Three R's I Loved This Summer: Part One - Rose-Colored Glasses

As you can see, I'm not talking about the rose-colored eyeglasses that make the world seem cheerier than it is - I'm talking about drinking glasses that are rose tinted. We inherited a large, if incomplete, set of these from a relative who was married in 1912. We assume these were a wedding gift, which makes them almost a century old. They are quite thin and a bit fragile which accounts for the 'flea bites' on several of the rims. Consequently, we have only used them a few times.

Early this summer, however, we decided to use these to serve a champagne punch for a get-together with some friends and we liked them so much we've used them all summer - almost daily, in fact. I'm definitely in the 'use your china, crystal, silver, etc. camp' rather than the 'save it so it stays pristine' camp. For me, having things displayed or packed away so they won't be damaged really misses the point - most of the joy comes from use. And, no, they won't look brand new, but you will have great memories of using them and the sterling items will actually take on a much prettier patina. So, I'm not sure why we haven't used these glasses more in the past - perhaps because they are so old - and because pink stemware doesn't 'go' with every table setting! Regardless, I'm pleased that we unpacked them and enjoyed them all summer.

Here's the champagne punch that started it all. It's really pretty and would be great for a shower or brunch, or a warm afternoon on the porch or patio - in your favorite glass, of course!

Champagne Punch (from April 2009 Southern Living)

Ingredients

1 cup lemon-lime soft drink, chilled
1 cup assorted berries (I use all raspberries)
1 (6-oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint or basil leaves, torn
1 (750-milliliter) bottle sparkling white wine or Champagne, chilled

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large pitcher. Gently stir in sparkling wine. Serve immediately.

For Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Fruit Refresher: Substitute 3 (12-oz.) cans orange-flavored sparkling water, chilled, for sparkling white wine. Proceed with recipe as directed.


Blogger's Note: No stemware was damaged during filming.