Seasonal Red Recipe

Prepare fruit

Rinse all berries and plums/cherries. Hull and quarter the strawberries if large; halve cherries or plums and remove pits. Place the mixed berries and pitted plums/cherries in a medium bowl.

Macerate fruit

Add the granulated sugar and honey to the fruit, then pour in the fresh orange juice and apple cider. Stir gently to combine. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice so the sugars begin to draw juices from the fruit.

After macerating for 20 minutes, stir in the lemon juice and orange zest. Taste and adjust sweetness: add up to 1 additional tablespoon sugar or honey if you prefer sweeter.

Infuse herbs and spice

Tear half of the mint leaves and basil leaves (if using) to release aroma and add them to the fruit mixture along with the cinnamon stick. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to allow flavors to meld. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Strain and combine

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher and drain the macerated fruit, pressing gently with the back of a spoon to release as much juice as possible. Transfer the pressed fruit solids to a bowl (reserve for topping yogurt or desserts). Pour the extracted juice into the pitcher.

Add the cold sparkling water to the pitcher with the fruit juice and stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust acidity or sweetness with a splash more lemon juice or a teaspoon of honey if needed.

Serve

Fill glasses with ice (about 1/2 cup per glass). Pour the Seasonal Red mixture over the ice. Add a spoonful of the reserved macerated fruit into each glass for texture. Garnish each glass with an orange slice and a mint sprig. Serve immediately.

Optional: For an adult version, add 1½ ounces (45 ml) vodka, gin, or light rum per serving and stir gently before adding sparkling water.