
Ingredients
- Cranberry juice, sweetened as desired
- 10 fresh peppermint or spearmint leaves, or 2 drops peppermint or spearmint essential oil
- Juice of 2 limes (about 1/3 cup)
- Plain seltzer or sparkling water
- Lime slices, fresh cranberries, or mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Fill two ice cube trays with cranberry juice and freeze. To prepare the drinks, you’ll need two tall glasses.
- Finely chop the mint leaves, and divide them between the glasses (or put 1 drop of essential oil in each glass).
- Generously fill the glasses with cranberry ice cubes, then ever-so-slowly drizzle half of the lime juice over the ice in each glass.
- Top off the glasses with seltzer, and garnish with slices of lime, whole cranberries, or mint sprigs, if desired. A colorful straw is nice, too.
Love (English), amore (Italian), liefde (Dutch), rakkaus (Finnish), amour (French), gra (Irish), dragoste (Romanian), cariad (Welsh), liebe (German) — however you say it, love is a universal language expressed in myriad ways, through the spoken and written word, through song, by gifts of jewelry, flowers, or chocolates, with a smile and a wink, by dancing slowly cheek-to-cheek, with a celebratory drink, by holding hands, by kissing, by passionate lovemaking, and sometimes simply by just being there to comfort and listen to your beloved. It’s a language understood by everyone. Love feels good. It’s a balm for the soul. Love works its magic on the human heart.
And speaking of love, springtime is a time of romance. How about creating a simple romantic date night at home with your sweetie? No need to go out to have a nice time. Simply cook your favorite dinner, light some candles to set the mood, or watch a movie together. Just relax and do whatever you both love to do.
For your sipping pleasure, might I suggest a bright and bold beverage? Here is my mocktail version of the classic Cosmopolitan: a Lime-Mint Fizz with Cranberry Ice. It’s sure to delight your senses, being both beautiful to behold and tongue-tantalizingly delicious — one of my absolute favorite recipes!
This oh-so-tasty, slightly tart, ruby-red, refreshing drink is perfect for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or any special occasion in which red is the color of the day and love is in the air. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this delectable drink as much as I do. Cheers!
Variation: To make an elegant champagne cocktail, substitute champagne for the seltzer. It’s a most beautiful party drink.
Find this and more passion-inspiring recipes in Stephanie Tourles’s book, Making Love Potions: 64 All-Natural Recipes for Irresistible Herbal Aphrodisiacs (Storey Publishing, 2016). Stephanie has also written many other books, including my best-selling, Organic Body Care Recipes; Hands-On Healing Remedies; Raw Energy In a Glass; Raw Energy; and Naturally Bug-Free. Visit her website to learn more, and read all of her MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
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