Citrus Blush... a sunny cocktail to brighten your day!

Whew, Super Bowl XLV was awesome!!!  Ok... I didn't see a single commercial, more than 2 plays of the game or the National Anthem (though I did hear about it on the radio), but I had one of the best days ever.  With our house filled with good friends, our table filled with scrumptious football food, and a sunny citrusy drink in our hands we were set for the perfect day.  Our 8th Annual Super Bowl Extravaganza was another resounding success.

Becky carried the team with not just one, but four Football Strombolis!  People literally started crowding the kitchen as seconds ticked off of the timer, waiting for the cheesy goodness to exit the oven.  The kids would run through and grab a piece on the fly, so we had to be quick to get our fair share.  My neighbor, Evan, even scored his own personal stromboli after accomplishing a personal best in the Long Beach Marathon earlier in the day.  He arrived home after running those 26+ miles, took a quick nap and was still standing an hour after the game had finished... nicely done, Evan!

With everyone bringing a football food donation for the table we had a bona fide football feast.  The Asian Spring Rolls dipped in a tasty peanut sauce were the first to go, but the remaining dips, sandwiches, cobblers, Strawberry Margarita jello-shots, cakes, meatballs, ultra-dark chocolate cookies and bugles filled the gap.

I was not familiar with Bugles prior to last year's game when my husband found them in the snack aisle and had to have them.  Many of our guests smile with glee at the overflowing bowl, reminiscing about the crunchy little treats that apparently are fun to stick on the ends of your fingers.  In any case, that bowl was soon emptied as well!

Bugles... do you remember bugles??

Another Super Bowl tradition at our house is the Citrus Blush, a lovely, bright and sunny, beverage that simply makes the world a good place.  Brimming with freshly squeezed Ruby-red grapefruit and lime juices and mixed with a concoction of vodka and limoncello, the drink is extraordinarily sippable and will have you smiling with pleasure at the first taste.  Sweet, yet tart, the thirst quencher pleases nearly every palette and will bring a bright, happy spot to your day!

Citrus Blush
adapted from Shaken

Everything you need to make a Citrus Blush!

Crushed ice
1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz. limoncello
1 1/2 oz. vodka
2 oz. freshly squeezed Ruby-red grapefruit juice, or more to taste.

Fill a shaker with ice and add the remaining ingredients.  Shake and pour the contents, including ice into a chilled glass.  Add more grapefruit juice to taste.  Enjoy!

Note:  In the above picture we have a jar of our own home-made limoncello.  Unfortunately, it wasn't done for the party, but will soon be providing a nice, lemony beverage for our upcoming warm months!

Measurements for a pitcher:
16 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
16 oz. limoncello
48 oz. vodka
About 48 oz. freshly squeezed Ruby-red grapefruit juice, or more to taste.  For the pitcher we start at 48 oz and move up if we need more, the sweetness of the grapefruits vary and we have found that it's easier to adjust from this level.