Cooking Lesson #708: Champagne Winter Berry Holiday Cocktail

From the Perspectives’  Holiday Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? Wow, where did November go? There are just 10 more days until Christmas. ‘Tis the season to be merry! And what a great way to begin to celebrate the end of the year holidays than with a Champagne cocktail—you can also substitute with California Sparkling Wine or Italian Prosecco. For those of you trying to make an impression on a new love… ladies love cocktails that tickle their noses.
 
Adding fresh fruit and cranberry juice to sparkling wine makes for an easy and tasty pre-holiday beverage. This cocktail is easy to convert to a non-alcoholic version as well—just sub the bubbly wine for bubbly soda water and let the kiddies join in the celebration.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
 
Ingredients 
4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups apple juice
1/3 cup grenadine syrup
1 bottle Champagne (or your favorite sparkling wine or Sprite)
 
A little water and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar for rimming the glasses
Garnish: fresh or frozen cranberries, fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries
 
Directions

1. Add the cranberry juice, apple juice and grenadine syrup to a large pitcher and stir well until combined.
2. Place the sugar on a saucer.
3. Rim glasses with sugar by moistening the rim of the glass with water and then dipping the rim of the glass in sugar.
4. Fill each glass half full of the juice mixture and add a few berries to each glass as well, placing a strawberry on the rim of each glass.
5. Top it up with Champagne or other sparkling beverage of your choice.
6. Cheers to a Very Merry Christmas or the holiday of your choice.

ChefSecret:  For a more festive presentation, use red, green or blue sugar for rimming the glass.

Quip of the Day:  People who wonder if the cocktail glass is half empty or half full miss the point. The glass is refillable!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

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