Hot on the heels of the release of Prosecco Pink, the second novel in my Franki Amato Mysteries, I have a short Christmas story coming out on December 1st! In keeping with my Italian alcohol + color title theme, this one’s called “Rosolio Red.” It’s will be available for only two months in a Gemma Halliday Publishing collection entitled Cozy Christmas Capers.

If you’re wondering why rosolio is so red, it’s because this liqueur is made from rose petals. Rosolio is popular in Piedmont and throughout the Italian South, but it’s most common in Sicily. Sicilians have been making it since the 16th century, and they serve it to their houseguests as a gesture of buon augurio (good luck).

In recent years, Sicilians have begun to develop new flavors like alloro (bay leaves), basilico (basil), cannella (cinnamon), menta (mint), mora (blackberry), and fichi d'india (prickly pear). And at Christmas time, they make a blood orange variety (hallelujah!).

Here’s the traditional recipe for rosolio:

2 ounces rose petals (about 50 petals)
1 quart 190-proof alcohol
1 vanilla bean
1 pound sugar
3 ¼ cups water

Place the rose petals, alcohol and vanilla bean in a large, sealable jar and let sit for two weeks. Boil the water and sugar until it forms a syrup. Strain the alcohol, discarding the rose petals and vanilla bean. Mix the alcohol with the syrup and then pour in the large jar. Let sit for another two weeks. Filter and bottle or serve. Cin cin!

Now that you know the ingredients for rosolio, you’re well on your way to solving the mystery in “Rosolio Red.” Here’s the blurb:

With Christmas around the corner, Franki Amato’s got visions of her sugarplum, Bradley Hartmann, dancing in her head. Now that she finally has some time off from her PI job, she’s cooking him up a special holiday treat, and it’s not figgy pudding. Her Yuletide plans are dashed, however, when her meddlesome Sicilian grandma goes missing and she has to hurry home to Houston to investigate. All the evidence points to foul play. Then there’s a bizarre break in the case—one that makes her wonder whether her notorious nonna has been naughty or nice.

Here are the buy links for Cozy Christmas Capers:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/124FjYo
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1twEMp6
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1qbOlb1
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1CSuGFQ

Tell me your favorite holiday cocktail for a chance to win a free e-copy of Cozy Christmas Capers.

Buone feste (Happy Holidays)!