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Cheers To Summer! Celebrate with a Raspberry Basil (Franco) Limoncello Cocktail.

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Summer deserves to be celebrated and I have the perfect cocktail for the occasion–a Raspberry Basil (Franco) Limoncello. I’ll explain how Franco fits into this recipe in a minute. And yes, it really does tastes as good as it looks and sounds. Not to mention it’s super simple to make. 
I made this Limoncello with our chef, Franco, last fall at Tuscookany and I’ve been saving it for a special occasion and figured what’s better than Summer! Thanks again, Franco, for a really great cooking vacation. If you’re looking for an out-of-the-ordinary trip to Italy and want to stay at a beautiful villa…and cook with a great chef in a fabulous kitchen, check out Tuscookany. Oh…and did I mention the pool?
 Can you imagine yourself staying and cooking in this villa?


Or relaxing at this pool?

And here’s Franco–your chef for the week. He’d rattle the snake of glasses after dinner each evening and serve us home-made Limoncello. There’s nothing quite like it here. 

But oh yes, the summer cocktail.

INGREDIENTS FOR A RASPBERRY BASIL (FRANCO) LIMONCELLO COCKTAIL

  • 1 pint fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish
  • 12 fresh basil leaves, torn roughly, plus sprigs for garnish
  • 1 lemon, cut into sixths, plus wheels for garnish
  • 1/4 cup simple syrup
  • 2 ounces Limoncello
  • 4 ounces citron vodka
  • crushed ice
  • Prosecco, chilled
I doubled the recipe and used about three bottles of Prosecco.

Combine raspberries, basil, lemons and simple syrup in a sturdy pitcher and muddle until the raspberries are mashed. I started with my nice new pitcher from Italy (on the right) but didn’t want to break the thin glass so I used a large, sturdy beer pitcher for the muddling part.

Add the Limoncello and vodka to the pitcher and chill for at least 30 minutes. I let mine chill for a few hours. Taste at this point and if you want it sweeter, add a little more simple syrup. Remember, this was a double recipe.

To serve: Put crushed ice in tall glasses, add some of the raspberry mixture and fill the glass with Prosecco. Garnish with lemon, raspberries and basil. (I forgot to do that part–it didn’t matter). This was the hit of the party!

If you run out of Prosecco, (like I did after 3 bottles and 12 people) you can always use soda water. By that time your guests will be too happy to notice the difference.

Serve with some Italian appetizers and say “Cheers to Summer”!

Remember read it first at Stu News.

Categories: Appetizers & Beverages, Everything Italian

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