the perfect summer sangria

The sun was setting, kids were playing soccer in the street below, swallows were swooping through the neighborhood and Brittany popped the cork of the prosecco, signaling that it was time to drink the sangria we had been patiently waiting for all day. She slowly poured the bubbly in our rum/nectarine/basil/peach juice concoction and I'm pretty sure in between shots of her beautiful hand whilst pouring I might have screamed a few times; in anticipation and for the sheer beauty of the moment.
See, this is the perfect summer sangria because it's crisp, refreshing, you can make it ahead of time to sit while you're at the beach, and when you take a sip the flavors scream, "I am summer in a glass." 

Nectarine Basil Sangria

1 bottle prosecco

2 nectarines

2 shots white rum

1 1/2 cups peach nectar

big handful fresh basil leaves

Quarter the nectarines, slice them and put them in a pitcher. Add the rum, peach nectar and basil and let sit in the fridge preferably overnight, but a few hours works as well. (The longer the better.) When you’re ready to serve, pour in the bottle of prosecco. Serve in a glass with ice, another little basil leaf and a few of the marinated nectarines. 

CHEERS!

P.S. As you may know, Italy is in the finals with Spain in the European Cup. I don't think people here have stopped freaking out since Balotelli scored the first goal in last night's game with Germany. There were fireworks over the castle for hours, horns honking, flags flying and general mayhem until the wee hours of the morning. I don't want to say anything to jinx us, but Italy has never played so well, and no one predicted that they could have ever gotten so far. Whatever happens on Sunday, the heart and soul they put into every game has been so beautiful and exciting to watch. And now I'm crying. 

Forza azzurri!