spritzers

my favorite drink to order at bars is a shirley temple. i don't usually drink alcohol and a shirley temple is a festive alternative to water, which i occasionally ask for as well. however, it is getting annoying to always be looked at little funny whenever i order one- as if the only legitimate reason i'd want one was for my kid. hey, it's not my fault the most popular mixed non-alcoholic drink was named after a child star! i'm always so grateful when bars have a menu of non-alcoholic drinks as well; i feel like mixed juices are so underrated.

at home, i'm always experimenting with different combinations. i guess these are technically called "mocktails", but i hate that word. and anyway, these are not a mockery of anything; in fact, they are often more delicious and unique than regular cocktails. let's agree then, to just call them spritzers, which evokes a kind of country-club languor that we could all use a little more of.

spritzers

my standard: concord grape juice and lemon-lime seltzer

holiday: pomegranate juice and lime seltzer, garnished with a twist of lime

summer: pureed cantaloupe, muddled mint and soda water

morning: pulpy, fresh-squeezed orange juice with a dash of pomegranate juice

exotic: lychee syrup with pellegrino, garnished with a candied ginger slice

lemonades: you can use homemade, or doctor store-bought
--muddled (mint and strawberries)
--with mango nectar
--with passion fruit nectar

if you have time: you can make your own grenadine, so that you can have your shirley temples right at home!

(the picture above is from a restaurant in tivoli, ny. i had a blueberry mint lemonade and grace had a watermelon lime punch)