My friend Tessa always wanted a cocktail named after her. It was on her bucket list of things to do. She was bubbly and energetic and back then I had a crush on her.
Life is tough sometimes, and she passed away from cancer at the young age of twenty-six a few years ago, but she never let anything get her down. There are a lot of things I remember now, suddenly, like the skit we did in Shakespeare class involving a swordfight at the University of Illinois — but that’s just something I will carry with me and think about now and then. My God, here come the memories.
I promised myself that this wouldn’t be a blog that dwelled on sappy memories that strangers couldn’t care less about, but there is a drink that came out of this.
- 5 oz. Champagne or Cava
- 1 oz limoncello (maybe a little less)
- 1/2 oz. raspberry liqueur or raspberry syrup (syrup is preferred because it sinks better)
These are eyeball approximations of ratios, so play with them to make a balance that you like. Combine Champagne and Limoncello into an 8 oz. flute glass, stirring gently, you don’t want to lose all the carbonation! Sink the raspberry liqueur (or syrup) down to the bottom of the glass for a blushing effect.
Garnish with a bit of mint stuffed into a raspberry.
One last thing — I was able to share one of these with her before she headed to the purple light and soothing hum that waits for us all. And she loved it.
“I have this disease late at night sometimes, involving alcohol and the telephone.”
- Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughterhouse-Five
