the half on the cone. Sitting it off-center is what makes a half squirt out sideways.
- Pull the arm down in one smooth motion.Steady pressure beats force. Let the arm do the work and stop when it stops.
- Lift, discard, repeat.Drop the spent half straight in the bin. Pulp left on the cone slows the next one down.
Tips and tricks
- Room-temperature fruit gives more.Oranges straight out of a cold cooler are tight. Ten minutes on the counter is worth real juice.
- Roll it first.Press and roll the orange on the block before you cut it. It breaks the segments up and the yield jumps.
- Juice a batch ahead.Squeeze a pitcher's worth before guests arrive, then top it up between rounds. Nobody wants to watch you work.
- One orange, one drink.That is the ratio. Count your oranges and you know how many crushes you have.
- Rinse the cone between batches.Thirty seconds under the tap. Pulp builds up and steals juice from the next pull.
Staying safe
- The arm presses with about 2000 lbs of force.Keep fingers clear of the cone and the bell while you pull, and never reach in to reposition a half mid-pull.
- The knife is the real hazard.Cut on the butcher's block, never in your hand, and put the knife down away from the edge every single time.
- Keep the mat dry underfoot.Juice on a floor is slick. Wipe spills as they happen rather than at the end.
- Set it back from the edge.Give the arm a clear arc and keep the juicer far enough back that a pull cannot walk it off the table.
- Nothing here plugs in.The juicer is fully manual, so there are no cords to run and no water near electricity.
Sending it back clean
- Lift out the strainer cone and the funnel.Both come out by hand. They are the two parts that actually get dirty.
- Rinse and wash them.Warm water and dish soap. Citrus pulp comes off easily if you do it the same night.
- Wipe the body and the arm.A damp cloth is enough. The finish is acid resistant, so juice will not hurt it, but dried pulp is unpleasant.
- Rinse the back-up cup.Whatever caught the juice, plus the pitcher if you batched ahead.
- Scrub the butcher's block and hose the mat.Block gets soap and a rinse, mat gets hosed and stood on edge to drain.
Equipment comes back to us clean. We collect it the next business day, and any leftover supplies are yours to keep.
The things people ask us.
How much notice do you need for a Crush Kit?
24 hours. If you are cutting it finer than that, call us at 757-995-5855 and we will tell you honestly whether we can make it work.
Do we have to wash the equipment before you collect it?
Yes. The juicer, the butcher's block and the bar mat come back clean. The strainer cone and funnel lift out by hand and wash in the sink, and the body only needs a wipe.
When do you pick the equipment up?
The next business day. You do not need to be there for it, and any supplies you did not use are yours to keep.
Is a knife included?
No. Knives do not travel with our kits, so bring a sharp one you trust. Everything else you need to cut and juice, including the butcher's block, is in the kit.
Do you supply the spirits?
No, and this is the one part of the process worth reading twice. You buy the Perfect Crush yourself, direct from the distillery, using a link we send you. Forward us the confirmation and we collect it and bring it with your kit, so it arrives together and you never make a second trip.
We tell you exactly how many bottles to order for your headcount. One liter makes about 11 crushes. If you want other spirits at the bar, you buy those the same way and we will tell you how much to get.
Can we get a kit for the day before the wedding?
That is one of the most common ways people use them, for the rehearsal or a welcome party. Ask for it in your estimate and say which day you want it.
What if we run out of oranges?
One orange makes one crush, so count on that. We pack to your drink total, and if you think the party is going longer than planned, tell us up front and we will send more.
Tell us about your event.
Tell us the day and the headcount and we will size the kit for you.
24 hours' notice for a Crush Kit. Serving Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads.