The Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf's Easter Sparklers

Remember when the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf criticized my menu for Nonna's Easter brunch? You can read that story: here.

Apparently she needed drink pairings. D came up with three for her. He decreed that we were going to make a trio of sparklers for her; and they had to be pretty...like Easter eggs, too. From left to right: Cucumber-Beet, Lemon-Basil, Roasted Watermelon-Mint.

He made the syrups and Nonna needed to mix them at the table. He told her 1 C of the syrup starter to 5 or 6 C sparkling water. Here's a photo one of her guests sent me.

For all of these, D prepared the sparkler starters, placing them in a mason jar. Then he poured the hot simple syrup over the other ingredients and let the flavors meld.

Simple Syrup

makes one sparkler starter, double or triple as needed

Ingredients

1 C organic granulated sugar
1 C water

Procedure

Place sugar and water together in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let simmer for 1 minute. For a thicker syrup, cook it longer. We prefer ours thin.

Cucumber-Beet Sparkler Starter

1/4 C roasted beet puree (roasted in a 350 degree F oven for an hour, then pushed through a mesh strainer)
1 seedless Persian cucumber, quartered and cut into 2" lengths
1 C simple syrup

Lemon-Basil Sparkler Starter

2 T zest from organic lemons (D used Meyer lemons from our tree)
10 to 12 organic basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 C simple syrup

Roasted Watermelon-Mint Sparkler Starter

1 C roasted watermelon puree (roasted in a 350 degree F oven for an hour, then pushed through a mesh strainer)
12 to 15 organic mint leaves, slightly bruised
1 C simple syrup

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