RHUBARB-LIME FIZZ // anna

Hello!  I realize I've been a bit M.I.A., but I promise I have a good excuse.

Last weekend my boyfriend and I brought home the newest member of our little family - a black lab puppy named Thunder.  We've been busy snuggling him and (semi-successfully) teaching him a few things here and there.  

Unfortunately for Thunder (and us), our first weekend together was very, very hot.  It was the type of hot that makes you lie around all day dreaming about what you could possibly do to cool off.  After Thunder splashed in the river and got soaked a few times with the hose, I made a batch of rhubarb simple syrup and mixed up a refreshing spritzer to keep us humans cool.  If it's hot where you are these days, I highly recommend it. 

RHUBARB-LIME FIZZ

For the simple syrup:

3 cups rhubarb, chopped

4 to 5 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you like it - mine was on the sour side)

1 1/2 cups water

Pour the rhubarb, sugar and water into a small sauce pan on medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the rhubarb begins to fall apart.  Try to avoid stirring too much as that will cause the rhubarb to shred, which will make things more difficult when it is time to strain the syrup.  

After about 30 minutes of simmering, turn off the heat and pour rhubarb mixture through a sieve.

For the drink:

6 tablespoons rhubarb simple syrup

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 to 1 cup soda water

Stir all ingredients together and serve over ice.  If you're looking for a more adult beverage, I imagine this would be good with a splash of vodka. :)