Tip
You can do this with any citrus, including limes, grapefruit, and blood oranges.
Sparkling Meyer Lemonade with Candied Citrus
Candied lemon slices are easy to make and elevate any citrus-based cocktail. They’re also perfect for garnishing desserts. For this twist on a classic French 75, we used the candied citrus as a garnish and the leftover simple syrup from cooking them in the drink itself.
for the candied meyer lemon slices:
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 organic meyer lemons, washed, thinly sliced, and seeds removed
for the cocktail:
1 ounce vodka
½ ounce meyer lemon juice
½ ounce meyer lemon simple syrup (the cooking liquid from the candied lemons)
champagne or other sparkling wine
1. To make the candied lemon slices, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon slices and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour. Remove to a cooling rack-lined baking sheet to cool.
2. To make the cocktail, combine vodka, meyer lemon juice, and simple syrup in a champagne flute or similar. Stir to combine the ingredients, then top off with sparkling wine.
3. Garnish with a couple of candied meyer lemon slices.