Summer is over already, I just can’t believe it.  I was really getting used to those nice warm temperatures – when you can sit outside well into the evening, and it is just wonderfully comfortable.  Last night I actually had to close some of the windows in our room because it was so cold.

Last weekends post got me thinking about when we moved here – 16 years ago this week.  Denver was a beautiful place to live – the mountains were so accessible – and there were definitely four seasons.  It would get so hot in the summer that we had to head to the mountains every weekend and camp, just to escape the heat.  We didn’t have air conditioning, and most of the windows in the house we rented didn’t open.  When we decided to move to Seattle, we had really only spent a few weekends there.  We really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

I remember when we left Denver to make the drive to Seattle, it was a typical summer day – sunny and hot.  By the time we arrived in Seattle, we had gone from summer to fall.  It was cold and cloudy, and we were depressed.  We looked at each other and said, “What have we done?”  Well, it couldn’t have been much of a mistake, since we still live here happily 16 years later, but it is funny to think about it.  So – what do you do if you want to think summer but it really isn’t anymore?  Make a summertime cocktail – that’s exactly what you do.  I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and it is just yelled summer to me.  I couldn’t really wait for the peaches to macerate before pouring myself a glass, and even then, it was absolutely delicious.  I seriously could have drunk the whole pitcher myself, if it wasn’t for my husband and our friend who was helping out.  We actually had to save a glass for his wife, otherwise, we would have completely finished it ourselves.

So – whether you are still in the throes of summer, of you have moved begrudgingly into fall – this is a perfect drink for either occasion.   It will either cool you off, or make you forget that it is no longer summer…

Preparation

Using a muddler or wooden spoon, mash peaches with liqueur and  lemon juice in a large pitcher. Stir in vodka. DO AHEAD Can be made 4  hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Cut 1/3 of cucumber lengthwise into 4 spears for garnish.  Thinly slice remaining cucumber. Stir Prosecco, soda water, mint, and sliced  cucumber into pitcher. Fill glasses with ice. Pour cooler into glasses; garnish  with cucumber spear.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please  click here:  Peach Cooler