Cindy Lowe Rynning, founder Grape Experiences
http://www.grape-experiences.com
Recipes:
Starting with Zardetto – $18.99– an amazing Prosecco
This is a great choice for the New Year celebrations because it’s basically made for social occasions. It’s a perfect wine to start the evening or all night long. This is bright, bubbly, and refreshing, with beautiful, fruity aromatics, and perfect for entertaining. Prosecco is a classic wine to drink before sitting down to dinner because it’s known to whet the appetite. It can also be mixed into cocktails – brunch cocktails such as mimosas, or a classic Italian aperitif, like a Spritz or a Bellini.
Cocktail using Zardetto is:
Negroni Sbagliato (or just Sbagliato)
Sbagliato means incorrect or mistaken, as this drink subs prosecco in for the gin. Said to be discovered by a busy bartender mistakenly using sparkling wine instead of gin! A fortunate and happy error.
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 ounce Nardini bitters (or red bitter like Campari)
Top off with Zardetto Prosecco
Over ice
Garnish: orange peel
Another sparkling: Francois Montand Brut Blanc de Blancs NV (from France), SRP: $15
This is a great choice for the New Year celebrations because it’s a great tasting sparkling wine that also happens to be an incredible value. It’s made using the “Méthode Traditionelle” – the same labor-intensive, high quality process that is used to make Champagne (it gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in bottle, which adds richness and complexity). With an elegant, classic French label, François Montand introduces more people to this winemaking style, showing wine lovers everywhere that a well-made, high quality sparkling wine can be accessible. Their grapes come from vineyards throughout France, from the Gascony region in southwest France to the Jura mountains.
Cocktail using Francois:
French 75
- 1oz gin
- 1/2oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/2oz simple syrup
- François Montand Brut
Shake and strain into chilled champagne flute, Top with François Montand Brut Garnish with lemon twist and cherry.
Another sparkling: Martini & Rossi Asti DOCG SRP: $11.99
Cocktail- Sgroppino Float:
Swap option: Turn these cocktails into alcohol-free mocktails by omitting the vodka and swapping the sparkling wine for ginger ale.
Ingredients
-
- 4 champagne glasses
- 1 ounce raspberry syrup
- 4 scoops lemon sorbet
- 12 ounces sparkling wine, such as Prosecco, Asti Spumante or Champagne
- 4 ounces vodka
Preparation
- Pour 1/4 of the raspberry syrup into the bottom of each champagne glass.
- Add 1 scoop lemon sorbet and 1 ounce vodka to each glass.
- Fill to the top with sparkling wine and serve.
http://www.zardettoprosecco.com/prosecco-treviso-doc/?lang=en
http://www.francoismontand.com/
https://www.martini.com/us/en/