Disco, Sunshine, and Spiked Basil Lemonade

Ah, lemonade.

First things first. Disco, everyone's favorite guilty pleasure. At first, I though I was the only one who loves disco, but it turns out I was wrong. Everybody loves disco. You see, a few weeks ago I was putting together a set of belly dance music for my performance at a cafe across the river. I was not restricted to traditional belly dance music, so I knew right away that I wanted to dance to Careless Whisper by George Michael, but I didn't know what music to use for the rest of my set. Then, when I was listening to disco for fun, I realized a lot of it is belly dance-able. So I got to thinking... Disco belly dance! Yes!

Fast forward to yesterday, before the show, when I was totally nervous, convinced that I was the only one who loved disco, and if I had a non-disco-loving crowd, I was going to bomb. I had a glass of wine to calm my nerves and watched the first half of the show. Everyone was dancing to something different. The audience was being very receptive. I no longer felt terrified, though still a little nervous. Once I was dressed and veiled-up, I took a deep breath and I was ready. Cue music (I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor). With the first tinkling of the piano, I opened the curtain and made my entrance. When everyone realized what I was doing, and the crowd was excited about it, I danced harder than I think I've ever danced before. Disco was a hit. I am so glad that I stuck with my gut and danced to music I loved; nothing makes me feel more alive than putting on a show for a great crowd. See video for performance: 

Poppies!

I feel like I should also add a recipe to this post, so I will share my recipe for spiked basil lemonade, which I made up today. We are lucky enough here in the PNW to have a weekend of heat and sunshine, so it is the perfect time for a cold lemon drink. I have a basil plant that seems to be growing faster than Jack's beanstalk (okay, maybe not that fast), so I wanted to use some of the leaves in a cocktail. I also had a lemon in my fridge which I thought I should use, and thus spiked basil lemonade was born. Oh yes, spiked. I added some limoncello to this baby. Makes for a very refreshing beverage on a nice sunny day such as this. The basil didn't really infuse the lemonade with its flavor, so next time I will try muddling it (I must learn to muddle first, however). But when I chewed on the basil and it combined with the lemon in my mouth, it somehow reminded me of my late grandmother's house. This is a must-try, y'all. And it is ridiculously easy.

Yum.

Spiked Basil Lemonade

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup water

7 basil leaves

1 shot limoncello

1 tbsp turbinado sugar

In a measuring cup, pour 1 cup water, lemon juice, and limoncello. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar starts to dissolve. Tear up half of the basil leaves and add to the bottom of a glass. Add some ice cube, and tear up the rest of the basil leaves and throw on top of the ice cubes. Pour in the lemon juice mixture and stir. Enjoy!