Offer up a toast this New Year’s Eve with a pretty glass of bubbly splashed with pomegranate juice for a bit of color and a hint of sweetness. While the pomegranate seeds are a nice touch, I usually don’t bother with them.

These days you can get good bubblies from Spain (cava) or the States (California, Washington) for under $10 a bottle. I always use a brut (dry) sparkling wine. Stay away from demi sec (sweet) bubblies unless that’s what you prefer. Make sure your sparkling wine is well chilled…then let the festivities begin!

Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail
-recipe from Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington

This is a festive way to begin a special brunch or dinner. Serves 6.

6 tablespoons pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
One 750-ML bottle Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled

Pour 1 tablespoon of the pomegranate juice into each Champagne flute. Add a few pomegranate seeds (they will drop to the bottom). Pour about 4 ounces of Champagne into each flute. Serve immediately.

Tags: brut, cava, Champagne, cocktail party, cocktails, festive drinks, New Year's Eve, sparkling wine

Sangria, like most things, can either be really bad or really good. This peachy-flavored recipe for White Sangria is definitely in the really good category! It’s delicious, refreshing and super easy to make.

I chose a bottle of Red Cliffe Sauvignon Blanc (under $10 at Trader Joe’s), and used triple sec for the orange liqueur. Instead of peach nectar, I used Trader Joe’s Dixie Peach juice because that’s what I had on hand. I loved the blend of flavors and didn’t want to dilute it too much so I only added a little club soda. Start with a 1/2 cup or so and add more to get the flavor you enjoy. A combination of sliced nectarines, peaches and apples added to the flavor and presentation (next time I’ll also add in sliced plums for extra color).

Invite some friends over, set out a few appetizers and you’re set for a great summer evening! Enjoy!

White Sangria
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma.com (adapted from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining: Outdoor, by George Dolese)

Use whatever stone fruits look freshest at your market to create this refreshing sangria. Its the perfect cooler for a hot summer day. Serves 6 to 8.

6 peaches, plums or nectarines, or your favorite combination of stone fruits, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups peach nectar
1/4 cup orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
1 bottle (750ml) dry Spanish white wine (white Rioja) or Sauvignon Blanc
2 cups club soda, or more, to taste
Ice cubes for serving

In a large pitcher, combine the fruit, peach nectar, orange liqueur and wine. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.

Stir in the club soda and ladle the sangria into ice-filled glasses. Serve immediately.

Tags: Beverages, club soda, cocktail, nectarine, orange liqueur, peach, peach nectar, sangria, sauvignon blanc, triple sec, white sangria, wine

Here’s a refreshing drink that’s perfect on a hot summer day. The recipe calls for an Italian sparkling wine called Prosecco but any dry sparkling wine will do. Enjoy!

The Strawberry Muddle
-recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine

Created by Jon Hoeber, the farmers’ market-prowling mixologist at Rustic Canyon restaurant in Santa Monica, The Strawberry Muddle is a midsummer dream of a drink that involves little more than crushing berries at the bottom of a glass, then dropping in a lemon slice, ice, and a good slosh of Prosecco. Don’t even bother stirring—you want the heavy cubes to hold down bright bits of berry as well as keep the drink good and cold. Makes 6 drinks.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups chopped hulled strawberries
6 thin lemon slices
Ice cubes
1 750-ml bottle chilled Prosecco

Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cool syrup.

Divide strawberries among six 6- to 8-ounce glasses; add 1 tablespoon syrup to each and mash with muddler or handle of wooden spoon. Add lemon slice to each and mash to release flavor. Add several ice cubes to each glass, then fill with Prosecco.

Tags: bubbly, prosecco, sparkling wine, strawberries, Strawberry Muddle, summer cocktail, summer drink

Today is my birthday and I made this delicious sparkling wine cocktail to celebrate my day. It’s easy, delicious, and perfect for spring and summer festivities!

I used frozen raspberries, which worked great  because they get smashed with the lemoncello so they don’t need to be beautiful, whole berries. Also, choose a brut sparkling wine, unless you prefer a sweet sparkler. Brut means very dry and refers to the sweetness of the bubbly. There are many good Italian (prosecco) and Spanish (cava) bubblies on the market that are under $10. To make the drink even prettier, serve in stemware like these pretty French Country flutesmade by Mikasa. Cheers to me!

Sparkling Limoncello-Raspberry Cocktail
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma

A bright yellow liqueur, limoncello is imbued with the refreshing flavor of lemon, without any of the bitterness. This sunny drink speaks Italian, so embrace its homeland and serve with crostini, bruschette or breadsticks. Or, set out a cheese plate with such Italian favorites as Taleggio or fontina.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. sugar 
1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest 
A few drops of fresh lemon juice 
3 raspberries 
2 Tbs. limoncello  
Crushed ice as needed 
1/2 cup sparkling wine 
Lemon zest strip for garnish 

Directions:
On a small plate, stir together the sugar and grated lemon zest. Dip a clean finger in the lemon juice and moisten the rim of a Champagne flute or other glass. Dip the rim in the sugar mixture to coat.

In a small bowl or ramekin, using a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spoon, pulverize the raspberries with the limoncello. Transfer the puree to the sugar-rimmed glass. Place a spoonful of crushed ice in the glass, then pour in the sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemon zest strip and serve immediately. Serves 1.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Good Food to Share, by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan (Weldon Owen, Inc., 2010).

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Tags: Beverages, bridal shower, cocktail, lemoncello, raspberry, Sparkling Limoncello-Raspberry Cocktail, sparkling wine, summer drinks

Here’s an updated version of the bellini, a cocktail that originated in Italy that consists of sparkling wine and white peach purée. This recipe features mango nectar (or juice) instead of peach purée. It’s beautiful, festive and delicious! This cocktail would be a perfect beginning to a brunch or an al fresco (outdoors) dinner party. For an extra ”pop” of color, garnish each champagne flute with 3 whole raspberries.

As a side note, my pretty French Country flutes are made by Mikasa. If you don’t already have champagne flutes, you should buy a few. They don’t take up much space and they make a celebration that much more special!

Mango Bellini
-makes 1 drink.

1 part mango juice
2 parts chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
3 whole raspberries

Fill a champagne flute one-third full with mango nectar. Top with sparkling wine, leaving a little room for the raspberries, and stir gently. Place raspberries in champagne flute. Enjoy!

Tags: Champagne, cocktail, mango bellini, sparkling wine