One of our favorite things to do with sparkling wine is make sparkling cocktails. The type of sparkling wine you choose makes a difference in the final result. Think about it. Do you really want to taste mushroom and attic in a fruity sparkling creation? Then DON’T grab that bottle of champagne you have been saving. Veuve Clicquot and orange juice just don’t mix. Remember we want “fizzy, fruity, frugal and fun!”
By the same token, you can’t erase poor quality by adding more flavors. While you don’t want to use the most expensive sparkler for a cocktail, you will taste the difference if your bottle was $3.99. Sorry to burst your bubble (pun intended.)
We prefer a quality sparkling wine that is
1. Dry (cocktail ingredients add sweetness)
2. Neutral (cocktail ingredients add flavor) OR
3. Slightly fruity (to enhance the cocktail flavor)
- 1 tsp. Oregon Cranberry Liqueur from
- Clear Creek Distillery
- 1 tsp. ginger syrup (recipe below)
- 1-2 dashes Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6
- oz. fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
- cup granulated sugar
- cups water
- Place sugar, water, and ginger in saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until the consistency of syrup – approx 15 minutes. Cool, strain, store in airtight container in refrigerator.
- Stir ingredients in flute and fill remainder of flute with sparkling wine
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