Fresh Sheet: Toast summer with the perfect drink

Raise a glass to the first official day of summer which, if you haven’t noticed, takes place on Thursday. (Yes, that’s tomorrow.)

It’s time to throw some food on the fire, whip up some coleslaw and baked beans, and relax outside with a cool drink in your hand.

Here’s a perfect-for-summer drink that’s been a hit in my house ever since I spied it in an issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray several months ago:

Basil-Lemon Gimlet

Serves 2

Muddle 8 basil leaves and 2 tablespoons of simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves) in a cocktail shaker. Add 5 ounces of vodka, the juice of half a lemon and 4 ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into two martini glasses and serve.

For a nonalcoholic version, try this drink with lemonade instead of vodka. To make it extra-fancy, rub the rims of the glasses with cut lemon and dip in sugar.

Do you have a favorite summer sipper? Send it along via the contact information below and it may be featured in an upcoming Food section.

Information alert center

To learn more about sustainable agriculture and good eating, all you have to do is drop in to the Moscow Food Co-op.

Nancy Taylor, an organic farmer from Potlatch, Idaho, has created a wheeled tower made of recycled materials. She’ll use the tower as a spot to post information about food- and agriculture-related issues.

She launched her display with information about the renewal of the federal Farm Bill.

Summer food and wine

Take a drive to Kellogg later this month for a five-course food and wine pairing event at Mountain Tapas, a bar and restaurant in the Gondola Village at the base of Silver Mountain.

The outdoor dinner, which starts at 6:30 on June 28, will pair five wines with summer salads and barbecue dishes.

Tickets are $28, available at Mountain Tapas. Call (208) 783-0562 for more information.