4th of July Sparklers

I came up with this drink on July 4th, 2007. My wife and kids had been picking fresh berries on the 3rd and I was looking for something fresh and colorful to drink on the 4th. What better than a tribute to the old red, white, and blue?!

2 cups lemonade or limeade
1 cup blueberries
1 cup red raspberries
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup sugar
club soda
fresh mint sprigs

Makes about 4 drinks.

Put the fruit in a bowl, add the sugar, and toss gently. Allow it to sit for 30 to 60 minutes, miniumum, turning the fruit with a spoon once or twice. The sugar will dissolve and draw the juice out of the fruit and create a syrup.

In a tall glass, fill it 1/3 with the fruit and syrup to create the first layer. Add 1/3 of a glass of ice for the second layer. Pour lemonade into the glass until the 2/3's full glass of the fruit and ice just start to float off the bottom of the glass. Fill the remaining space in the glass with club soda.

Add a sprig of mint, if you like, and insert a stirrer or ice tea spoon. Serve unmixed so that you get layers of white, red, and blue and your guests get to stir it up for part of the fun.

Change-ups:
* different fruit will work (use green grapes cut in half or slices of kiwi and strawberries for Cinco de Mayo!)
* if you don't have time for the fruit to create the syrup, you can use a simple syrup (equal parts of sugar and water heated until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is slightly reduced) poured warm over the fruit to speed things up
* I like lemonade and club soda for the color and flavor, but you can just use a clear soda like 7-up or Sprite and save time and an ingredient
* I like making individual drinks because you can control the look of the layers, but in a pinch, you can toss everything in a big pitcher or punch bowl and let the guests pour their own sparklers