Summer Cocktails and Italian Countryside Dreams

Not so long ago, it was a warm summer evening. (Lately it's been rainy and 58 degrees.) Earlier that day Mandi and I had gone to a great antique market in East Cambridge. It's about 5 stories and loaded with everything you could imagine. I found a couple of items I couldn't pass up. One of which was this great little vintage pitcher. So, on that summery evening, I decided to make a inspired cocktail with what we had on hand. Most of which was rum, some strawberries and leftover mint. Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients:
2 shots of Rum
Sugar (about 2-3 Tb)
Strawberries (handful)
Seltzer
Mint (5-6 leaves chopped)
Limes (We didn't have any limes at the time...I suggest getting some.)

In true Mandi form, I didn't really measure. Just go with your gut and sample of course.

Here's what it looked like:

Vintage pitcher

Other find, flamingo pink pyrex baking dish.

Muddling the mint, strawberries, rum and sugar together.

Ice and Seltzer

Stir and enjoy.

So, I leave Monday for Italy! I'll be attending a friend's wedding outside of Florence and then traveling for a bit afterward. I'll be staying at a this villa (warning: you might get jealous) in the Chianti region for the better part of a week. They have their own vineyard and offer some cooking classes too. (I hope there's time for me to take advantage of that!) Look forward to my future posts of sharing my delicious Italian cuisine experiences and attempting to recreate them when I return home!

I'll try to fit another post in before I go international. However, I lost my voice this week, have yet to pack, need to edit some wedding photos I did last weekend and have a full work week. Whew. Time for bed. 

Buona notte!

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