The Official Preppy Cocktail?

It's as good as it is pretty!

Light and refreshing... a perfect drink to be enjoyed out on your porch, deck or balcony on a warm summery day. Prepare a large batch ahead of time and bring some with you to Polo, the beach or to a neighborhood block party!

1 shot of vodka, I used Absolut
1 shot of limoncello (I used the medicine cup and filled it to the brim, so roughly 3 tbs)
1 strawberry cut into pieces and placed in glass
2 basil leaves, chiffonaded and placed in glass with strawberry

A couple of basil leaves for garnish
1/2 cup of pink lemonade
1/2 cup of seltzer

If you have the time you can marinate the strawberries and chiffonaded basil leaves in the pink lemonade for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and garnish with the basil leaves.

This drink needed some green and I do not like the flavor combination of strawberry and mint. Basil actually has a sweet, herby flavor and it lends itself beautifully to this drink.

Cheers!

Sparkling Lemonade Sangria

I love sangria. I love it more when it is made with bubbly! It's festive, fresh and not at all overly fancy.

I was at my friend Cathy's this weekend for a mini college reunion. My friend Karlan really wanted to go but was unable to attend and asked if I would make a toast on her behalf. She suggested Prosecco. (Prosecco, for those of you who are not familiar, is an Italian sparkling wine much like champagne. Unlike a good quality Champagne a good Prosecco will not break the bank. And sure beats a bottle of Korbel! Prosecco is also wonderful on its own!)

Karlan suggested we make Mimosas if we didn't want straight bubbly. I took it one step further!

I added some lemonade, Limoncello and fresh strawberries and what resulted was a treat that delighted all the senses...

Ingredients:

1/2 container of high quality lemonade
1 container of strawberries, washed and quartered
1/4 cup of Limoncello (an Italian liqueur)

1 bottle of good quality Prosecco

Directions:

In a large pitcher add the strawberries to the Limoncello and lemonade. Let sit and hour, up to three hours, but we do not want to get the strawberries too mushy. Just prior to serving add the bottle of Prosecco. Because I winged this recipe you may want to alter the flavors slightly. You may want a bit more Limoncello or a bit more lemonade.

Karlan, this one's for you... Cheers!