SPARKLING - CHAMPAGNE - PROSECCO COCKTAILS

Whether you're having a celebration, toasting the holiday season or just love bubbly it's always fun to have a few choices of effervescent cocktail recipes to take advantage of your favorite sparkling wine.

Types of Sparkling Wines Champagne may be what most people think of when it comes to bubbly, but it is not the only type of sparkling wine.  Many American vineyards simply have bubbly wine classified as sparkling. Around the world there are many country specific sparkling wines including:

Asti

Cava

Crémant

Franciacorta

Lambrusco

Prosecco

Sekt

Below are some delicious ways to enjoy your bubbly in a cocktail.

SPARKLING COCKTAILS
Atomic Cocktail Bellini Martini Berry Mimosa Blond Bombshell Martini Blushing Rose Bubbling Fruit Brandy Martini Champagne and Caviar Dreams Edible Cocktail Chicago Cocktail Chocolate Cupcake Martini Death in the Afternoon Champagne Cocktail Divorce Martini Flirtini Grilled Peach Mimosa Jelly Bean Martini Kir Royale Martini May Day Martini Meringue Island Punch Merry Mimosa Martini Millionaire Martini Mimosa New Year's Blues Martini Pear Champagne Martini Pink Flirtini Prickly Pear Champagne Cocktail Raspberry Resolution Martini Raspberry Sgroppino Sip of Sunshine Martini Sparkling Candy Corn Martini Sparkling Cranberry Crush Sparkling Grape Martini  Sparkling Heart Cocktail Sparkling Hibiscus Martini Sparkling Pear Martini Sparkling Pomegranate Martini Sparkling Pumpkin Cocktail Sparkling Valentine Punch Terri's Cherry 65 Tres Chic Martini Twilight Pearl Martini Wild Orchids Martini What a Peach Martini Wedding Martini 
National Champagne Day is celebrated on December 31st, National Prosecco day is August 13th and National Bubbly Day is the first Saturday in June. 
May your glasses and your life be filled with sparkle, joy and happiness!
Updated 8-2019 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Viniq Twilight Pearl Martini New Year's Cocktail Magic

Thanks to a hostess gift I have a bottle of Viniq Liqueur, a lavender colored liqueur with a vodka base, Moscato and an infusion of exotic fruits. It also shimmers. Yes, shimmers, thanks to an edible cake decoration ingredient.
It's really cool looking when you shake it, a little like a cross between a lava lamp and a snow globe. If you drink it straight this shimmer transfers to the glass, if mixed the shimmer dims a bit, but you can see below that the effervescence from the Champagne in my cocktail does still bubble up a nice shimmer.

It's also not bad tasting, with a decidedly tropical fruitiness, though a bit sweet for my taste. It reminded me a lot of Hypnotiq's Harmonie Liqueur, which also has a vodka base and fruit infusions but uses Cognac in place of the Moscato.
As for the overly sweet taste, well, there are ways to deal with that and thanks to it being New Year's one of those ways had to be Champagne! A few dashes of Angostura bitters, a little fresh mint and a splash of orange juice and you have a pretty, interesting cocktail that shimmers back at you. It's like a little sorcery in a cocktail glass.
If you want to serve up a little cocktail magic for New Year's here's the recipe:
The TWILGHT PEARL MARTINI
1-1/2 Oz. Viniq Liqueur 1/4 Oz. Fresh Orange Juice 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters 1-1/2 Oz. Chilled Champagne 12 Fresh Mint Leaves Orange Rind Spiral Twig of Fresh Mint
Special Tools: Channel Knife Coupe Cocktail Glass, Muddler
Create a long spiral orange twist by pulling the channel knife around the orange rind until you get about 10". Twist this around a pencil and place in the freezer along with your coupe. Add the mint leaves and orange juice to a cocktail shaker and muddle to release the mint oils. Add a cup of ice then pour in the Viniq Liqueur, add the Angostura bitters and shake until chilled. Drape the orange spiral half in and half outside the glass, thread the mint sprig through the spiral then strain your cocktail into the glass. Top off with the Champagne, twirl the twist so your guest will see the shimmers and serve.
Be sure to put the bottle nearby so your guests can play with it. Check out this short video for a look see.
If you're going out to party please have a designated driver or hire a car tonight! Have a fun, safe and joyous New Year's Eve and I'll see you next year!

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