Lemon Sparkler Food

HOMEMADE SPARKLING LEMONADE

Steps:

• In the serving glass glass, stir the simple syrup and lemon juice. Add ice and top with soda water and stir gently to combine. Garnish with lemon wedge and serve with ice (makes 10 ounces or 1 1/2 cups).
• In a large pitcher, combine 1 1/2 cups simple syrup, 1/2 cups lemon juice, and 6 cups soda water. Add ice and serve (makes 8 1 cup servings).

CHERRY-LIME SPARKLER

Steps:

• Place the pitted cherries in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lime juice and salt. Stir until the cherries are evenly coated. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to macerate the cherries.
• Drain the cherry mixture, collecting and reserving all the juice. Thread the macerated cherries amongst 8 cocktail skewers and set aside for garnish.
• Stir together the reserved cherry juice and seltzer in a small pitcher.
• Fill 8 highball glasses with ice cubes. Pour the cherry sparkler over the ice and garnish each glass with a skewer of cherries and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

LEMON-LIME SPARKLER

Steps:

• Pick the grapes from the stems and place them in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet. Put the grapes into the freezer and freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight. Once frozen, the grapes can be put into a plastic freezer bag.
• When ready to serve, in a large pitcher stir together the lemon-lime soda, gin, and lime and lemon juice. Fill a glass with frozen grapes and pour over the cocktail mix. Garnish with slices of lemon and lime if desired.

PROSECCO-PEAR SPARKLER

Steps:

• Combine the pear nectar, vodka and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well until cold, then strain into a champagne flute or coupe.
• Top the drink with the prosecco. Garnish with a pear slice and lemon zest.

LIMONCELLO AND MINT SPARKLERS

Steps:

• Combine mint and limoncello in a bowl, then gently bruise mint with a pestle or wooden spoon (to release flavor). Chill, covered, 1 hour.
• Pour limoncello through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing firmly on mint and then discarding it.
• Just before serving, stir in lemon juice, sparkling water, and enough ice to fill pitcher.