Fuzzy peach cocktail: Summer's liquid sunshine

Nothing tastes more like late summer than a fresh peach in season. Here in western Massachusetts, they're practically dripping off the trees, as well as down our arms and faces when we eat them by hand. Sweet, succulent, and its juice so perfectly delicious, like liquid sunshine. I'll never complain about having too many.

But after a recent day -- a solid 12 hours, mind you -- of making peach salsa, peach cobbler and peach preserves, I was flat out exhausted. Luckily, my Dear Husband (DH) came to my rescue. By profession, he is an artist and craftsman, but his creativity extends beyond the studio and into the kitchen.

"Kate, can I use these last two peaches?"

I'd already slapped my big old peaches on the sofa. I was tired from slaving in the kitchen all day. And definitely not tending the bar that night. "Sure," I said. "What're you going to do with them?"

He gave no verbal response, but the sounds that would come would explain it all. I listened as I heard ice cubes clinking, the dull slaps of rough chopping, and the slow glug-glug-glug of some kind of liquid or two. And then, the blender.

I closed my eyes and smiled. My DH knows me so well. Years ago, when we were first dating, his mom had introduced me to Fuzzy Peaches, right about at this time of year. They were living in Bedford, Mass., in a little red antique house, and we had brought them fresh peaches we had picked at a nearby orchard. We sat on their porch swing and looked out at the old sycamore tree through jalousied windows while the sun went down. I remember thinking that I was falling in love. And I was.

I opened my eyes to see my DH with two chilled glasses of this perfect seasonal cocktail. He sat. We toasted to the season, those of years past, and those to come. And we sipped. And smiled.

Below is my mother-in-law's recipe for Fuzzy Peaches. I hope you allow yourself one before the peaches leave us for the year.

Fuzzy peaches recipe