Sarah and Dulcie's seasonal recipes don't stop at fork-friendly foods on their Two Tarts blog. In their new column, Locally Mixed, they expand on their interest in scratch-made sippables, and prove that cocktails are just as deserving of fresh, local flavors.

This week, Sarah and Dulcie make a refreshing sparkler, full of spring strawberries and basil leaves.

- Sarah & Dulcie

Our weather is heating up fast, and the earliest strawberries are just now showing up. We created this effervescent and not-too-sweet cocktail to celebrate spring.

This sparkler is made with thinly sliced strawberries, torn basil leaves, a little vodka, and a lot of sparkling water.  It is the perfect cocktail to sip during your spring croquet party in the backyard. That's what we'll be doing, anyway!

Here's why we love this cocktail: it isn't sweet or sour or bitter. It's a whole new animal -- a fizzy collection of real ingredients, sliced thinly & torn roughly to give up the edge of their unique flavors, but not overwhelm the pureness of the vodka and sparkling water.

The combination of strawberries and basil is unexpected; basil isn't as sweet smelling as mint. We chose it for this reason specifically, because against the sweet strawberries, it elevates this drink's flavor profile to something sophisticated.

For our vodka selection, we went with our local favorite, 303 Vodka.  It's made with Rocky Mountain spring water and is oh-so-pure, but feel free to use any high quality vodka of your preference.

Be sure to seek out fresh organic strawberries. Find the smallish ones that are bright red to their core -- you want them to have plenty of juicy sweetness to share with the cocktail. Last but not least, the sparkling water is what pulls everything together, fizzing with freshness as you take your first sip. Enjoy!

Strawberry Basil Sparkler

Makes 1 cocktail

2 strawberries
5 basil leaves
1 ounce vodka
5 ounces sparkling water
1 handful ice

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Like this post? See Sarah and Dulcie's previous topic: Rhubarb Anise Cocktail.

All photos by Sarah Welle and Dulcie Wilcox.

Sarah and Dulcie run the blog Two Tarts, which specializes in delicious recipes and cocktails using local and seasonal ingredients.