Everything's Coming Up Rosé

Summer’s end can be a bittersweet time. The swimsuits are hung out to dry on the line for the last time, the grill fires up its final burger, and we try to squeeze in one more camping adventure before the colder nights creep in. But if you’re like me, you want the carefree days to last just a little bit longer.

So last Friday, after a long week at work that felt too much like autumn for my liking, I headed to the fridge for a bottle of Chateau Ste Michelle Brut Rosé, thinking I might drink a glass on the porch and pretend it was still the heart of July. Just as I was about to pop the cork, the phone rang. It was my boyfriend, Leo.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Not much,” I replied. “Work was okay, it’s kinda cloudy… I just don’t want summer to end!”

There was a long pause at the end of the line. His signature ‘I’m-thinking-really-hard’ pause. “Okay, hold on fifteen minutes and I’ll be right over.”

I hung up and put the bottle back in the fridge. True to form, an hour later Leo showed up bearing a picnic basket, wearing a bathing suit, and carrying a giant box. I couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“You don’t want summer to end!” he said. “So I’m bringing summer back.”

He proceeded to take out an inflatable kiddie pool from the box and set it up in the front yard. “It’s like 60 degrees!” I said through giggles, dipping a cautious toe in.

“Okay, you chill here,” Leo said. “I’ll be back!” He sprinted into the house carrying the picnic basket, and emerged a couple minutes later bearing two champagne flutes full of the most beautiful concoction I’d ever seen.

“Leo!” I exclaimed. “When did you become a bartender?”

He just winked, and dragged two lawn chairs over to the kiddie pool. “Ah, what a perfect beach day,” he sighed, and handed me a glass.

I sat down next to him and stuck my feet in the water. “So talk me through this creation of yours,” I said.

He put on a fancy voice, complete with very bad British accent, and said, “Well, my dear, we started off with some of your sparkling rosé, with lively hints of apple and citrus and a delicate, sweet finish. Then I added just a little bit of raspberry shrub for some brightness and health benefits, give you that summer glow-”

“You’re ridiculous,” I said, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Then I added some of the raspberries I had frozen from that one time we went to the U-Pick, remember that?”

“I do!” I said. It had been the quintessential summer day.

“And a sprinkling of rose petals, just because.”

I took a little taste. “Oh, it’s so delicious! Cheers.”

“Everything’s always coming up roses, darlin’,” he said. “Cheers to that!”

We clinked glasses, and I felt the bliss of summertime return with each sip.

Surprise a loved one (or just treat yourself!) with this healthy, refreshing cocktail:

Get the recipe