Strawberry Champagne (or Soda) Cocktail Recipe

Sweet edible treats for you today my loyal Sparklers.

Since Valentines Day is in February, I thought I'd do a bunch of appropriately themed posts.  In the spirit of this the heart filled month, I thought I would take a break from beauty themed posts to give you this romantic beverage idea.  I know a lot of my viewers might not drink alcohol and I also know a some of my viewers are health conscious.  So I made sure that there are 3 ways to make this super simple but romantic drink to satisfy everyone!

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

-1 pint of fresh (frozen can work, but it isn't as good)

-1-3 Fresh Mint leaves (dried mints isn't going to work, sorry)

-Exra-Dry Champagne (it is slight sweet so it's my recommended champagne for this drink)

OR

Lemon-Lime Soda (if you like a decadently sweet non-alcoholic drink)

OR

Soda Water (if you like a less sweet and more healthy non-alcoholic drink)

-Fine Sieve/Strainer.

-Glasses (champagne glasses preferred!)

Directions:

1) Make strawberry mixture.  Place strawberries (without strawberry leaves) into a blender with 1-3 mint leaves depending on how big the leaves are/how minty you want your drink.  Blend this until it forms a liquid.  Strain it through the sieve/strainer.  Alternatively, you can smash the ingredients through the strainer to get the juice.  I prefer to blend-then strain so that I extract maximum juice, flavor, and nutrients. Divide the strained mixture into glasses.  

2) Fill glasses with bubbly liquid of your choice.  This is where you decide if you want champagne, lemon-lime soda, or soda water.  Options are awesome right?

3) Garnish the edge of the glass with a small sprig of mint leaves.  If you set a few fresh strawberries (if you are using fresh berries) aside and cut a vertical slit 1/2 way up the berries.  You can slide them on to the edge of the glass for an extra-special decoration for your romantic beverage.  My last garnishing suggestion is to cut one small fresh strawberry into thin vertical slices.  You can put a few slices directly floating in your beverage.  They soak up the flavor of the drink and are very yummy to eat at the end of your fancy drinking experience.   

Mini-Tip:  Never fear if you only want to make less beverages.  You can either cut the recipe in half or store the strawberry mixture in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.  If you store the strawberry mix, you can keep enjoying fancy-pants drinks for multiple days!

I hope you this share this romantic beverage with your loved one (or super awesome friends) this February.  Let me know if you do!  I read every comment on the blog or any of my social media accounts because I love and appreciate every one of you! Hey, you could drink fancy-dancy drinks while reading past Shine and Sparkle Report posts.  That's a great idea if you ask me...

As always,

Shine & Sparkle

*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions. Also, like all my images, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if someone throws a hissy fit.