Tag Archives: sparkling cocktails

Plum Sparkler

Posted on by August 31, 2016

A New Year’s Party requires a special cocktail, complete with lots of bubbles. New Year’s Eve is all about the champagne, so if you’re making a cocktail, you better make it a champagne cocktail, which is exactly what I did when I made my Plum Sparkler. If you spent your fall packing fruit into brandy, like I did, a New Year’s Party is definitely an occasion that warrants cracking open one of those extra special jars. But if you didn’t, you should be able to find plum brandy at a good liquor store; just ask for Slivovitz or Slivovitsa. Believe it or not, plum brandy made from Damson plums is very popular in Eastern Europe. Of course it won’t take exactly the same as this homemade hooch based drink, but that’s a big part of the fun in mixology in my humble opinion. This cocktail has lots of sweetness to it, but the soda and sparkling wine balance it out perfectly. Just make sure to buy a brut sparkling wine to ensure this cocktail doesn’t get too sweet. You can always adjust the sweetness up and down by adding more or less of the lillet blanc and orange liquor. The … Continue reading →

Ginger Rogers

Posted on by January 15, 2015

A great meal needs a great cocktail to get your guests in a festive mood and this Ginger Rogers Cocktail certainly does the trick for my Middle Eastern Feast. The bourbon makes the Ginger Rogers perfect for winter and the spicy ginger let’s your taste buds know that something fun is on the way. Finally, the mixer is sparkling rosé, so in my book, it doesn’t really get any better. The lovely pink color makes this a fun cocktail for a ladies night, but with the bourbon and spice, no one would dare say it’s a wimpy drink. Serve it in flutes to take advantage of the bubbles, but coupes, wine glasses and even high balls work just fine. The Ginger Rogers was inspired by a trip to the Village Whiskey in Philly. They used to serve a cocktail by the same name, but when it mysteriously disappeared from the cocktail list I had to take matters into my own kitchen and work on a substitute. I must say, this version of the Ginger Rogers Cocktail slakes my thirst for the original. … Continue reading →