Herbal Lemon-Prosecco Sparkler

Name: Herbal Lemon-Prosecco Sparkler
Ingredients: 3 lemons, room temperature, squeezed (you want about 3/4 cup ); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup water; 1 bottle Prosecco, chilled; 3/4 cup best-quality vodka, chilled; 1 small bunch fresh thyme; Ingredients

For a Mother’s Day brunch, unexpected summertime guests, or as a way to spruce up a weeknight meal, this grownup lemonade is festive, delicious and best of all, easy. Prosecco is Italian sparkling wine, and though far less expensive than its Champagne cousin, it’s no less tasty. Since I’m a huge fan of drinks with herbs, adding fresh thyme to the lemon simple syrup lends depth and added flavor to this crowd-pleaser-of-a-punch.

Makes approximately 8 drinks

Ingredients

3 lemons, room temperature, squeezed (you want about 3/4 cup )
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bottle Prosecco, chilled
3/4 cup best-quality vodka, chilled
1 small bunch fresh thyme
Ingredients

Directions

With a vegetable peeler, remove zest from each lemon in a long, continuous spiral. Twisting the spiral to release some of the rind’s natural oils, wipe the rind along the rim of your glass and place the curl in the glass. Set aside.
Juice the lemons, and strain the pulp (you should have about 3/4 cup juice). Set aside.
Heat sugar, water, thyme, and lemon peel in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, keeping an eye on the pan until the sugar dissolves. As soon as the mixture boils, remove from heat and cool completely, about two hours.
When ready to serve, remove thyme and lemon peels from simple syrup and combine it in a pitcher with the prosecco, vodka and lemon juice. Serve in a coupe glass or Champagne flute with a sprig of thyme and/or a curl of lemon peel.

This recipe was featured on Season 24 - Episode 2426.