Guest Author - Beth Schreibman Gehring
I adore champagne cocktails and there are so many to choose, from the almost obligatory French 75 which consists of Champagne drenched in fine brandy and sugar to the simple and elegant mimosa, that delectable combination of orange juice and chilled champagne. I love them all, but this season I was searching for something new and delicious. There's such a surplus of pomegranates in the stores right now and I couldn't resist trying to come up with something just a little bit festive using those bright , juicy seeds! So I ran to my favorite wine and spirit store and grabbed a bottle of Moet & Chandon Rose' , a bottle of Chambord, a bottle of Cointreau and some blood orange bitters!
While I was chilling the champagne I grabbed a bar pitcher and began to mix and taste. What I finally came up with was really delicious and a excellent cocktail to toast the coming New Year!
For each cocktail you will need:
1 bottle of chilled Rose' champagne (I truly love Moet & Chandon for this use. They are MADE for mixing!)
1 tablespoon of Chambord
1/4 teaspoon of Cointreau
1 teaspoon of fresh pomegranate juice (made by muddling the fresh seeds and straining the clear juice through a sieve) Yes..I know that it's extra work, but its worth it!
a dash of Blood Orange Bitters (I love Stirrings brand)
1 lump sugar cube
Candied orange peel for garnish - Dipped in dark chocolate if you can find it!
Soak the sugar cube in the Cointreau and place into the bottom of a flute champagne glass. Add the Chambord, Pomegranate juice and bitters. Fill the glass with the chilled champagne and garnish with a piece of the orange peel, that's all there is to making this delicious holiday treat!
For the record, I truly believe that everyone who's serious about crafting cocktails should have a set of flute champagnes and they needn't be expensive, just fluted! In a pinch they make wonderful parfait glasses, but more importantly they keep the bubbles of your favorite bubbly intact! If you can find the hollow stemmed ones that's even better, but if what you own are your grandmothers saucer champagne glasses by all means use them! The memories alone will be very worth it and they are super glamourous, just not quite as good for savoring an expensive champagne!
Wishing you Warm fires, Lots of Kisses and Happy Cocktailing this Holiday Season!
