Get down Saturday night, folks! Who’s in the mood for a delicious, refreshing, and zesty summertime rosé spritzer with a lime and basil garnish? We are! And we’ll be sipping on these spritzers, cranking up the Oliver Cheatham (please go listen to the song), hanging with Karl, and having some fun, fun, fun!

The inspiration behind our rosé spritzer with lime and basil garnish

Ok, cheesy disco song puns aside, this lovely little cocktail is partly inspired by my travels to wonderful Vienna, Austria. I had the privilege of going to Vienna for work last summer, and I was able to set aside some time in between meetings to go out to a few dinners with one of my best friends from high school.

She’s a Vienna native, and she showed me a staple of the Viennese summer cocktail menu. Over there, they call it a “Weißer Spritzer.” Over here we call it a white wine spritzer. And, the basic version of the cocktail comes together with just two ingredients: wine and club soda.

Anyway, during my stay, Vienna had some of the hottest weather recorded in years. It was upwards of 95° most days, and so humid that it was difficult to even walk around the city in the heat of the day.

We tried to make the most of it. However, there were quite a few times where we ended up surrendering, finding a sidewalk cafe or restaurant patio, and enjoying a weißer spritzer to cool down. I hadn’t had much experience with wine spritzers prior to my Austrian adventure, but I definitely brought the memories back home with me. There was something oh-so-magical about sitting at a restaurant and watching the sunset while enjoying a wonderfully cool beverage. Therefore, I wanted to capture that same feeling in my rendition of the weißer spritzer, which became this rosé spritzer with lime and basil garnish.

The adaptation

Now, at the risk of sounding completely basic, I am a fan of rosé. I really got into it when we were living in NYC. I initially assumed that all rosés are sweet, and I am definitely not a fan of sweet wines. However, it turns out rosés that come from Provence are typically drier and lighter in character than many other varieties. I really love how fresh, full-bodied, and subtly effervescent they are!

The wine you choose to use for this recipe is totally up to you depending on your preferences, but (surprise, surprise) I chose a dry rosé. In fact, this lovely wine from Fleurs de Prairie is delicious, reasonably priced, and full-bodied enough to shine through even when diluted with ice and club soda. Plus, it comes in a pretty bottle that you can save for your bouquets! Win, win!

Additionally, this wouldn’t be a Savor + Harvest – with Karl recipe if we didn’t incorporate our lovely plants from the garden in some way. Even though it’s May, the nights have still been pretty chilly up here in Maine. But, our hydroponic herbs are still working hard for us, and I had plenty of fresh basil to add a fresh garnish to these spritzers and to make enough pesto for four servings of our fresh kale and walnut pesto!

Speaking of that basil garnish, it adds SO MUCH to that basic spritzer cocktail! Seriously, this thing is like summer in a cup!

Finally, I like to add not only a full lime slice, but also additional lime juice. It makes the drink perfectly snappy and balances out the mellow, cool flavor of the basil. Absolutely lovely.

Want to learn how to make it? Let’s go!

Cocktail Time!

First, pick your cup and add the ice! A few years ago, I bought an ice cube tray that makes those big whisky cubes. If you have those on hand, now is the time to use them. If you don’t have whisky cubes, three or four regular ice cubes should do it.

You’ll want to also make sure that your wine and club soda are super cold, so chill them in the fridge beforehand, and then about half an hour before you’re ready to serve your drinks, place them in the freezer. Don’t forget them in there though! Remember, things expand when they freeze!

First, add the wine!

Fill that glass up about a quarter of the way! Then, add the club soda!

Next, slip in a whole lime slice in there, top that with your finely chopped basil, and then a little sprinkle of coarse ground raw turbinado sugar. Then, using a remaining lime wedge, squeeze a little more lime juice over the drink. Then, serve!

We hope that this amazing cocktail causes you as much joy as a yard romp does for Karl.

Love,

Ryan, LM and Karl