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Champagne, cranberry juice, and a garnish of cranberries and mint. It's a tart-sweet drink. Not too champagne-y and not too cranberr-y-yy. We liked this drink a lot. It was flavorful and rather refreshing.
This drink was something I'd never have dreamed up on my own. It uses a dash each of bitters and simple syrup. I like angostura bitters in drinks but I never thought of combining it with Champagne. It's a win-win. I liked this drink because it completely changed the taste of the champagne. If you don't like champagne then this might be a tasty alternative.
I added one ounce pom liqueur to a champagne flute and filled it with Champagne. I tossed in a few pomegranate seeds I had on hand and presto! I had a winning cocktail! This one ended being our favorite - Go figure!
These drinks we tested recently have more of a Christmas theme but I figured they are worth mentioning. Especially if you still have candy canes laying around. I dipped the rim of shot glasses in simple syrup and coated with colored sugars. You could also used crushed candy canes. The drink tastes just like a candy cane. You don't taste the rum at all - it's very minty.
This drink was also minty but has a hint of chocolate from the white chocolate liqueur. Don't let the fact that it looks like milk fool you. It packs a punch!
Saying Goodbye to 2012
by Guest Writer, Valerie WhitmoreAh, New Year's Eve
A night to reminisce of the year behind us, and look forward to the year ahead.
A night to make resolutions we'll keep for a week or more (if we're lucky).
And, a night to drink.
Even if you don't tie one on, surely you partake in the customary champagne toast at midnight, right? And yes, non-alcoholic toasts count too.
I haven't missed midnight on New Year's for as long as I can remember. There is hope in that clock ticking midnight. Hope that in a good year, good times will continue. And in a bad year, times will change.
And there is always Champagne.
I like Champagne, even though I don't normally care for sweet drinks. Even brut Champagne is a bit on the sweet side for me but it's light enough that I'll drink it.
It's probably the expense of a good bottle, but we don't normally think of Champagne as a mixer. However, if plain Champagne isn't your thing then using it in a mixed cocktail might be more your style. And if all you have is a cheaper bottle, then a mixed drink is definitely a good option.
We tested a variety of recipes for New Year's using Champagne as a mixer, rather than as the main attraction. I have to say, I was impressed. The drinks we tried are great for NYE or anytime you don't want to drink plain Champagne.
The following recipes were tested using brut Champagne. Brut is less sweet (extra-brut is the least sweet) than others and on the dry side. Conversely, "dry" or "sec" Champagne is actually sweet. Confusing, I know. From driest to sweetest they are: extra-brut, brut, extra-dry (extra-sec), sec, demi-sec, and doux
This first recipe qualifies as a Christmasy drink too, but I chose it purely for NYE since I still have cranberries on hand and fresh ones are still available in grocery stores (hint: they freeze great so buy them up while you can!).
The Champagne drinks can all be made into non-alcoholic versions quite easily. You would definitely want to use a good quality non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Use pomegranate juice in place of the liqueur. Technically angostura bitters contains alcohol but it's used in such small amounts that most drinks that contain it are often labeled as non-alcoholic. There is no easy substitute, but for the purposes of the above-mentioned cocktail only, I would add a pinch of dried orange peel, one star anise, and one cardamom pod to a couple ounces of tonic water. Let it sit for a 15-20 minutes then strain. Use as needed. It won't have quite the same taste but it should be effective enough. And you're only using a dash of it per drink.
Of course, I must offer the standard disclaimers: Drink responsibly. And definitely don't drink and drive
Happy New Year!
A night to reminisce of the year behind us, and look forward to the year ahead.
A night to make resolutions we'll keep for a week or more (if we're lucky).
And, a night to drink.
Even if you don't tie one on, surely you partake in the customary champagne toast at midnight, right? And yes, non-alcoholic toasts count too.
I haven't missed midnight on New Year's for as long as I can remember. There is hope in that clock ticking midnight. Hope that in a good year, good times will continue. And in a bad year, times will change.
And there is always Champagne.
I like Champagne, even though I don't normally care for sweet drinks. Even brut Champagne is a bit on the sweet side for me but it's light enough that I'll drink it.
It's probably the expense of a good bottle, but we don't normally think of Champagne as a mixer. However, if plain Champagne isn't your thing then using it in a mixed cocktail might be more your style. And if all you have is a cheaper bottle, then a mixed drink is definitely a good option.
We tested a variety of recipes for New Year's using Champagne as a mixer, rather than as the main attraction. I have to say, I was impressed. The drinks we tried are great for NYE or anytime you don't want to drink plain Champagne.
The following recipes were tested using brut Champagne. Brut is less sweet (extra-brut is the least sweet) than others and on the dry side. Conversely, "dry" or "sec" Champagne is actually sweet. Confusing, I know. From driest to sweetest they are: extra-brut, brut, extra-dry (extra-sec), sec, demi-sec, and doux
This first recipe qualifies as a Christmasy drink too, but I chose it purely for NYE since I still have cranberries on hand and fresh ones are still available in grocery stores (hint: they freeze great so buy them up while you can!).
The Champagne drinks can all be made into non-alcoholic versions quite easily. You would definitely want to use a good quality non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Use pomegranate juice in place of the liqueur. Technically angostura bitters contains alcohol but it's used in such small amounts that most drinks that contain it are often labeled as non-alcoholic. There is no easy substitute, but for the purposes of the above-mentioned cocktail only, I would add a pinch of dried orange peel, one star anise, and one cardamom pod to a couple ounces of tonic water. Let it sit for a 15-20 minutes then strain. Use as needed. It won't have quite the same taste but it should be effective enough. And you're only using a dash of it per drink.
Of course, I must offer the standard disclaimers: Drink responsibly. And definitely don't drink and drive
Happy New Year!
Champagne, cranberry juice, and a garnish of cranberries and mint. It's a tart-sweet drink. Not too champagne-y and not too cranberr-y-yy. We liked this drink a lot. It was flavorful and rather refreshing. This drink was something I'd never have dreamed up on my own. It uses a dash each of bitters and simple syrup. I like angostura bitters in drinks but I never thought of combining it with Champagne. It's a win-win. I liked this drink because it completely changed the taste of the champagne. If you don't like champagne then this might be a tasty alternative.I added one ounce pom liqueur to a champagne flute and filled it with Champagne. I tossed in a few pomegranate seeds I had on hand and presto! I had a winning cocktail! This one ended being our favorite - Go figure!These drinks we tested recently have more of a Christmas theme but I figured they are worth mentioning. Especially if you still have candy canes laying around. I dipped the rim of shot glasses in simple syrup and coated with colored sugars. You could also used crushed candy canes. The drink tastes just like a candy cane. You don't taste the rum at all - it's very minty. This drink was also minty but has a hint of chocolate from the white chocolate liqueur. Don't let the fact that it looks like milk fool you. It packs a punch!