“L” my Recipe is Lime Cranberry Fizz … (and I’m Going on a Picnic!)

Lime Cranberry Fizz

Louise from Months of Edible Celebrations has organized a picnic and I’m invited!

Do you remember the old children’s alphabet game?  The one I used to play goes like this: “A my name is Alice, I live in Atlanta, my husband is an Architect and I love to eat Artichokes.”  The next person takes “B” and you go in a circle until all the letters are gone.

Well the picnic theme is similar (“I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing Apple Pie”)– and I got the letter “L”.  Ok, it’s a virtual picnic, but I did develop a new drink recipe… just for the occasion.

What I’m Not Bringing

But first a little background on my choice of letters.  About a year ago I had an almost out-of-body experience with an amazing Lemon Lavender cupcake from the Wild Tomato in Fish Creek, WI.  To deal with my lavender fixation I decided to search out the next great lavender recipe–if I could just get the letter “L”.  I (literally) staked out Louise’s blog waiting for my chance and I emerged… victorious!

With my prize (that would be the letter “L”) in hand , I first tried a Lavender Lemon Pudding Cake—ummm, nope, too lemony.  Next I went the beverage route with Lavender Lemonade—nuh-uh again, bland (though a lovely pink), and finally Lavender Mint tea—just, plain, eeeuuuwww.

I even went so far as to make lavender soap.  Yes, I realize this doesn’t help.

Approach Revisited

Picnic date approaching, I decided to change direction and go with another idea—could I turn cranberry juice into a zippier, lower calorie summer beverage? Cranberries are great nutritionally with phytonutrients that may provide benefits such as better cardiovascular health and cancer prevention.  And they have a wonderful sweet/tart flavor.  But with180 calories in a 12 oz glass, it can kill your beach figure fast.

The first try was a charm and here is my answer: lime cranberry fizz with about 70 calories per 12+ oz serving and so tasty my kids used up the whole bag of limes.

Limes

Lime Cranberry Fizz

Ingredients

•  1 lime
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice
• 1 packet stevia or 2 t sugar
• 1 c club soda

Directions

1.  Cut lime in half and squeeze juice into a tall glass.  Save one of the  lime peel halves (for the cup later).

Lime Being Pressed

2.  Add sugar or stevia to the juice and stir until blended

3.  Add cranberry juice and stir again to make sure sweetener is dissolved.

Add Cranberry Juice

4.  Top with club soda & retained lime peel.  Serve over ice.

Cranberry Fizz with Lime

Tip:  If you don’t have club soda, plain ordinary water works fine and delivers a beverage that is fresh and tasty—just less fizzy.

Now later in the day I decided to do an alcoholic variation and added some Cointreau (orange flavored liqueur) to keep with the citrus theme.  As I googled the combo, I discovered that this is almost a cosmopolitan which–can you believe–I have never had before (ok, since I recently confessed to never cooking with rhubarb, you probably would believe this).  No complaints on the alcoholic version either.  Err, other than maybe that beach figure issue!

And here is the picnic list so far!

I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing:

A – Apricot Cobbler

B- Banana Cream Pie

C- Cherry Bars in a Jar

D- Diva Doggie Bites

E- Emeril’s Strawberry Lemonade

F – Fingerling Potato Salad with Honey Thyme Vinagrette

G – Gugelhopf Twister

H – Honey Graham Rollups

I – Incredible Rabbit Pineapple Tarts

J – Jam Jewels

K – Kirschmichel

L – Lime Cranberry Fizz

Don’t eat too much!!

• ← Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (in Under an Hour)
• Soooo Easy Freezer Sorbet →