by Amy Zavatto
INGREDIENTS
7–8 fresh mint leaves, plus an extra sprig to garnish
22ml (¾fl oz) Simple Syrup
22ml (¾fl oz) freshly squeezed lime juice
60ml (2fl oz) white rum
90ml (3fl oz) extra dry-style Prosecco
INSTRUCTIONS
Drop the mint leaves into a cocktail shaker and top with the Simple Syrup. Muddle until the leaves release their natural oils and you start to smell all that nice minty freshness. Add in some ice. Pour in the lime juice and rum and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with the Prosecco, garnish with the mint sprig and pop in a straw.
PUCCINI
You know it’s the festive season when bags and small wooden crates of clementines begin to appear at your local greengrocers. They are a smaller, sweeter, seedless offshoot of a mandarin orange, which is the source of citrus for this northern Italian-created sipper. The inventor of this drink was, apparently, one Renato Haussmann, a barman who crafted a new version of the Mimosa during the winter of 1948 in the alpine city of Cortina d’Ampezzo at the Posta Hotel. The name is for Giacomo Puccini; the citrus for the eponymous mandarin heroine of his opera, Turandot. I prefer to switch out the traditional flute for a tulip glass in order to really get a whiff of those lovely clementine aromatics, and use a brut-style Prosecco as clementines are naturally super sweet.
INGREDIENTS
60ml (2fl oz) freshly squeezed clementine juice
90–120ml (3–4fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour the fresh clementine juice into a tulip glass. Top with the Prosecco.
OF COURSE
Marinating melon in sweet Marsala wine adds a sweet-savoury kick to the fruit. I like to use honeydew for this recipe, but feel free to use your favourite melon (or whatever kind you happen to have in your house at the time).
INGREDIENTS
170g (6oz) honeydew melon, cut up into cubes
120ml (4fl oz) sweet Marsala wine
90ml (3fl oz) extra dry-style Prosecco
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the melon pieces in a bowl and pour the Marsala wine over them. Cover and refrigerate for 2–4 hours. Purée the mixture in a blender or food processor (you will have more than enough for several drinks; store any extra in a glass, airtight container for a day or two). Pour 60ml (2fl oz) of the mixture into a tulip glass and top with the Prosecco.
THE SEELBACH
Who says whiskey and bubbles can’t be friends? This lovely whiskey-centric drink was created by barman Adam Seger in 1995 to provide its namesake hotel (given a spot of fame for its mention by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby) in Louisville, Kentucky, with a much-needed signature cocktail. The result made this drink a classic far and beyond its late 20th-century birth.
INGREDIENTS
30ml (1fl oz) Old Forester bourbon (or your favourite brand)
15ml (½fl oz) triple sec
7 dashes of Angostura bitters
7 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
90–120ml (3–4fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
an orange twist, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the bourbon, triple sec and bitters. Stir well and strain into a flute. Top with the Prosecco and garnish with the orange twist.
ROSABEL
Taking a cue from the Kir Royale, a Rosabel uses Prosecco more as a way of unifying the crème de cassis and sweet vermouth rather than highlighting the sparkling, but this pretty red-hued, low-alcohol drink is a great way to kick off, or even end, an evening. Although the traditional way of serving it is in a flute, I prefer this drink over ice with a nice, wide swathe of orange peel.
INGREDIENTS
30ml (1fl oz) crème de cassis
30ml (1fl oz) Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
22ml (¾fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
a wide piece of orange peel, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the crème de cassis and vermouth in an ice-filled double rocks glass. Give it a little stir and top with the Prosecco. Garnish with the orange peel.
PINK SGROPPINO
It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s sticky! What you need is internal air-conditioning. You can play around with the sweetness level on this chilly, fruity, kicked-up adult treat depending on where and when you want to have it (before dinner as a palate cleanser, or after as dessert) and change the sorbet flavour for your favourite kind. I like the fun, fruity kick of raspberries here combined with a sweeter-style (aka, dry) Prosecco for an afternoon treat or post-barbecue cap-off.
INGREDIENTS
80g (3oz) raspberry sorbet
22ml (¾fl oz) Gewürztraminer grappa
90ml (3fl oz) dry-style Prosecco
3–4 fresh raspberries, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Put the sorbet, Prosecco and grappa in a cocktail shaker and shake until combined and smooth. Pour into a tulip glass and garnish with the fresh raspberries.
SPARKLING BONAPARTE
Prosecco and Cognac really, really like each other. Maybe it’s because they are cousins in grape-based beginnings; maybe it’s just that sparkling wine highlights the fruit-centric notes in great brandy. I like the combo here of Cognac and Prosecco with pink grapefruit juice and the underlying orange-y hum of Cointreau.
INGREDIENTS
22ml (¾fl oz) Cognac VS
15ml (½fl oz) Cointreau
30ml (1fl oz) freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
30–60ml (1–2fl oz) extra dry-style Prosecco
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the Cognac, Cointreau and pink grapefruit juice. Shake well and strain into a coupe glass. Top with the Prosecco.
BREAK THE SILENCE
One of the most pivotal screen stars of the 20th century, Charlie Chaplin somehow managed to make a big impression without uttering a sound. This riff on his namesake cocktail breaks the silence with the festive pop of a Prosecco cork (and, perhaps, the slurp of a straw at the bottom of a glass – it’s just that delicious!).
INGREDIENTS
45ml (1½fl oz) sloe gin
15ml (½fl oz) apricot brandy
30ml (1fl oz) freshly squeezed lime juice
15ml (½fl oz) Simple Syrup
30–60ml (1–2fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the sloe gin, apricot brandy, lime juice and Simple Syrup. Shake well and strain into a coupe or cocktail glass. Top with the Prosecco.
GROWN-UP LEMONADE
This drink is a tiny bit dangerous – it’s so refreshing and easy to drink, you’ll find it disappears fast. Use a good-quality limoncello (Caravella makes a nice version), or plan ahead (a week to 10 days for maceration) and make your own!
INGREDIENTS
35ml (1¼fl oz) vodka
22ml (¾fl oz) limoncello
3 dashes of lemon bitters
60–90ml (2–3fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
a wide piece of lemon peel, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a double rocks glass with ice. Pour in the vodka, limoncello and bitters. Give it a good stir. Top with the Prosecco and garnish with the lemon peel.
NATURE, NURTURE
Your in-laws are coming over for lunch. You want to show them you’re sophisticated, but also interesting. And fun. In other words, you want to give them a glimpse of why their precious offspring has fallen for you. Avoid discussing politics and have one of these at the ready when they walk in the door. It’s delicious and refreshing, but the cucumber-tinged Hendrick’s, bright addition of lime bitters and pretty sparkle from a brut-style Prosecco make it more interesting than simply gin and juice.
INGREDIENTS
45ml (1½fl oz) Hendrick’s gin
22ml (¾fl oz) elderflower liqueur
60ml (2fl oz) unsweetened pineapple juice
2 dashes of lime bitters
60–
90ml (2–3fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
a wide piece of lime peel, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a shaker with ice. Pour in the gin, elderflower liqueur, pineapple juice and lime bitters. Give it a good shake and strain into an ice-filled double rocks glass. Top with the Prosecco and garnish with the lime peel.
FIZZY WATERMELON MARGARITA
Watermelon has got to be one of the most thirst-quenching fruits in the entire world. And actually, its name is no accident: the brightly-hued fruit is 92% water. But I don’t have to tell you that despite the water, it’s not without flavour – and, in this case, flavour that gets wonderfully kicked up with a little extra dry-style Prosecco.
INGREDIENTS
90ml (3fl oz) Watermelon Purée
30ml (1fl oz) silver tequila
15ml (½fl oz) triple sec
22ml (¾fl oz) freshly squeezed lime juice
15ml (½fl oz) Simple Syrup
60ml (2fl oz) extra dry-style Prosecco
3 frozen watermelon cubes, to garnish
a fresh mint sprig, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the Watermelon Purée, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and Simple Syrup in a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled double rocks glass. Top with the Prosecco. Skewer the frozen watermelon cubes onto a single toothpick and garnish with this and the mint sprig.
LEGHORN SPRITZ
Sunny yellow and presented in a gorgeous tall, slim glass bottle, Galliano got quite a bit of mid-20th century fame for the once-popular Harvey Wallbanger cocktail. But this exotic, sweet, herbaceous liqueur’s history goes all the way back to 1896, when it was invented by the brandy producer Arturo Vaccari in the Tuscan city of Livorno, who named his creation for Guiseppe Galliano, a hero of the Italo-Ethiopian War. For reasons I have yet to uncover, Brits like to refer to this city on the Ligurian Sea as Leghorn. But while that might be a mystery, the delicious combo of the lo-fi ingredients below is not.
INGREDIENTS
22ml (¾fl oz) Galliano liqueur
22ml (¾fl oz) Aperol
90ml (3fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
a wide piece of lemon peel, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour the Galliano and Aperol into an ice-filled double rocks glass. Give it a little stir and top with the Prosecco. Garnish with the lemon peel.
SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
One evening, my husband Dan came home after a particularly stressful, horrible work day and the look on his face said to me, oh dear, that man needs something to put a smile on his face. And rum? Well, if rum can’t put you in a better mood, I don’t know what can. I had a little leftover ice wine from a dinner party, and was struck by inspiration: the caramelized, vanilla, dried fruit flavours in the rum combined with the apricot notes of the ice wine and the bright, buoyant fruit in a dry-style Prosecco sounded like just the trick. It was! Spouse happy, new favourite cocktail created. Win-win.
INGREDIENTS
45ml (1½fl oz) Jamaican rum
15ml (½fl oz) ice wine
30ml (1fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
a wide piece of orange peel, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour the rum and ice wine into an ice-filled double rocks glass. Give it a little stir and top with the Prosecco. Garnish with the orange peel.
Common in places like Germany and the Finger Lakes region of New York State, ice wine is exactly what it sounds like – it’s made from grapes left on their vines long after the normal harvest time so that they literally freeze. When this happens, the sugars inside them become more concentrated and almost honey-like, so when they are quickly crushed after picking, the result is a near-syrupy, decadent dessert wine that will make you swoon.
BORDER PASS
I like a Paloma as much, or possibly even more, than a Margarita. It’s so simple and makes ample use of grapefruit juice (a plus in my book!). This souped-up version adds a little lime and simple syrup, along with a bubbly burst of dry-style Prosecco.
INGREDIENTS
30ml (1fl oz) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
8ml (¼fl oz) freshly squeezed lime juice
45ml (1½fl oz) reposado tequila
15ml (½fl oz) Simple Syrup
90ml (3fl oz) dry-style Prosecco
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a shaker with ice. Pour in the grapefruit juice, lime juice, tequila and Simple Syrup. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with the Prosecco and add a straw.
ISLAY SOUR
One recent spring evening on an unseasonably hot day where I live in New York, I had some pink grapefruit sitting around in the refrigerator. I was trying to figure out what to make to go with some fish I had for dinner and considered putting the grapefruit on the grill – it caramelizes the sugars and makes a nice smoky-sweet accent. But then I got to thinking: wouldn’t it be cool to make a refreshing drink that emulated that smoky grapefruit flavour using mezcal or Islay Scotch? The answer was yes, yes it was! The drink on its own is lovely, but add a splash of brut-style Prosecco, and the flavours are really lifted up. I prefer the single malt Uigeadail from the wonderful Ardbeg distillery in Islay here, because its strong smoke component is beautifully balanced by a rich, fruity characteristic in the malt.
INGREDIENTS
30ml (1fl oz) Ardbeg ‘Uigeadail’ single malt Scotch
30ml (1fl oz) pink grapefruit juice
8ml (¼fl oz) Simple Syrup
30–60ml (1–2fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
a wide piece of pink grapefruit peel, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Pour in the Scotch, grapefruit juice and Simple Syrup. Shake for 20 seconds. Strain slowly into an ice-filled double rocks glass. Top with the Prosecco and garnish with the grapefruit peel.
SUNDAY IN THE PARK
The delicate, soft floral notes of chamomile combined with a brut-style Prosecco make such a lovely combo, all they really need are some subtle accents via a little Cointreau and a touch of ginger. Combine the first three ingredients in a chilled thermos, grab a bottle of Prosecco and bring this concoction to your next picnic in the park.
INGREDIENTS
90ml (3fl oz) unsweetened chamomile tea
15ml (½fl oz) Cointreau
8ml (1/4fl oz) Ginger Simple Syrup
90ml (3fl oz) extra dry-style Prosecco
a slice of fresh peach or orange, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a Collins glass with ice. Pour in the tea, Cointreau and Ginger Simple Syrup. Stir for a few seconds and top with the Prosecco. Pop in a straw and garnish with a thin slice of fresh peach or orange.
TODAY’S WINNER
This twist on a classic Brandy Crusta gets its little tropical update from some unsweetened pineapple juice and tiki bitters, which, depending on the producer, tend to have an exotic edge to them, with spices and notes of cinnamon, allspice, ginger and citrus. Combined with an extra dry-style Prosecco, this winner of a sipper will take your taste buds swiftly over the finish line.
INGREDIENTS
45ml (1½fl oz) Cognac
8ml (¼fl oz) Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
8ml (¼fl oz) triple sec
8ml (¼fl oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice
15ml (½fl oz) unsweetened pineapple juice
3 dashes of tiki bitters
60ml (2fl oz) extra dry-style Prosecco
a strawberry, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the Cognac, Maraschino liqueur, triple sec, lemon juice, pineapple juice and tiki bitters in an ice-filled shaker. Shake well and strain into a tulip glass. Top with the Prosecco and garnish with a strawberry.
LUXE LIFE
If your only familiarity with the word ‘maraschino’ is of the unnaturally red, super-sweet cherries that top a sundae, you’re in for a big treat. Maraschino liqueur is distilled from marasca cherries, stones and all. The final result is a beautiful, brandy
-like beauty that smells like pretty flowers and nuts – and is Prosecco’s absolute best buddy in the glass. No lie. Maybe even more than Cognac. So much so, you really don’t need anything else with it, the two together are such a great combo. Pop in another one of Italy’s famed cherries as a garnish, and you’ve got an easy, impressive cocktail to quickly serve a crowd. With a two-ingredient cocktail such as this one, it may be worth your while to upgrade to a DOCG Prosecco. Seek out one from the eastern part of the DOCG, where the soils encourage more of a stone fruit and mineral profile in the wine.
INGREDIENTS
1 Amarena cherry
30ml (1fl oz) Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
90–120ml (3–4fl oz) extra dry-style Prosecco
INSTRUCTIONS
Drop the cherry into a flute. Pour in the Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and top with the Prosecco.
AIR MAIL
If you’ve never had the pleasure of flipping through Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts (first published in 1949; revisited in 1977), you’re in for a time-warp treat. Not only is it chock-full of hostess-with-the-mostest recipes, advice on equipment and a funny picture of a naked lady, it also offers up coin tricks to entertain your guests and drink recipes like this little gem.
INGREDIENTS
60ml (2fl oz) golden rum
22ml (3/4fl oz) freshly squeezed lime juice
15ml (½fl oz) Honey Syrup
90–120ml (3–4fl oz) brut-style Prosecco
a lime twist, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the rum, lime juice and Honey Syrup in an ice-filled shaker. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with the Prosecco and garnish with a lime twist.
