Perhaps you think of kosher wine spritzers as always being on the lighter end of the wine palette/palate -- an affair strictly for white wines and blushes. But I beg to differ!

In the French restaurant I waited tables in for most of my twenties, my manager, Armand, introduced me to my first kosher wine spritzer, the "Rouge Limon." (Well, his version wasn't kosher, but mine's evolved that way.) He would stand languidly at the bar, pour himself half a glass of red wine, then top it off with soda water and a twist of lime. "We call it 'rouge limon'," he said, and I knew enough of the language to see why.

Then, of course, he would go into a tirade about how the tables were set, or how the bechamel was not quite right. I'm not complaining. We knew he meant it in love. And that job was where I learned everything I know about wine. I still have the corkscrew I carried in my apron, and use it when I'm especially in need of good luck.

Then my brother married a beautiful woman from Madrid, and she introduced me to the Calimocho (also spelled Kalimotxo), a 50/50 mixture of red wine and Coca-Cola. I was initially horrified, but her tales of being a teenager in Spain charmed me into trying it, and I admit to making it my kosher wine spritzer of choice every so often. If I want a kick of caffeine, say, or this past week when Spain beat Uruguay in the World Cup match (!).

Viva Espana -- and the sparkly red glass in my hand!

As a kosher wine lover, maybe you're shied away from harder alcohol for various reasons. You weren't sure if it was kosher, for one, and for another, maybe you like your drinks a little bit on the sweet side.

(Actually, kosher wine has come so far and gotten so good, it's been a long time since the term instantly brought to mind the sweet kosher wines of yesteryear--but I digress. Sweets for the sweet, is all I mean.)

If that first paragraph tugged at some yearning deep inside you, or even just piqued your interest, let me introduce you to your new best friend. This summer, be inseparable with Me Oko Vodka in strawberry flavor.

Me Oko is serious, hand-crafted vodka, but don't let that intimidate you. Richly accented natural infusions of strawberry make this Me Oko vodka the most approachable and tasty ever. One sip will alert your palate to something ultra-refined and truly different.

Me Oko is what those of us who love big natural flavors have been hoping for, a super-refined, multi-distilled vodka with very forward flavor notes and a long finish. It's kosher, as promised, and as a bonus, gluten-free!