Looking for the rest of the Superabundant newsletter?
Subscribe now to get original recipes, PNW food news, and ideas for the kitchen and garden!
Whether you’re mixing a bucket of rainbow sherbet mixed with 7-Up or stirring up a big batch of jalapeño margaritas, punch bowls and pitchers are definitely the most festive ways to serve summer drinks. It’s also a handy time-saver to make one big batch and then get back to the business of chilling out.
When I taught fermentation classes through Airbnb Experiences, I got in the habit of putting out a pitcher of fizzy water for the guests, zhuzhed up with a handful of berries and sliced cucumber from the garden and a few big ice cubes with herbs and edible flowers frozen inside. It helped keep my classes’ ratings high, but more importantly, it was a totally unnecessary detail added for no other reason than to improve an ordinary occasion; a small gesture that turned something basic into something kind of magical.
This is what hospitality is supposed to mean — bringing the emotional complement to the perfunctory aspects of service. In the dog days of summer, it helps to remember that we can treat ourselves more hospitably, too, and it doesn’t require too big a fuss. Just pour something delicious into a pitcher.
Since all the berries and stone fruit are in season right now, it’s an ideal time to whip up a batch of sangria. The original version, limonada de León (Leonese lemonade), was made to symbolize the spilled blood of Christ during Holy Week, but this secular version uses various chilled and sparkling white wines (or juices and seltzers, if you’d rather) instead.
Yes, the flower ice cubes are a bit twee, but they’re also practical — freezing the flowers in ice cube trays also helps keep the flowers from haphazardly drifting around the glass and floating into your mouth (ahem, mojito). Romanticize the h*ck out of this summer. Serves 8
This recipe was originally developed for the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission.
Ingredients
1 cup loosely packed edible flowers, such as marigolds, borage, calendula, basil blossoms, violets, bachelor buttons, blackberry flowers, etc.
1 bottle sauvignon blanc, well-chilled
1 bottle cava or other dry sparkling white wine, well-chilled
½ cup Calvados (apple brandy) or Cointreau (or moscato for lower-ABV)
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, raspberries or marionberries
½ cup sliced cucumbers
A few sprigs of lemon balm or mint
A few dashes orange bitters
Instructions
- Sprinkle the flowers into an ice cube tray, filling them about halfway. Fill the tray with water and freeze for three or four hours or overnight.
- Combine the other ingredients in a large glass pitcher and gently stir.
- Put the flower ice cubes into glasses and pour the drinks. Enjoy!