It is the end of strawberry season (here, at least), and the berries right now are truly gorgeous.

I do not tend to like recipes that begin with “… get the very best (of whatever ingredient) that you can,” but here, that is truly imperative. In a dessert this simple, you need the highest quality strawberries that you can find this summer. Good news (maybe?!): that is not so for the champagne – there is no need to use up that bottle of vintage for this one! I would just recommend something dry.

Mascerate the berries in a little raw turbinado sugar, pour over champagne, leave in fridge for an hour/hour and a half. It is the simple and surprising.

Serve the strawberries in a coupe glass garnished with some thyme or tarragon or over a scoop of icy sorbet.

ps. For more peak strawberry recipes, check out these s&h classics: Strawberry Yogurt Tart, Strawberry Tatin, Frozen Yogurt with Strawberry Milk, and Strawberry Pavlova.