When I was young, my favorite thing to do in summer was to make homemade peach ice cream. I would turn cartwheels all the way over to Gladys’s house, two houses down past all the hydrangeas to watch her make the custard with fresh cream and bits of peach. Afterwards, we would crank away trying to keep our hands from freezing as the ice and salt in the wooden bucket would inevitably spill over. I loved when it got hard to turn. That meant it was ready and soon I could savor the cold peachy sweetness on my tongue.

But now, it’s easier. No cartwheels or cranking necessary and it’s not ice cream I’m going for.  My southern friend Kim served me a frozen peach cocktail with Bourbon last summer that was memorable.  It was more like a spiked peach sorbet. I call it the Peschettino (pes-k-tino). The Italian word for peach is pesca and the word for sorbet is sorbetto. So it’s like an affectionate little peach thing. Pesca plural is pesche (pesk-é not to be confused with pesce-pe-sh-e, which means fish.)  Therefore, il Peschettino hits the spot on a hot afternoon and satisfies that summer peach fancy to a tee. I chose this recipe to share because it’s easy and as you may remember, late afternoon aperitivo is the most civilized way to transition the day in Italy, so why not wherever you are too? (Heck, it’s even GF and V. )

Don’t forget to see my 17th Century Bottom-Crusted Peach Pie if you haven’t already. The local peach season is short lived.

That Kim.. she’s such a peach!

Ingredients:
3 oz Bourbon
3 oz homemade orange liqueur (or Grand Marnier)
1/4 cup peach jam (Kim’s homemade, or your own)
1 peach, peeled, and frozen
1/4 cup blood orange juice
lime to taste

Preparation:

Blend. Garnish with blood orange. Enjoy with good friends and lots of laughter.

Recipe: @kimschiffer – private chef, Santa Barbara, CA 

Here are some more posts we think you will enjoy:

• The Beauty of Persimmons
• Recipe: Oranges with Cinnamon and Honey
• Breakfast at Hacienda San Rafael
• “Pick Me Up!” Tiramisu

Learn more about Peggy Markel’s upcoming Culinary Adventures. Click here!