How to make signature sparkling cocktails in a flash
Few things are as festive and celebratory than a cocktail with bubbles. With New Year’s coming up, I thought I’d share three of my favorite signature cocktails. The common thread? Bubbles. And the best part? Each of these recipes requires only three ingredients.
Rosemary bubbles with a hint of sweet
I absolutely love the scent of rosemary. It’s the perfect grow-your-own herb and is wonderful on poultry, in homemade bread, and as a garnish on cocktails. St. Germain is an elderflower liqueur and has a sweet, floral note. It’s the perfect balance to a drier champagne.
For this cocktail, I pour about three-fourths dry champagne and one-fourth St. Germain. I’ll garnish it with a sprig of rosemary and let the flavors infuse for a few minutes before serving. Then, voila! A perfect cocktail with a hint of sweetness and the finish of the delicate and earthy rosemary.
Cranberry and currant bubbles
This is one of my absolute go-to’s for winter parties. All one needs is crème de cassis liqueur, champagne or Prosecco, and fresh cranberries to garnish. The liqueur is a wonderful currant flavor and tastes most like a slightly sweeter version of cranberry. I use the same ratio as in the bubbly cocktail above: three-fourths champagne or Prosecco and one-fourth crème de cassis. The cocktail turns a lovely light burgundy as you can see from the photos. It’s a delicate, fabulous drink that embodies a sophisticated evening by the fire.
Blood orange bubbles
The Aperol Spritz lives well past summer! I’m probably the happiest person armed with this fact. It’s one of my aboslute favorites! I’ve served this effervescent cocktail since early May and am happy to carry on through the winter. Two-thirds bubbles (either champagne or Prosecco in this case), one-third Aperol liqueur, and a garnish of twisted orange peel and you are all set for apres-ski or apres-anything snowy or chilly out. You can also top this off with a bit of seltzer water or sparkling water if you care to do so.
You must, of course, serve these cocktails in the prettiest coupes or flutes. I used our Waterford champagne flutes (similar here and here). Here are a few of my favorites: these Juliska Amalia flutes and coupes, this set of eight stemless flutes (great buy), these glasses with metallic spots, and these with painted gold dots.
Cheers, y’all!
