Month: January 2015

Day 1: Cranberry Champagne cocktail

 

  • juice of half a lime
  • 1 oz cranberry juice
  • top with champagne and lime twist

For the longest time I thought that the cranberry juice variation of a Mimosa was called a Poinsettia, but there are multiple recipes for Poinsettias online that include things like vodka and orange liqueur. I wonder if that is a regional difference.

I wanted to start with something that might help you use up any leftover champagne from the previous night’s festivities before it gets too flat. This time I wanted to try a little something different than my typical cranberry and champers drink by adding a little lime. I really, really like limes, as you will probably begin to notice. I used a really dry, true champagne this time, which is unusual for me. I think it worked well with the double tart fruits.

Intro

A few days before New Year’s Eve a friend mentioned he wanted to try a 365 project for the next year.

“Oh, where you take a picture of yourself every day for a year?”

“Well, that’s one way to do a project, but it could honestly be anything. I was thinking of mixing a new drink every day, or practicing my calligraphy and typography. What do you think?”

“I think you should do the typography thing because I AM TOTALLY STEALING THE COCKTAIL PROJECT.”

 

Several years ago I bought my partner a bartender’s roll for a gift. He enjoyed mixing drinks for one or two parties, but mostly found himself with a backache and not enough time to spend with the party guests. Sometime in the last year I started using a few of those tools to make simple drinks for myself at home. Not long after that I had bought some new barware, started taking home menus from my favorite cocktail bars, and attempting my own versions for friends. So the idea of trying to make a new cocktail every day for a year, while a little intimidating, seemed like a perfect fit for me.

Welcome to the ride.