The Foodie Files

In celebration of our new look I had my brilliant mixologist-turned-surgeon friend, Brandon, create a signature Design Muse cocktail.  Since we wanted the drink to reflect the overall vibe of the blog, a brainstorming session ensued.  Should we go with a creamy drink?  Or one with mint?  What spirits should we use?  What did we definitely not want to use?  The whole process was really quite fun...if, by chance, you have a mixologist-turned-surgeon friend of your own you should definitely try it.  In the end, we decided to create a sparkling sangria cocktail with Asti (Italian white wine) as the drink's base.  From there we decided to add some of my favorite fruits (both the liquor and on-the-vine varieties) and juices (grapefruit!  mmMmm so good), as well as some downright lovely garnish.  The resulting drink was delicious, fresh with just the right amount of sweet...exactly what I'd love Design Muse to be!

Ingredients (for 4 drinks):

350 ml Asti sparkling Italian white wine (about 12 oz) 

80 ml raspberry vodka (about 3 oz) 

40 ml peach schnapps (about 1.5 oz) 

5.5 oz orange juice 

4 oz white grapefruit juice 

4 strawberries, diced 

16 blackberries

Garnish:
4 strawberries
1 peach, sliced into segments
4 wildflower sprigs

Place one sliced strawberry and four blackberries at the bottom of each glass.  Pour all liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker and cover securely.  Shake gently for about five seconds (note: over-shaking will mess with the effervescence of the sparkling wine).  Pour mixture into glass, then garnish with remaining strawberries, peach slices and wildflower sprigs.  Salute!