Adriana and I had not seen each other for months. You may remember her from delicious recipes like her perfect lamb chops and roasted Brussels sprouts, or the Cioppino Latino we invented or the decadent recovery from a big night blinis topped with egg and salmon roe.
So it was high time we played again.
An inventive garnish…tasty too!
Our evenings, which combine kids’ playdate and Mommy time, tend to be full of amazing food and lots of wine, which is my drink of choice and from which I rarely veer. But this time, we started off the way Adriana prefers: with a proper cocktail. And I am very glad we did!
This variation on the ubiquitous Cosmo worked perfectly to ring in the holiday season…a pale jewel-like pink, topped with the liquid bling of prosecco for some festive sparkle, and cool and crisp on the tongue….and we got a bit playful with the garnish…a segment of clementine (which you can find everywhere at this time of year) pierced through with a knife and then threaded with a boomerang cut of lime peel became our accessory to crime. It looked a bit like a baby turtle crawling to the sea right after being born, or a fish peeking over the rim of the glass to have a look.
Well hello there little fella!
The kids kept each other very happy and busy doing whatever it is they do when they are not bothering us, except for the occasional appearance to show us a different costume or some dance moves…and we got to the business of catching up. Fun! Fun! Fun!
Now this is the right way to have a playdate!
Sparkling Cosmo
6 oz. vodka
6 oz. cranberry pomegranate juice (or your preferred berry-red juice)
1.5 oz triple sec
A splash of prosecco
A curl of lime peel (or my very sweet Clementine creature garnish – one segment per drink)
Pour the vodka, juice, and triple sec into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and pour off into two generous-sized martini glasses. Top with a splash of prosecco or other sparkling white. Garnish and serve.
Hot, Cheap & Easy 
Very nice Natalia. I approve.
Why thank you Conor!
Yummmmmm….is it 5:00 yet?
It’s always 5 somewhere….
Cheers 😉
Yes. Thanks.