The holiday season is upon us, and what better time to channel your creativity and be inventive with cocktails and wines? Whiskey-Cola, Gin and Tonic and Shiraz-Cab can be enough for the rest of the year, but now it's time to spice up your parties and meetings. And it should not be difficult or expensive!
Nothing brightens a rally as bubbly! And while the Champagne can be a budget-breaker, consider these sparkling alternatives:
Yellowtail moscato (Australia)
There is nothing like light fizz raciness perky and natural to do things feel good. Freshness is the key and this Moscato has in spades. green grapes crushed, notes of peach and a little lift of tropical fruits to round the soft palate, but the real heroes are the "frizzante" delicate bubbles.
Zonin Prosecco (Italy)
A lively sparkling wine that is essential to have fun, Italian style. Dry food and friendly, it adds a festive element to any gathering or meal. fresh and fruity flavor profile of Prosecco make it easy to pair with any kind of food and also makes a delicious aperitif.
Viña Maipo Brut (Chile)
A fascinating blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Chenin Blanc, this sparkling wine has fresh pineapple notes that give way to a final slightly tart. With an aromatic mixture of quince and green apple, this is an ideal companion for fish, seafood or as an aperitif.
If you want to add a personal touch to your sparkling wine, consider this easy to do Sparkling Sangria:
Sangria De Cava
Fill a pitcher with a bottle 750ml sparkling wine (almost any brand will do) and add 15ml each of brandy and orange liqueur. Mix with the juice of an orange and a lime.
If you prefer cocktails making for the holiday season, here are some that are fun and far from the norm:
Christmas Jones
This sweet highball drink begins with a blend of strawberries, pineapple and vodka and topped with lemon-lime soda for a refreshing holiday cocktail. It is topped with a mint garnish adds a little joy at the final presentation and is a great all around holiday drink for two.
Ingredients:
- 4 fresh strawberries
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 2 tsp superfine sugar
- 5 oz pineapple juice
- 7-Up (or other lemon-lime soda)
- Mint sprigs for garnish
Preparation :.
- In a blender, whiz vodka, strawberries, sugar and pineapple juice together
- Pour mixture evenly into two whiskey glasses .
- Top with 7-Up.
- garnish with a sprig of mint.
Dreaming Of Zen
You can dream of a white Christmas and the children of all the great gifts that Santa will drop, but for many of us the dream of the holiday season is just a bit of peace. That's where this soothing cocktail comes in. The fruit blend combines beautifully with Zen Green Tea Liqueur and cream for a soothing cocktail to help you zen out.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Zen Green Tea Liqueur
- Midori Melon Liqueur 1/2 oz
- 3 oz mango juice
- white pepper
- cream 2 oz
- mint leaves for garnish
- grated nutmeg garnish
Preparation :.
- Pour the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice
- Shake.
- Strain into a champagne flute.
- garnish with mint leaves and a pinch of nutmeg.
English Christmas Punch
Warm up your holidays with this wonderful punch recipe. It is also fun to do because it involves burning beverage, which is always a spectacular sight, but in this case it is a whole punch bowl. This punch has a dark rum which is enhanced by the flavors of red wine and tea. The recipe is for 27 servings, making it a great Christmas party punch.
Ingredients:
- 750 ml bottle of dark rum
- 750 ml bottle dry red wine
- 3 strong cups brewed tea
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup juice lemon
- seasonal fruit for garnish
Preparation:
method a (no flame):
- heat, but do not allow to boil all the ingredients in a pot or stove.
- Stir well, making sure all sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the hot mixture into a punch bowl resistant to heat and add seasonal fruits such as orange slices and cranberries.
- Serve hot.
Method two (flamed):
- Heat, but do not allow to boil the wine, tea, lemon and orange juice in a casserole dish or friction.
- Pour hot mixture into a bowl heat resistant punch.
- Put as much sugar as possible in a large pocket and excess sugar in the punch bowl.
- Saturate the sugar in the pocket with rum.
- Ignite rum and sugar in the bag and pour it into the bowl on fire.
- Stir well and put out the flames.
- Add remaining rum punch.
- Stir well, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Serve hot.