Recipe 25: Granny Smith Fizz

As part of bloggerprom committee, I'm no stranger to harnessing the power of social media to plan & organize events. And as fun as putting together 200-people bashes are -- equally enjoyable are small and spontaneous get-togethers, which is exactly what I did with Andy (@windattack), Anna (@bananawonder), Connie (@conbon) and Nathan (@chocomeat) when we decreed via tweets that we should have a beverage-paired grilled cheese potluck. Esi (@dishingdelights), need I remind you again that you missed out? Heh.

Given all the bread & cheese on the menu, and with me preparing the final dessert course -- I opted to make a light, sweet, refreshing drink to lighten up all the heavy sandwiches beforehand. Seeing the simple and tasty-sounding Green Apple Sparkler recipe on CHOW, I decide to give it a grown-up twist by swapping out the club soda for sparkling wine to make a Granny Smith Fizz - An Alchyed-Up Apple Soda for Adults!

(photo credit: Windattack)

And it turned out remarkably well, a super quaffable, bubbly intermezzo that gave everyone a little liquid respite while I prepped my sweet-n-cheesy sandwich. And it was equally well-received when I encored it for a New Year's Eve gathering. So here's my adaptation of CHOW's foolproof recipe!

Ingredients (for six servings):
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
6 oz. lime juice (about 6-8 limes' worth)
1 750mL bottle sparkling wine, chilled (I used Barefoot Brut Cuvee that was ~ $8; cava works fine too!)
Large ice cubes/chunks (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine sugar and water in a pot and boil to make a simple syrup; meanwhile, destem and cut the apples in slices or wedges, place in 4-cup container..
2. Juice the limes (or pour lime juice) over the apples
3. When syrup comes to a rolling boil, turn off heat and pour over the apples & lime juice. Give it a quick stir to make sure the slices are covered in syrup, then wrap and store for at least 3 hours.
4. When serving, pour 2 oz. of the apple syrup in the glass, straining any stray seeds or woodsy parts.
5. Top 4 oz. of sparkling wine and give it a quick stir. Adjust with more syrup/wine to your liking as needed.
6. Add ice as needed to keep the drink cold; use large cubes/chunks to minimize dilution.
7. Garnish with a syrup-soaked apple slice/wedge, repeat with other 5 servings. Serve and enjoy!
*obviously, as indicated by the originating recipe, the virgin variant is using sparkling water/club soda.

The recipe for my grilled cheese (along with all the other tasty sandwich contributions by Anna and Andy) to come in the 2nd post, but in the meantime here's a fun teaser video of Andy demonstrating his bow-tie technique.