“Thanks Champagne”- Two simple and delicious holiday Champagne cocktails and the BEST SNL skit of all time

Ohhhh, champagne- you old rascal. How I love thee. Let me count the ways. In the bath, at a show, on a bus with a stripper pole. (That’s about as good as my poetry skills get- Thanks champagne and thanks Dr. Seuss)

Let me start of by saying, this post was made possible by Luc Belaire’s generous donation of several bottles of GLORIOUS bubbles. I know I talk about bubbles  quite often, but “I LITERALLY CAN’T” stop drinking it. Cava, sparkling, champagne, brut, rosé. . .whatever it is I’m crazy for bubbles. These Luc Belaire bottles came in special handy on New Year’s Eve this weekend when we decided to stay home and class it up on the couch. Bubbles, sequins sweatpants and all the fur babies. (I was asleep by 11:00pm. Lame,  I know. Maybe it’s because I had been drinking these fancy schmancy cocktails since 4:30? I’ll blame the drinks.)

Sparkly sweats: Zaful.com and shirt from HoneyBeeTrueCo. (Yes, I’m aware that “champagne” is spelled wrong. I, in fact, approved the design while probably drinking the stuff and tipsy Kelli didn’t catch the typo- so it’s my fault! Don’t blame Nicole- who makes the cutest custom tees! Check out her site!)BUT- if you watch the SNL skit I’ve attached above- it actually makes it appropriate- so I suppose it’s kind of a joke!

Although I made these cocktails to celebrate ringing in the new year, these cocktails are so unbelievably easy- they’re great for any time you’re entertaining. For me, and when it comes to champagne, if I’m not drinking it by itself- I try to keep it simple (no need to ruin something that’s already D-licious). It’s always a great topper for any girly martini (simply shake all your ingredients, strain into martini glass and top with a splash of bubbles) or, I like to add fruit and a liqueur (if you add much more than one flavor/liqueur, you’re likely to ruin your champagne (leave jazzy champagne cocktails to the professionals!). On the other side of that, if you are drinking a $1,000 bottle of bubbles- I don’t recommend adding anything at all- savor that shit!)

The Luc Belaire I used today is a great bottle- especially for the price.  (Also- apparently this is Rick Ross’s favorite champagne so there’s that.) This bottle doesn’t “need” anything added, but I thought I’d like to get fun and fancy to celebrate the new year- and here are TONS of pictures because I think they turned out beautifully and you can never have too many pictures of cocktails. Hell, have a glass of bubbles while you peruse the rest of this post.

And also- PLEASE watch my favorite SNL skit, above- if you’ve never seen it. (Thinking of you Joanie). You’re welcome for that.

Erm, excusaaaah me- how cute are these flutes? I’ll be the first to admit, I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with glassware- but when I saw these I knew I had to have them! For $4.99 a piece I couldn’t let anyone else swoop these beauties up. Thanks Marshall’s!

First up- the “Flora Belaire” because I like to name my cocktails- it makes me feel fancy. I got an amazing liqueur set from Cardinal Spirits for Christmas from my sister and brother-in-law. (Thanks guys!) The Songbird Flora liqueur (pictured below) is has a bit of sweetness to it and a nice floral notes to it. I decided I’d add pretty garnishes instead of adding anything else to upset it’s yummy flavor profile. What better to pair with floral notes than edible flowers themselves? You can purchase edible flowers in the farmer’s market or in the herb section of your local grocer. (Make sure to rinse thoroughly!)

I also wanted to use a tropical fruit to add some color- star fruit was perfect because it is mild and not too juicy- I wanted the look of the fruit but didn’t really care for the fruit of the juice. It makes a beautiful garnish as you can see! The other fruit pictured is a prickly pear. Maybe I just don’t know how to prepare it, but I didn’t really care for it all that much- but sliced it adds a nice pop of color to the cocktail without altering the flavor. Both good garish choices!

 

Here I rimmed the glasses in metallic baking sprinkles- a festive and fun touch!

• Rim the glass with sugar (if desired)
• layer garnishes
• add 1/2 oz Flora Liqueur
• Slowly pour Luc Belaire on top

(If you are adding fruit to plain champagne (no other ingredients) add fruit last- it will cause major bubbles! I added the fruit and garnishes here first because I wanted them layered and to look a certain way!)

And for the second cocktail of the day- a Rosemary Royale! I’m well aware that the “Kir Royale” has been around for ages. I’m not claiming to have invented it. All I did here was add a sprig of Rosemary- because it smells freakin’ fantastic and it looks festive. Add some sprinkles, fresh red raspberries and voila!

 

 

• Rim flutes with metallic sprinkles
• pour 1/2 oz Chambord
• top with Luc Belaire
• add sprig of Rosemary and raspberries

 I like to post easy drink recipes people can make at home. I’ve been a bartender forever and it’s the worst when people ask for a recipe but have to buy 8 different ingredients just to make one drink at home. Most people don’t have a full bar at their disposal, so I like to give you an easy option that still looks beautiful and is great for entertaining!

Last, as an afterthought and a side note- if you like Jazz (and drinking bubbles while listening) I recommend checking out jazz artist, Kat Edmondson’s song “Champagne“:  in addition to her all her works. Aaron and I saw her live in November and I am smitten with her quirky, unique voice! She’s great.

And now, to open another bottle of Luc Belaire, kick my feet up on the couch and hit “post”.

Cheers!