New Years Eve–it’s an evening filled with the sound of champagne corks popping and the clinking of glasses in sparkling toasts. Sparkling wine is often great on it’s own, but with a few extra ingredients you can create a new flavor without losing the bubbles and fizz necessary to a New Year’s toast.
Blood Orange Sparkler
From Raising the Bar (Artisan) by Nick Mautone
Blood oranges are a seasonal treat: look for them from December to May. They are grown throughout the Mediterranean as well as in California.
Planning ahead: Chill the sparkling wine for at least 30 minutes before making the cocktails
Ingredients:
1 blood orange
3 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons sweet vermouth
One 750-milliliter bottle sparkling wine, chilled
Blood orange slices for garnish
Glassware: Wineglasses
1. Using a sharp knife, cut off and discard the ends of the blood orange. Stand it upright on a cutting board and slice the rind and white pith off the fruit using a gentle downward sawing motion, cutting away as little of the flesh as possible. Discard the rinds.
2. Cut the fruit crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Divide the slices evenly among the 6 wineglasses.
3. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon sugar into each glass and muddle to extract the orange juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon vermouth to each glass and stir.
4. Divide the sparkling wine among the glasses, stir, garnish with blood orange slices, and serve.
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