This Recipe from Ina Garten’s New Cookbook Is the Best Way to Beat the Summer Heat
Ina Garten has a wealth of helpful cooking tips, an abundance of hosting advice, and, of course, an ever-growing collection of her own cookbooks. Each of Ina’s cookbook are like mini treasure troves, filled with foolproof recipes (this might be why she even named a book after the very concept), exciting ways to entertain guests, and interesting anecdotes about how she develops each book.
Her upcoming cookbook, Go-To Dinners, is set to be released on October 25, and autographed copies are currently available for pre-order. For this venture, Ina wanted to focus on easy, reliable meals that home cooks can always fall back on. In Go-To Dinners, you’ll find a range of different recipes, many of which can be made or prepped ahead of time (like overnight mac & cheese!). Plus, she made sure this cookbook is filled with hearty and cozy family dinners, like Tuscan white bean soup and chicken in a pot with orzo, just in time for fall. Oh, and when it comes to transforming leftovers (what Ina delightfully refers to as “Two-Fers), the Food Network star and cooking icon has got you covered.
As we’ve already reported, The Barefoot Contessa recently bestowed a lovely gem of a recipe on her Instagram, unveiling a super-simple bubbly drink, straight from her upcoming book. She reiterates what some of us have been feeling the past few weeks: It’s really really hot out — like sit-in-front-of-your-AC-all-day hot. And her recipe for Pomegranate Spritzers is the perfect solution to beat this month’s blazing heat.
How to Make Ina Garten’s Pomegranate Spritzers
The first great sign about this recipe is that it only requires four easy-to-find ingredients: sparkling water (such as Pellegrino), pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful), lime juice and slices, and pomegranate seeds. Aside from these ingredients, all you need is a pitcher, a good amount of ice cubes, and a really cold glass, which Ina has a go-to method for.
Once you’ve gathered all of your ingredients, place your glasses in the freezer for about 30 minutes — this will make sure they get nice and cold once the mixture hits the glass. Ina calls for martini glasses, but I used a stemless wine glass because that’s what I had. Next, combine 2 cups cold sparkling water and 2 tablespoons each pomegranate juice and lime juice. Add a handful of ice cubes to the pitcher and stir with a large spoon to chill the drink. Strain the mixture into your chilled glasses and garnish with a couple lime slices and a few pomegranate seeds.
My Honest Review of Ina’s Pomegranate Spritzers
Typically when it comes to fruit-forward summer drinks, I’m often fearful that it will turn out a tad too sweet for me. But sweetness was not an issue with this bubbly drink! In fact, I think this drink has a great balance between sweetness and tartness. It was almost reminiscent of a pomegranate whiskey sour of sorts, sans whiskey.
I loved that the drink is mostly sparkling water, as it adds fizziness and it gives you an excuse to splurge just a little and buy the fancy water for a gathering with family or friends — this is meant to be shared, after all! Overall, this drink is easy to make, colorful, tasty, customizable, and (best of all) an ideal way to stay cool and refreshed this summer.
If You’re Going to Make This Drink, a Couple Tips
- Play with the ratios. Everyone has different taste, and might find this drink, as written, is too tart. The good news is that you can easily add more sweet pomegranate juice to the mixture to balance it out.
- Make it a cocktail. Ina says the only thing that might make the drink a bit better is the addition of vodka (which she’s a fan of).