By July fourth approaching and Caleb is ten and a half months old and has started pulling himself up to standing. CJ called to say he had stood at the coffee table, held on, looked around the room with an expression of absolute triumph, and then sat back down because he had not yet figured out that standing was for going somewhere and not just for the achievement of it. He will figure that out soon. He is methodical. He will figure everything out in the sequence it needs to be figured out.
I made my Fourth of July preparations: the ribs brined Thursday, the dry rub ready, the lemonade started in a big jar on the counter. This is my eleventh summer of doing this and the ritual is fully established — who comes, what they bring, where they stand in the yard, the order of the cooking. Travis handles the secondary grill. Destiny brings something sweet. Sister Odalys arrives early. The yard fills at noon and is loud until dark.
But this Fourth of July will have Caleb in it for the first time. He will sit in the grass — he loves the grass, discovered this in May — and look at the yard full of people who love him with an expression of pure interest. He will eventually be passed around. He will eventually fall asleep on someone's shoulder while the sparklers happen. This is what the next decades of Fourth of Julys will look like and I am ready for them. I have been ready for them without knowing it for longer than I can account for.
The lemonade is always on the counter by Thursday, and this year I started thinking about what else to set out — something that felt celebratory in the way this particular Fourth felt celebratory, which was bigger than most. A yard full of people Caleb hasn’t met yet, a summer that finally has him in it, and a reason to pour something pretty into a big bowl and let it sparkle. This Pink Sparkling Wine Punch has been on the table before, but this year it felt like it belonged there more than ever.
Pink Sparkling Wine Punch
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 ml) pink sparkling wine or rosé prosecco, chilled
- 2 cups cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
- 1 cup pink lemonade, chilled
- 1/2 cup raspberry liqueur (such as Chambord)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups ginger ale or club soda, chilled
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
- Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
- Ice ring or large ice cubes
Instructions
- Chill everything. Make sure the sparkling wine, cranberry juice, pink lemonade, and ginger ale are all thoroughly chilled before assembling. This keeps the punch from diluting too quickly over ice.
- Combine the base. In a large punch bowl, stir together the cranberry juice, pink lemonade, raspberry liqueur, and fresh lemon juice until combined.
- Add the bubbles. Just before serving, gently pour in the sparkling wine and ginger ale. Stir once or twice very gently to preserve the carbonation.
- Garnish and serve. Add an ice ring or large ice cubes to the bowl. Float the raspberries and lemon rounds on top, and tuck in a few sprigs of fresh mint. Ladle into glasses and serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 145 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 12mg