chelsea'srecipes

Sliced lemons and limes

1 can frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate

1/2 cup vodka

3 1/2 cans of beer (Michelob Ultra seems to work best. No lie.)

1 cup frozen raspberries

You may notice that no Michelob Ultra appears in the picture. I maintain that the light favorite of tennis-playing ladies everywhere is the proper choice. In this instance, my husband went to a fancy store (Hi, Whole Foods!) that didn't stock it, so he went with this local brew, Westbrook White Thai. It's a great beverage (really great, actually), but too much of a real beer for faux Champagne punch. Never fear: The drink was still plenty delicious and my friends sipped with abandon. One guest, Matt, pointed out that it ended up tasting a bit likeLindemans Framboise.

When the punch gets low, add a little more beer, club soda if your guests need some pacing. By the end of the evening, the ice ring will have melted into a delicious slushy, alcoholic treat. Enjoy! (Just don't tell any French people that the combination of Mich Ultra and vodka tastes a lot like Champagne to a few of us on this side of the pond.)