I recently reread Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses and although the second book in the series ruins my opinion of Tamlin, I absolutely love the summer solstice scene. This scene truly made me want to live in the spring court.
During this scene, Feyre drinks “Faerie wine” and her description of this drink sounds incredible. Feyre says, “It didn’t reek of alcohol. In fact, it smelled like summers spent lying in the grass and bathing in cool pools” (Maas 224). I couldn’t get this out of my head! One of my favorite sensory details to see is when an author describes something so precisely, without directly naming the exact flavors. So I decided I wanted to create my own “Faerie wine” inspired by this specific description.
While having this drink in the spring court, I imagine the sun going down, so all the flowers have a golden light. I would sip my drink as I walked through the many gardens and forests; maybe running into the Suriel to hear the latest gossip. I wouldn’t stop my progress until I came to a meadow. At this point, the moon would be glowing and the will-o’-the-wisps would first be popping out.
This is where I would finish this lovely drink, hopefully feeling the “million fireworks exploding inside me, filling my veins with starlight” (Maas 224). The warm breeze would still be there and the smell of wildflowers, but especially lavender, would be prominent. The will-o’-the-wisps would be singing their “ghostly and ethereal song”, while I enjoy my bubbly drink in the moonlight (Maas 228).
For this recipe, I decided to create a “Faerie wine” that is nonalcoholic, so it is more of a mocktail. This recipe is for a strawberry basil lemonade that provides the same summer feeling Feyre describes in this novel. I also provide options to make this drink alcoholic, if desired.
Now for the recipe.
Ingredients:
5-6 lemons
10-12 strawberries
1 sprig of basil
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of room temperature water
1 cup of warm water
Step One:
Cut the 5-6 lemons in half. Then squeeze each lemon half using any type of lemon squeezer and pour the lemon juice into a pitcher. I prefer using a strainer while pouring the liquid into the pitcher to ensure no seeds or pulp gets into the drink.
Step Two:
Warm up the cup of water on a stovetop. Heat up the water until just before boiling. Once there are a few bubbles produced from the water, pour the cup of sugar into the water and mix until each grain of sugar is dissolved. Take the sugar water off the stove and let it cool.
Step Three:
Cut the tops off each of the strawberries and cut them in half. Place the strawberries into a blender and pour the lemon juice from the pitcher into the blender as well. Then, add a few leaves of basil into the blender. Blend all three ingredients until the beverage is frothy and the strawberries are blended well.
Step Four:
Pour the mixture from the blender back into the pitcher. I again use a strainer to prevent the strawberry seeds from going into the drink. Then, pour the sugar water into the pitcher too. Finally. cut up a couple of basil leaves and strawberries for the drink for decoration and mix thoroughly.
Optional:
To make this strawberry basil lemonade more fun, add sparkling wine or prosecco. This will make the drink alcoholic and more bubbly. White sparkling wine works best or any type of prosecco. This will give the drink the “fireworks” that Feyre mentions.
Then enjoy!
Works Cited
Maas, Sarah J. A Court of Thorns and Roses. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015.
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