Fun fact: Ernest Hemingway—a man we can all agree is one of the manliest of men—drank Champagne. A lot. For a while, he literally drank it every day. He drank it straight and he drank in a wide variety of cocktails, depending on where in the world he was.
With that in mind, I want to turn your attention to Easter, the first of the warm weather drinking holidays of the year. You may not necessarily celebrate the holiday, but regardless of that, Easter is a great excuse to spend the day drinking, watching your nieces and nephews chase around whoever drew the short straw on dressing up as the Easter Bunny.
If you enjoy sparkling wines on their own, great, drink up. Sometimes, though, we can all agree that even something as refined as sparkling wine needs to be kicked up a notch or three. Below, we’ve gathered some fresh, new, and kickass versions of the classic mimosa so you can do just that.
Silent Bubbles
- 1 oz El Silencio Espadin
- .5 oz Grenadine
- .5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- .5 oz Fresh Orange Juice
Method: Shake with ice & strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top up with 1 oz. Champagne. Garnish with a lime wheel.
4-3-2-1
- 4 oz Chilled Bolla Prosecco.
- 3 Drops Bitters
- 2 Sugar Cubes
- 1 oz. Cognac
Method: Pour bitters onto sugar cube and let soak in, place sugar cube in a Champagne flute. Add Cognac, and top with Bolla Prosecco.
Spring Tide
(Created by Naomi Schimek)
- 2 oz Park Cognac Carte Blanche VS
- 2 oz club soda
- .75 oz lemon juice
- .75 oz hibiscus syrup
Method: Shake the first three ingredients together briefly. Strain into a Collins glass over ice and top with club soda. Garnish with edible flowers of the season and a wheel of lemon.
Ruffino Negroni D’Asti
- 4 oz Ruffino Moscato d’Asti
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- .5 oz gin
- Long spiral of orange peel, for garnish
Method: Add the Campari, vermouth, and gin into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled. Pour into champagne flute. Top off with the Moscato d’Asti. Garnish with orange peel.
Riondo Prosecco Slushy
- 2 cups Riondo Prosecco
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 oz Triple Sec
- mint leaves
Method: In a baking pan, combine orange juice, Riondo Prosecco, and Triple Sec. Stir to combine. Freeze for at least six hours. Scrape into flaky crystals with a fork. Fill coupe style glasses with slushy. Garnish with mint. Top with additional Prosecco. Enjoy!
In the Mood
(Created at Sushi Garage, Miami)
- 1.5 oz Pear puree
- .5 oz Vanilla syrup
- Prosecco
Method: Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake and pour into champagne flute. Top with more Prosecco.
La Facile
- 1 oz Ca’ Momi Ca’ Secco Sparkling Wine
- 1.5 oz Carpano Bianco white vermouth
- 1 oz J. Gasco Elderflower Soda
- .25 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- .25 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- Rosemary & Lavendar Sprigs for Garnish
Method: Fill an Old-Fashioned glass with ice. Pour over the all ingredients. Vigorously stir and garnish.
