This recipe is a part of our Community Cookbook series. We tapped seven members from our community to bring you simple, crowd-pleasing dishes to inspire you this holiday season. The best part? Each dish pairs perfectly with a glass of Avaline.

Meet Lys:

Alyssa (Lys) Natoci is part of Team Avaline! She works as our copywriter, turning all of our concepts and ideas into beautiful words—she's even responsible for writing the tasting notes on our labels. We love her pomegranate & mint spritz recipe for the unexpected way it makes the flavors of our Avaline Red sing!

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Q & A:

Tell us a little bit about yourself & why you love to cook.

I grew up in a household that was really passionate about food and wine (my dad owns a wine shop!) so cooking and sharing a beautiful meal has always been really important to me. Preparing a meal is how I show my people that I love them. I like to cook with simple, nourishing ingredients because I have an autoimmune disease so it's important that I keep my inflammation on the lower side.

What’s your favorite thing about sharing food & wine with friends?

I love the way new connections can form around a dinner table when there's lots of food and the wine is flowing. It feels like alchemy. We are all participating in this active, one-of-a-kind magic that can never be repeated. One of my favorite concepts is this Spanish term called "sobremesa" which refers to the time after a meal has been eaten, when everyone is sitting around the table, relaxing. My happiest memories are always spent this way, and wine is a crucial component of this!

Why do you think your recipe pairs so well with Avaline?

I love a red wine spritzer for holidays and parties because it's a lower alcohol option that feels really festive. The pomegranate, mint and a little squeeze of lime feels unexpected but really goes well with the cherry notes in Avaline Red.

A note from Lys:

I think this would be a really beautiful spritz to display in a punch bowl (yes, bring back the punch bowl!!) or, alternatively, you could mix the still components together in a pitcher and then let guests top themselves off with the sparkling water.

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Directions:

Make the simple syrup by combining the honey with half a cup of water in a small saucepan. Let it heat up and dissolve the honey into a liquidy, sweet syrup. Steep mint leaves for two minutes, then discard. Set your simple syrup aside to cool.

In a pitcher, combine 12oz of pomegranate juice with a bottle of Avaline Red. Juice one whole lime into the mix. Once your simple syrup is cool enough to touch, stir it into your mixture.

To serve, fill a low glass with ice and add roughly 3oz of the red wine/pomegranate juice/simple syrup mixture to your glass. Top the rest of the way with sparkling water. Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds and some mint leaves. Cheers with a friend and enjoy!

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