I was asked to do a signature cocktail recipe for a wedding last Spring. Now that the wedding has transpired, the couple are safely back from their honeymoon and are nearing the end of their first year together, they have kindly given me permission to share the recipe.
The bride had chosen soft coral pink, pale peach and a soft cream as her signature colors, the groom and his posse were decked out in light beige/tan tuxedos. The flowers were coral and peach hibiscus and cinnamon roses. They both wanted a Champagne cocktail as their signature drink as well as a recipe that could also be converted to a non-alcoholic beverage.
Those were my inspirational jumping off points and here is the cocktail:
The BLUSHING ROSE CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL (Makes 2 Cocktails)
Tools: Cocktail shaker DIRECTIONS: Chill flute. Add a teaspoon of hot water to a teaspoon of the Honey Creme Blood Orange then heat in the microwave for 10 seconds. Allow this to cool. Add the rum and the cooled blood orange honey syrup to an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake until chilled.
Place the cherry in the flute. Strain the rum and honey over the cherry, gently top off with the Champagne, add the Hibiscus and Rose drops and allow them to settle on the bottom. Tap a dash of the orange bitters on top and serve.
Simply calculate a minimum of 2 drinks per guest* and multiply the ingredients for that number. Create a base by making the Blood Orange Honey Syrup then adding it to the Wild Hibiscus Concentrate to create a syrup then set the mixture aside in sealed pitchers in the refrigerator or cooler at the bar. Chill the Champagne and line up the rum bottles and multiple cocktail shakers in a handy place for the bartender to grab. Get enough of the Luxardo Cherries for all the drinks and keep these in a covered bowl at the bar, plus a few extra because, trust me, people will sneak over and grab a few to munch when your bartender isn't looking.
Your bartender can then easily dispatch multiple cocktails by simply pouring in the rum, adding the Champagne then topping off with the honey and rose hibiscus syrup.
If you want to offer an non-alcoholic version, choose a different glass (so there are no chances of a teetotaler getting booze). I would suggest a Collins glass to make it a cooler style cocktail, triple the syrup, then simply leave out the rum and replace the Champagne with soda water
*Leftovers, if there are any, are not a problem. The Champagne and rum, of course, can be reincorporated into your home bar, any left over hibiscus, rose, honey syrup can be used to make a delicious sorbet and, nope, there won't be any leftover Luxardo Cherries, trust me.
, Scrappy's Seville Orange Bitters
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