Coconut Nectarine White Wine Spritzers

Summer's not over yet! Sherrie & Renee are hosting a bubbly, sparkly, boozy, fresh, fruity virtual cocktail party, #drinkthesummer! Scroll to the bottom for a complete list of fun summery drinks by other awesome food bloggers! Get your summer drank on!

One of my favorite summers was when I was probably 12. My ma�s always been a big Stephen King fan, and that summer, the Green Mile books came out (remember, it was first released as a six-part series). It was too hot to be outside, and to avoid the boredom of being trapped inside all day, my mom, Amanda, and I read the books out loud together. Amanda and me laying in front of a box fan, icy glasses of sun tea at the ready, misting ourselves with a spray bottle (no AC? No problem!), while my mom�s voice transported us to the 1930s, to the deep South. I remember those days so clearly� the three of us together, the dry heat, the mystery of John Coffey.  
Later that summer, the spell was broken when my ma got to a particularly tense part in the book, and stumbled over some dialogue� cautiously spelling out �F-U-C-K, Percy said!� Amanda and I laughed hysterically and our little book club lost its steam. After that summer, Amanda and I started spending summer days out and about with friends, and my mom (who had been a stay-at-home mom most of my childhood) got a full time job. We kind of grew up and moved on. But I loved those lazy days, reading those books together.
For me, those Green Mile days are just as vivid as the lush garden and fresh tomatoes, towels on the clothesline, sherbert for dinner, the trail of dust when my dad pulled in the driveway every evening after work. Quintessential summer memories. 
Another quintessential part of my childhood summers? Wine coolers. Not for me, for my mom. She loved her wine coolers, and often made her own with grapefruit soda and wine. I stayed away from wine coolers for a long time�they get a bad rap, ya know? You know what doesn�t get a bad rap? White wine spritzers. They�re sophisticated and classy. You guys! It�s a wine cooler in disguise! These sweet, fruity sparklers are also wine coolers in disguise.

For the 4th of July, Amanda made a big pitcher of white sangria with sweet, fresh summer stone fruits, and we added a splash of my favorite coconut La Croix, and amazing things happened. These are basically that, but rather than going the full pitcher route, we�re keeping it simple and accessible. Like 3 ingredient, as easy as possible simple. It is Wednesday, after all. 

Coconut Nectarine White Wine Spritzers
Nectarine slices
Ice
White wine (a basic white blend/table white*)
Coconut LaCroix (or other coconut soda water)

Smash 2 nectarine slices in the bottom of each glass, and fill with ice. Fill glass a little over half way with white wine, and the rest of the way with coconut flavored soda water.

*I used Maryhill Winemaker's White, which we had at our wedding! Maryhill is near my hometown!

Wait, there's more! Here's the full list of amazing summer drinky dranks by other awesome food bloggers!

#DRINKTHESUMMER:

With Food + Love | Fresh Heirloom Bloody Marys with Old Bay and Spicy Pickles

Will Frolic for Food | The Sugar Hollow: Watermelon Gin Cocktail with Cardamom and Lime

Kale & Caramel | Sweet Coconut, Hibiscus & Lime Slushie

Hummingbird High | Thyme Lemonade

Brooklyn Supper | Bloody Maria Cocktails

Cake Over Steak | Blackberry Bourbon Cocktail

Dunk & Crumble | Ginger Peach Whiskey Smash

Tasty Yummies | When Figs Fly: Spiced Rum Fig Kombucha Cocktail

Feed Me Phoebe | Pimm�s Cup Cocktail with Fresh Ginger, Lime and Tarragon

Earthy Feast | Strawberry, Basil and Pink Peppercorn Negroni

Ginger & Toasted Sesame | Blackberry Peach Margarita with Spicy Salt

O&O Eats | The Long Hope: a Honeydew Cucumber Gin Cocktail

my name is yeh | Nutella Egg Cream

Faring Well | Sparkling Melon Coolers with Muddled Raspberries and Mint

Beard and Bonnet | Pineapple and Cilantro Moscow Mule

The Pancake Princess | Strawberry Balsamic Shrubs

Edible Perspective | Ros� Slushies

Vegetarian �Ventures | Sparkling Peppered Plum Blush

The Broken Bread | Blackberry, Cucumber and Mint Gin Spritzer

Tending the Table | Plum Spritzer with Ginger and Kafir Lime

Appeasing a Food Geek | Sugar Plum Margarita

She Eats | Fizzy Lime and Blackberry Shrub

holly & flora | Pimm�s Cup with Blackberry and Lemon Zest Shrub

Vigor and Sage | Peachy Tomato Basil Gin and Tonic

The Pig & Quill | Raspberry Basil Gingerade Fizz

Hungry Girl por Vida | Peanut Butter and Berry Smoothie

A Brown Table | Fig and Bourbon Summer Smash

The Clever Carrot | 5 Minute White Peach Margaritas
Cookie and Kate | Watermelon White Sangria

Fix, Feast, Flair | Berry Peachy Kentucky Mules

le jus d�orange | Peach Yogurt Soju and Ginger Plum Kombucha Cocktail

Chocolate + Marrow | Raspberry Thyme Smash

The Bojon Gourmet | Basil Pluot Pimm�s Cup

Snixy Kitchen | Sparkling Asian Pear and Mint Iced Tea

what�s cooking good looking | Watermelon Basil Colada

Salt & Wind | Watermelon Aperol Spritzes

Strawberry Balsamic Vanilla Sodas

I�m going to keep this pretty short and sweet.
Today is/would have been my dad�s 63rd birthday. We�re having a little family birthday-Easter celebration. I'm making a twist on his favorite spring dessert (a tart with mascarpone and fresh strawberries), we're going to play several rounds of ruthless, competitive, cross-country croquet, eat a lot of Amanda�s amazing pulled ham, and of course, we're going to hunt some Easter eggs (with which we'll make classic deviled eggs, maybe this deconstructed egg salad, and probably this sriracha-sesame egg salad).

We�ll also sip on something fizzy, like these springy strawberry-balsamic-vanilla sodas! They�re sweet, but also a little tart, with tons of warm vanilla flavor. Super for a spring brunch or Easter lunch.

hbd, jfk. <3



Strawberry Balsamic Vanilla Sodas
Makes about 6 sodas

You can use regular vanilla extract, but I like the vanilla paste, because it adds little flecks of vanilla bean!

A little more than 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 Cup honey
1 Teaspoon vanilla paste (or regular vanilla extract)
1 Pinch sea salt
1 Pinch fresh ground black pepper
Ice & soda water to serve

To a saucepan, add all ingredients except ice and soda water. Stir together, and heat over medium-low heat until honey is dissolved and the berries start to break down, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, the blend until smooth. You can strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth if you desire, but I like the berry seeds.

To serve, add about 1.5 tablespoons of syrup to a glass, fill with ice, then fill with soda water. Stir, and add more syrup as desired.

Cranberry Gin Fizz

Are you guys all ready to have a holly, jolly, merry, bright, drinky, fizzy holiday? I am! Pick me!

Christmas break has begun and it's officially time for some holiday spirit. Holiday spirits, rather.

This cocktail combines three of my favorite things: gin, bubbles, and cranberry. Plus a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. 

A few of these fizzy cranberry and gin drinks and you'll be super jolly. 

Cranberry Gin Fizz

For each drink:

1 ounce (shot) good quality gin (I like Hendricks)

Juice from a quarter or half a lemon

2 ounces cranberry simple syrup (recipe below)

Champagne or prosecco 

Frozen cranberries (on a pick, or otherwise)

Add gin, lemon juice, and cranberry syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake until cool. Strain into glass, then top off with bubbles. Add more lemon or syrup, to taste. Add frozen cranberries to keep cool. 

Note: this a strong boozy drink. To make a little less strong, you can use soda water instead of prosecco, or leave out the gin, and just do prosecco, cranberry syrup, and lemon.

Cranberry Simple Syrup

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, and cool before using. 

Makes about a cup and a half.