Father Time, Fireworks & Fizz
A toast to the New Year: The ultimate bubbly cocktail recipes to ring it inright
It's almost New Year's Eve and you know what that means: It's time to break out the bubbly. Come Dec. 31, the collective sounds of corks popping and glasses clinking will be heard all across the globe as celebrants toast to a brand new year.
While it is a celebration of a "new" year, the annual festivity to signify a fresh start is actually one of the oldest of traditions, first observed by the ancient Babylonians almost 4,000 years ago — and it's the wine-loving Greeks and Romans who came later that we have to thank for the tradition of toasting to the New Year.
It was thought that one's luck could be affected by what that person ate or drank on the first day of the New Year. The ancient Greeks and Romans would pour wine into a common pitcher to be shared among guests.
After its emergence on the scene, champagne became the toasting beverage of choice around the 18th century because of its inherent sparkling, festive nature.
Wine was considerably more acidic back then, so to make it more palatable a small piece of burnt toast was floated in the wine to absorb the excess acid. The last person to drink the wine would eat the toast, hence the practice of toasting was born.
After its emergence on the scene, champagne became the toasting beverage of choice around the 18th century because of its inherent sparkling, festive nature.
For those looking to have an extra dose of "festive-ness" in your celebratory libations, below are some inventive champagne cocktail recipes — whether you need to forget some old acquaintances or toast to new ones, these effervescent sips are sure to help you ring in the New Year in style.
Happy New Year (reprinted from Colleen Graham, About.com Cocktails)
This champagne cocktail has more depth due to the addition of port and brandy — it'll really knock your socks off.
1/4 ounce brandy
3/4 ounce ruby port (Sandeman's 10 year port preferred)
3/4 ounce orange juice
4 ounces champagne
Pour the brandy, port and orange juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a champagne flute and top with champagne.
Scotch Fizz (reprinted from Foodandstyle.com, courtesy of Viviane Bauquet Farre)
Sure to rebuff anyone that scoffs about bubbly cocktails being too "girly," this drink combines single malt scotch and champagne. The Cointreau rounds out the flavors with a hint of sweetness.
2 ounces of single malt scotch
3/4 ounce Cointreau
12 ounces champagne or sparkling wine
4 large lemon peels
Shake Scotch and Cointreau with ice cubes until shaker is frosted. Divide into 4 chilled champagne flutes. Top with the champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemon peel and serve.
Serves four.
Kiss at the Stroke of Midnight
It's no secret that I love bubbly. This cocktail is the original recipe of my champagne-obsessed alter ego, "The Bubbleista." Inspired by that pivotal smooch on the lips, it's all of the things a great kiss should be: Sweet with an edge of tartness; exotic and luscious; fragrant and tingly; and lastly, soft but with a little bit of unexpected spice.
1 small jar or can of lychees in light syrup
3 raspberries
1 small mint leaf
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
1/4 teaspoon rose water (found at Specialty and Middle Eastern markets), optional
1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
3 ounces brut champagne (or sparkling wine)
Remove 2-3 lychee berries from the jar and place into a cocktail shaker. Add the raspberries, mint and brown sugar into the cocktail shaker and muddle until the sugar has mostly dissolved. Pour the grapefruit juice, rose water and St. Germain into the shaker, add ice and shake gently until all of the ingredients meld beautifully. Strain into a champagne flute and top off with the champagne or sparkling wine.
Serves one — but, like a kiss, it should definitely be shared.
