ABRAMS Dinner Party -- Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico...Featuring Sparkling Limonada #ABRAMSDinnerParty #OaxacaCookbook #mocktail #limeade

As part of the ABRAMS Dinner Party blogging group, I received a review copy of Bricia Lopez's amazing cookbook Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico. I can't wait to take a deep dive into this cookbook, which shares regional Mexican specialties from her family's hometown of Oaxaca. Lopez and her family own and operate the James Beard Award-winning Guelaguetza restaurant in Los Angeles. So many great recipes in the book caught my eye -- including the Pollo en Barbacoa, Chocoflan, and a range of traditional mole recipes. The hectic holiday season kept me from devoting the time necessary to give these recipes the love and attention they deserve...so look for future posts this Spring that feature some of the Lopez family's Oaxacan regional specialties!

Today, I'm sharing a quick five-minute recipe for a fun, refreshing beverage. Lopez's Sparkling Limonada is a fizzy, fresh sparkling limeade made with four simple ingredients. With many people participating in no-alcohol Dry January this month, this fruity spritzer is an ideal mocktail to serve at any gatherings you have planned. It's a cinch to whip up, and it can be made a few hours ahead so it can be chilled in the fridge. This refreshing limeade also pairs nicely with spicy tacos and fajitas -- it's perfect for kids of all ages.

Sparkling Limonada

from Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico

Ingredients: (makes four servings):

• 3 cups room temperature still bottled water
• 2 tbs. sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 12 oz. bottled sparkling water [NOTE: I used a sugar-free sweetened lime sparkling water to maximize the lime flavor]

Directions:

Step 1: In a pitcher, mix the bottled water and sugar. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add the freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well.

Step 2: Chill the limonada in the fridge until you're ready to serve -- at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, add the chilled sparkling water. Stir to combine and serve the limonada over ice. For a pop of color, garnish each glass of sparkling limeade with a thin slice of lime on top. 

The beverage is tart and lightly sweet...with a perfect amount of fizz! I imagine this low-sugar beverage will be in heavy rotation in my kitchen during the long Texas Summer...it's so refreshing. I also love that it contains very little sugar...but feel free to use sugar substitute instead if you want to make your limonada completely sugar free.

When I read how close-knit the Lopez family is while reading Oaxaca, it inspired me to tap into my own family's history to serve this beverage. The pitcher and drinking glass pictured in the photos that accompany this recipe belonged to my maternal Great Gramma Edith. Using these family heirlooms helps us stay connected to her memory more than two decades after she passed at age 99. One of Oaxaca's main themes is that family and tradition are sacred...which I believe is so true!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of  the cookbook Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico as part of ABRAMS Publishing's Dinner Party blogging group. All opinions shared are solely my own.