Giada's Limoncello Mint Spritzers

A nice, refreshing simple drink from "Everyday Italian" with Giada De Laurentiis. Adapted because her version featured a homemade lime-based limoncello.

• Ready In: 5 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  cups  limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur)
•  coarsely crushed  ice cube
• 1  cup fresh mint leaves
• 1  cup  club soda
•  muddle  stick (or handle of wooden spoon)
• 1  lime, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Coarsely crush the ice cubes, then fill 4 tall skinny drink glasses halfway full with the ice.
2. Add 1/4 cup mint leaves to each glass and, using a muddle stick or the handle of a wooden spoon, crush the mint leaves together with the ice (this is called "muddling").
3. Add 1/2 cup limoncello to each glass, and stir.
4. Add 1/4 cup of club soda to the top of each drink, and serve.
5. Note: on the show, Giada made her own limoncello from limes rather than from lemon, vodka, and simple syrup, with a week or marinating; if you can find a lime-based limoncello in the store, wonderful (we've only made it ourselves at home) - but otherwise you can use conventional limoncello.
6. Also, you could quarter a lime and put each quarter on the edge of the glasses, so that guests could add a squeeze of lime juice into their spritzer.