Grapefruit Sour Sparkler

Let's see a show of hands of who has actually infused alcohol before.

Not many of you, OK, no worries.....neither had I before making this cocktail.

I was sent a sample of Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit candy to create this cocktail with.  All opinions are my own.  I was not paid for this post.

First of all, who knew Hi-Chews came in sour flavors?

Me either!  I had no clue!

That being said, WOW, infusing them with brandy.....GENIUS!!

I'm extremely happy that my very first try at infusing alcohol was a success!  I honestly didn't realize that it would take a few days to do (I believe it was more like 4 or 5 days total).

That being said, it was well worth the wait.

I will say that it's kind of like waiting for a pot to boil on the stove though.  I feel like I checked on it 38473463276 times in those 4-5 days.

Once it's done, it looks something like this.

Looks pretty creamy.  Tastes pretty darn good all on it's own as well.  Which was a nice surprise.

So how do we make this cocktail?

Easy.

First pour in the Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit Infused Brandy and add a dash of bitters.

Top it off with sparkling wine.

Garnish with, yup you guessed it, Sour Grapefruit Hi-Chew.

Easy right?

Super easy.

The hardest part is waiting for the brandy to finish infusing!

The easiest part?

Enjoying this delicious cocktail!

Grapefruit Sour Sparkler

ingredients:

• 4 ounces sparkling wine
• 1 ounce Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit Infused Brandy
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

instructions:

Cocktail

1. Pour Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit Infused Brandy and bitters into glass.
2. Top off with sparkling wine.
3. Garnish with Hi-Chew Sour Grapefruit candy.

Infused Brandy

1. To infuse the brandy for this cocktail, take 1 Sour Grapefruit Hi-Chew and add it to 1 ounce of brandy.
2. Let this mixture infuse for 3-5 days, until candy has disappeared.
3. When ready to use stir well.

Created using The Recipes Generator

That's it.  Easy enough.  Very enjoyable.  

Just remember to think ahead and infuse MORE than an ounce of brandy like I did.  You just might want to make a second cocktail.

12 Champagne Cocktails For New Years

With New Years Eve only 2 days away, I thought it would be a great idea to give you 12 champagne cocktails for New Years Eve!  

These cocktails are all different from one another and each one has a different ingredient in it.  

None of these are mimosas, which is the  most common cocktail thought of when using champagne.

For me this year has not been a good one at all.  

From the long long line of people who have passed away this year, both personal friends and famous icons. 

 Another reason, and the most important one, why this year has not been good is because a few very close and very dear family members as well as a close and dear friend have had a very hard year, health wise.  

Not only have they had one bad thing happen to them health wise, but multiple.

This past year has been filled with so many different emotions within me that sometimes when I actually stop.....and think about it.....SHIT......that's a lot for one person to absorb....and that's just me....me, not the person who is actually going through these horrible circumstances and has to deal with them first hand physically, not to mention mentally & emotionally.

Needless to say, I am SO ready to say Goodbye...or for those of you who know my tongue F%#$ Y&@ to 2016!  

I need a fresh new start to a brand new year in hopes that this upcoming year is FAR better then this year!

On that note......let's talk about alcohol!!  Here are 12 champagne cocktails that I have made over the years!  All different.  All good!

Apple Champagne

Blushing Bride

Bubbles & Berries

Bubbles & Blue

Buck's Fizz

Champagne & St. Germain

Kinky Bubbles

Lemon Champagne Cocktail

Passionate Bubbles

Raspberry Resolution

Raspberry Vodka Champagne

Veronica's Champagne Cocktail

There you have it!  12 Champagne Cocktails For New Years Eve!

I hope you all have a fun and safe New Years Eve & Day!  Happy New Years to all!!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Raspberry Resolution

Day 316

Raspberry Resolution

4.5 shots out of 5

**With New Years Eve a few days away, it's time to think beyond the classic glass of champagne!  This new years cocktail has been a crowd pleaser.  It's great what something as simple as raspberry puree can do to a glass of champagne!  Cheers!!**

(p.s. I think it's cool that I made this 4 days before NYE 4 years ago!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four days until New Years Eve.  

Sorry, I just have to say that out loud to be able to wrap my mind around it.......I'm still in shock.  

I'd better test out some New Years Eve cocktails while I can then right?  

Tonight I decided to create my own based off of a non-alcoholic version that I had created where you literally substitute sparkling cider for the champagne.

I gave tonight's cocktail 4.5 shots out of 5.  

This is such an easy cocktail to make, I mean you already have the champagne in your glass, why not add some raspberry puree to it?  

Don't like raspberry......well then try some passion fruit puree, strawberry puree, prickly pear puree.........whatever flavored puree you can find that you like.  

Even better, buy them all and make them all to make sure you know which one is your absolute favorite.  

You could always have a taste test bar for your guests on New Years Eve so that everyone can see which is the best.

Here is a couple photos of the end result:

   

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Raspberry Resolution:

• 4 oz champagne
• 1 oz raspberry puree

In a champagne flute, pour in your champagne and raspberry puree.  Stir to mix the puree in well.

Here's to a simple New Years Eve cocktail.......because honestly, by the time midnight comes, who can measure out ingredients anymore??

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Passionate Bubbles

Day 364

Passionate Bubbles

5 shots out of 5

Today is the kids last day of school for the week.  


We now get 5 days off for President's weekend.  5 days!!  


I'm not completely sure that we even got a day off when we were in school and if we did it was only Monday.  


Last year my kids got Friday and Monday off and this year Thursday through Monday off. Budget cuts is what I am assuming the extra long holiday is all about, either way it'll be nice to have them all home for a few days.

I gave tonight's cocktail 5 shots out of 5.  


With tomorrow being Valentines Day I figured why not create another simple but delicious Valentine cocktail.  


I have to say, Passion Fruit puree goes AH-MAZE-ING-LY with champagne!  Yumm!  I am really enjoying my little creation here.  This cocktail is definitely worth a try, or two......shoot three tries is good too.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is my recipe for Passionate Bubbles: 

• 2 1/2 oz champagne
• 2 1/2 oz passion fruit puree

In a champagne flute, pour in both ingredients.  Stir up your mixture to get the puree to blend in completely with the champagne and enjoy!!

Here is to the two remaining days left of my year challenge.

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Black Velvet

Day 353

Black Velvet

3 shots out of 5

Finally!  Finally I can say, "Tomorrow is the Super Bowl!!".  

Oh we have been waiting 18 years for this game.  

We are all super excited to watch it tomorrow.  

I found this recipe for Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips (the blog recipesquickeasy that I found this recipe on has been removed 11/8/16) through a pin on Pinterest today and decided that I am going to be making them for the game tomorrow (super excited about that too!!).

I gave tonight's cocktail 3 shots out of 5.  

I had found this cocktail by following links and ended up on Liquor.com where, ahem, I am a contributor!  

Once I made this cocktail, photographed it and took my first few sips, my husband came into the kitchen and said, "Oh you used the Stout Guinness".  

Apparently (which I didn't realize) the one in the bottle is the stout (which I've never had) and the one in the can is the draught (which I've had).  

I didn't realize that there were different ones.  

Now knowing this, I will assume that if I had used the draught Guinness this cocktail would have tasted quite a bit better.  

The stout is more carbonated where the draught is smoother and doesn't really taste carbonated at all.  

If you do make this cocktail, I recommend using the draught and using a champagne that you like, one that isn't terribly sweet.

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Black Velvet:

• Guinness draught beer
• Champagne

In a tall beer glass, fill half way with Guinness.  Then over the back of a spoon fill the last half of your glass with champagne.

Here's to another beer cocktail.  They are fun and I do enjoy them for a change.

Cheers!!  Go Niners!!!!  And yes I have had the "Black Velvet" song in my head ever since I decided to make this cocktail.

The Cocktail Lady

Veronica's Champagne Cocktail

Day 321

Veronica's Champagne Cocktail

4 shots out of 5

Happy New Year!  

Today is the beginning of a brand new year.  

Since every year seems to go faster then the one before it, I have a feeling 2013 will be gone before I know it.  

How was everyone's New Years?  We had a great time on New Years Eve.  Any new cocktails I should know about?

I gave tonight's cocktail 4 shots out of 5.  

My husband cooks breakfast every New Years morning late morning and during today's breakfast mimosa's were being made.  

One of my friends switched out the orange juice for cranberry juice which she said she liked better.  

I decided to try that cocktail tonight and in doing so searched online real quick for an actual name for the cocktail with.........no luck.  

Instead I decided to name it after my friend who introduced it to me.  

I like this better then a regular mimosa and will request it anytime mimosas are being made from now on.  Thank You Veronica!

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Veronica's Champagne Cocktail:

• 1 1/2 oz champagne
• 1 1/2 oz cranberry juice

In a champagne flute pour in both ingredients and enjoy!

Here's to a fresh new year!  May it be all you hoped it would be.........and if not, there's always cocktails!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady

Raspberry Vodka Champagne

Day 320

Raspberry Vodka Champagne

3.5 shots out of 5

Happy New Years Eve!!  

Finally the day has come, time to par-tay!  

You will all have to let me know what your cocktail of choice was tonight!  

I hope you have all had a wonderful year and that next year is even better.  I do truely appreciate all of you that come to my blog to see what I've been drinking.  

This blog has been a lot of fun to do, but wouldn't be half as fun without all of your emails, comments and recipes!

I gave tonight's cocktail 3.5 shots out of 5.  

I found tonight's cocktail at tablespoon.com.  I have to say, if I liked champagne more, I would definitely like this cocktail a lot more.  

The raspberry vodka and lime juice mixed in with the champagne make it quite an enjoyable cocktail........minus the champagne that is.  

I have learned from these last few days that to enjoy champagne (for me at least), I must mix something else into it.  

So far my Raspberry Resolution is the winner in my book, but this would be a second to that.  I hope you all have fun tonight and please drink responsibly, or bring and overnight bag wherever you're going!

Here is a photo of the end result:

Here is a photo of the ingredients:

Here is the recipe for a Raspberry Vodka Champagne:

• 3 oz champagne
• 1/2 oz raspberry vodka
• 1/2 oz lime juice

In a champagne flute or wine glass, add all of the ingredients above and stir.

Have the happiest of New Years!  I'll see you all next year!!

Cheers!!

The Cocktail Lady