Keep The 2020 Party Going with Champagne Toast Alternatives
Happy 2020!! Hard to believe we have entered a new decade. It’s January 6th and for most people, the new year, post-holiday slump has gone into full effect. I personally love to keep the party going and to create opportunities for continued celebration for friends and family.
While champagne can be enjoyed year round, I especially love it during the wintry months but it’s so much fun to put a twist on the expected bubbly libations. Today, I’m sharing a few of my favorite champagne toast alternatives for you to sip on to help bring back party mode. Bonus: I even have an option for anyone who’s dabbling in Sober January!
Simple: The classic French 75 – This four-ingredient go-to is as easy to make as it is delicious. This cocktail can also be batched for even easier service.
FRENCH 75
Ingredients:
· 2 oz. champagne (Le Grand Courtage is lovely) or sparkling white wine
· ½ oz. Lemon juice
· 1 oz. Gin (Damrak is a nice citrus-forward gin)
· 2 dashes simple syrup
Preparation instructions:
1. In cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup
2. Add ice and shake vigorously
3. Strain into chilled Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine
4. To create garnish, curl orange or lemon peel around your finger to create the twist. Garnish drink with twist and serve immediately.
Moderate: The “Hot Shot” – Perfect for intimate get-together, this drink, which is wildly popular in Sweden, calls for one part Galliano L’Autentico and one part hot coffee or espresso topped with heavy cream served in a shot glass. The vanilla notes in the Galliano work beautifully with either drip coffee or espresso and the cream adds a nice body. Also, if you’re hosting, you might want a toast to end the night that goes down a little quicker than a glass of Champagne, lest your guests linger.
THE HOT SHOT
Ingredients:
· ½ oz. Galliano L’Autentico
· ½ oz. espresso
· ½ oz. heavy cream
Preparation instructions:
1. Carefully layer the ingredients in a shot glass in the order shown (Galliano on the bottom, cream on the top).
The non-alcoholic: The holidays can mean A LOT of drinking. Sometimes guests and hosts alike want to back off the throttle a little but don’t want to feel left out.
Photo Credit: Jessie Smyth of Genever
PEEL ME A GRAPE
by Jessie Smyth, Genever, Los Angeles, CA
Ingredients:
· 4 muddled grapes
· 1 oz. Giffard bitter syrup (acts like a non-alcoholic Campari)
· ½ oz. Calamansi juice
· ½ oz. grapefruit juice
Preparation Instructions:
1. Shake all ingredients together then strain into a wine glass filled with ice
2. Top with Q Grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary
A few words on the drink: “This drink combines classic components of an Americano, minus the booze! Giffard Bitter syrup mixes with fresh grapes and aromatic rosemary with citrus from grapefruit, calamansi and grapefruit mixer for a refreshing autumnal spritz.”
