Today is my birthday and I made this delicious sparkling wine cocktail to celebrate my day. It’s easy, delicious, and perfect for spring and summer festivities!
I used frozen raspberries, which worked great because they get smashed with the lemoncello so they don’t need to be beautiful, whole berries. Also, choose a brut sparkling wine, unless you prefer a sweet sparkler. Brut means very dry and refers to the sweetness of the bubbly. There are many good Italian (prosecco) and Spanish (cava) bubblies on the market that are under $10. To make the drink even prettier, serve in stemware like these pretty French Country flutes
Sparkling Limoncello-Raspberry Cocktail
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma
A bright yellow liqueur, limoncello is imbued with the refreshing flavor of lemon, without any of the bitterness. This sunny drink speaks Italian, so embrace its homeland and serve with crostini, bruschette or breadsticks. Or, set out a cheese plate with such Italian favorites as Taleggio or fontina.
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest
A few drops of fresh lemon juice
3 raspberries
2 Tbs. limoncello
Crushed ice as needed
1/2 cup sparkling wine
Lemon zest strip for garnish
Directions:
On a small plate, stir together the sugar and grated lemon zest. Dip a clean finger in the lemon juice and moisten the rim of a Champagne flute or other glass. Dip the rim in the sugar mixture to coat.
In a small bowl or ramekin, using a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spoon, pulverize the raspberries with the limoncello. Transfer the puree to the sugar-rimmed glass. Place a spoonful of crushed ice in the glass, then pour in the sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemon zest strip and serve immediately. Serves 1.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Good Food to Share, by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan (Weldon Owen, Inc., 2010).
I’m linked to:
Foodie Friday
I’m Lovin’ It
Follow Friday 40 and Over
Tags: Beverages, bridal shower, cocktail, lemoncello, raspberry, Sparkling Limoncello-Raspberry Cocktail, sparkling wine, summer drinks
Cheers to you, absolutely! Looks refreshing.
Thanks, Ron! It’s been a great day!
Happy Birthday!! Have a great day!
After we had this for your birthday, I tried it on my own with another bubbly loving friend and it turned out great. My favorite part is the rim coated with sugar and lemon. Instead of using the juice from the lemon to wet the rim, I use the juice from the berries so the rim is colored with red juice, white sugar and yellow flakes of lemon zest. It is so pretty and Ron is right, totally refreshing. Thanks for the cheer!
Happy Birthday Andrea!
I’m so happy you chose one of our recipes to celebrate your birthday. That is a really tasty recipe and one I make for a number of my parties. One of these days I’ll have to publish my own recipe for limoncello, although it takes about 60 days to make.
Again, Happy Birthday!!
Thank you for the birthday wishes! It was a great day!!!