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Do You Drink Wine Spritzers?

partysugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:50:22 -0700

I've become obsessed with drinking wine spritzers. They're refreshing and light on alcohol. Sometimes I'll open a bottle of wine on Monday and not be home again until Thursday. Thus, to use up the old wine, I make a wine spritzer. Normally I combine white wine with sparkling water, but basically any carbonated drink - like the hibiscus soda seen here - works. Do you enjoy them?

Happy Hour: Tinto de Verano

partysugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:00:28 -0700

Spain's cheap variation of sangria, the tinto de verano, is quite simply a red-wine spritzer. Refreshing and delicious, this concoction is my go-to drink when I'm in the mood for something light. This easily drinkable cocktail is a delightful alternative to beer and wine.

Choose a mixer that suits your tastebuds: sparkling water, Pelligrino Limonata, and Squirt are variations that I've made, and always garnish with a fresh lemon wedge. To learn how I recently made this version, which uses Hansen's new sparkling water, read more.

Tinto de Verano
Original recipe from PartySugar

Ingredients

red wine
sparkling water
Hansen's cranberry grapefruit sparkling water*
lemon wedge, for garnish

Directions

Fill a large wine glass, goblet, or Tom Collins glass with ice.
Fill 2/3 full with the red wine. Top with sparkling water until glass is all but half an inch filled.
Top with sparkling cranberry grapefruit water. Garnish with a lemon wedge and enjoy immediately!

Makes 1 drink.

*This drink should be made to your liking. If you prefer more sparkling juice than sparkling water, do it!

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Melissa d'Arabian's Helpful Hints For Feasting on a Budget

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:31 -0800

Of all the year's celebrations, Thanksgiving often is the most expensive. In 2008, roughly a quarter of you said you were spending $150 or more. This year, to help you stay well within your budget, we've enlisted the help of Melissa d'Arabian, winner of the Next Food Network Star and host of Ten Dollar Dinners With Melissa d'Arabian.

On her Food Network show, Melissa makes dinner for four for under $10 - and her Thanksgiving is no different. She's partnered with Walmart to come up with a turkey day feast that's only $20, and plans to serve it to her own family this holiday. "My family is really getting the $20 thanksgiving!" she says. Regardless of how much you've got in your wallet, she has some pointers to help you stay under budget. See them when you read more.

For a Quick Bite, Roll Your Own Spring Rolls

YumSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:59 -0700

This past weekend, San Francisco experienced a couple of the hottest days of the year. After a blistering morning walk around the city with out-of-town visitors, I invited my friends over for lunch. To keep things appropriately light, I served wine spritzers and made fresh Vietnamese-style Spring rolls.

Although they may look and sound labor-intensive, non-fried Spring rolls - or Summer rolls, as they're sometimes called - can make for an incredibly speedy meal. While this recipe calls for deli roast beef (an unusual filling for Spring rolls), you can use any protein you like; I later made rolls with roasted turkey, which tasted great as well. The versatility of the filling is part of the beauty of the dish. Learn how to roll your own when you read more

Happy Hour: Basil Sangria

partysugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:00:50 -0700

From wine spritzers to cabernet caipirinhas, this Summer, I've been all about sipping wine-based cocktails. The one I'm most infatuated with is sangria. I've experimented with tropical fruit sangria and floral liquor sangria. However, before I made this version, I had never enjoyed a sangria with fresh herbs. The star of this sangria is basil. It infuses the wine with an aromatic earthiness. Fresh-squeezed orange juice further flavors the sangria and club soda provides a subtle effervescence. To enjoy this refreshing drink, that's perfect for sipping on the deck, get the recipe and read more.

Basil Sangria
From Food & Wine

I was unable to find Thai-basil at my grocery store, so I simply used regular basil.

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
8 Thai basil sprigs
Zest of 1 lemon, peeled in 3-inch strips
Zest of 1 orange, peeled in 3-inch strips
2 bottles chilled Pinot Grigio
3/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup fresh orange juice, strained
Ice
Chilled club soda
12 thin orange slices, for garnish

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the basil sprigs and lemon and orange zests. Let the syrup stand, stirring often, until cooled to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Discard the basil sprigs and zest strips.
In a large pitcher, combine the basil syrup with the wine, brandy and orange juice.
Pour the sangria into ice-filled glasses, top with club soda and garnish each drink with an orange slice.

Serves 12.

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Come Party With Me: Rehearsal Dinner - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:00:23 -0700

At a rehearsal dinner, don't go overboard with the alcohol. The last thing you'll (whether you're the bride, maid of honor, or a guest) want to deal with on the big day is a hangover. Don't offer a full bar, instead tempt guests with one cocktail, beer, wine, and sodas. When making special toasts, sip sparkling wine. For Ronda's backyard soirée, I'm making a batch of limoncello spritzers with mint.

The light fizzy concoction is festive and fits with the relaxed Italian theme. This delightful cooler is a refreshing start to any Summer menu, so get the recipe now and read more.

Limoncello Spritzers With Mint
Modified from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

Limoncello:
2 pounds lemons (about 10 large)
1 (750-ml) bottle 100-proof vodka
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
Spritzers:
Ice cubes
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup club soda

Directions

To make limoncello: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Place the lemon peels in a 1-quart jar. Pour the vodka over the peels and screw on the lid. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 1 week at room temperature.
Stir the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely, then stir in the vodka mixture.
Strain the liquids into bottles, pressing on the peels to extract as much liquid as possible. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
To make spritzers: Fill 4 tall glasses halfway with ice. Add the mint leaves. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, coarsely crush the mint leaves into the ice. Pour some limoncello over, and stir to blend. Add a splash of club soda and serve.

Makes 2 1/2 quarts of limoncello and 4 spritzers.

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Come Party With Me: Bridal Shower - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:30:36 -0700

Since most bridal showers are afternoon affairs, a heavy cocktail menu is not necessary. At Elena's bridal shower we'll set up a fruit spritzer buffet. Guests can have their choice of fruit purees and either mix them with sparkling water, club soda, or sparkling wine. A do-it-yourself bar is essential to this type of party where some will want to drink and others will not. Arrange ice, glasses, fruit purees, and mixers neatly on a side table.

For more wedding coverage go to IDoSugar. To take a look at the fruit spritzer recipe, read more.

Fruit Spritzers
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
Fresh seasonal fruit, such as 8 cups cubed seedless watermelon, 6 cups cubed honeydew melon, 6 cups cubed cantaloupe, 6 cups cubed mango, or 4 1/4 cups raspberries
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of coarse salt
Sparkling water, or club soda, or sparking wine

Directions

Put sugar and 1 cup water into a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.
Puree fruit, syrup, lemon juice, and salt in a blender. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes (up to 2 days).
To serve, fill 8 medium glasses with ice; pour 1/2 cup puree into each glass, and top off with sparkling water or wine, or club soda. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

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Must-Read: Food and Wine Cocktails 2008

partysugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:00:13 -0700

As bartenders raise the bar on the quality of cocktails, it's no wonder I've become interested in doing the same at home. At happy hour, I no longer want to make a simple rum and coke, instead I prefer to experiment with exciting combinations and fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Recently I purchased Food and Wine Cocktails 2008, an informative, paperback full of classic and modern recipes from the nation's hippest bars and restaurants. From wine spritzers to whiskey drinks to party punches to bar snacks, nothing is overlooked or forgotten. To see what I think of the book, read more.

Pros:

The book is small, so it sits perfectly on a bar.
It's packed with everything you need to know about the art of cocktail making. There's a glossary of spirits, mixers, and other important ingredients, a diagram of glasses, and over 150 recipes.
A brief description of the bars and restaurants, along with the details on where each is located, accompanies the recipes making this book a nightlife guide as well!

Cons: Many of the spirits used in the recipes are expensive and or hard to find. If you aren't interested in creating the perfectly-stocked home bar, perhaps this isn't the best cocktail book for you.

Recipes: The recipes are straight forward and simple to follow. The book covers everything from:

The building blocks - simple syrup, homemade grenadine
The basics - dark and stormy, sazerac, etc.
The exotic - blackberry Cabernet caipirinha, Thai boxer
Party friendly - kill-devil punch, Boston tea party

Imagery: There are glossy, color photos of many of the drinks. Beautifully photographed, these images look delicious and refreshing.

Overall Rating: This is one of my newest, most favorite cookbooks!

Come Party With Me: Easter - Drinks

partysugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:51:32 -0700

Easter is this Sunday and naturally I am busy as a bunny prepping for a feast with my family. Easter is a wonderful holiday because you get to celebrate the refreshing beauty that is spring. Symbols of rebirth - crisp greens, sunny yellows, fresh herbs, blooming flowers, round eggs - will be the underlying theme of this weekend's party. Dainty Easter eggs inspired the invitations and I've come up with 2(!) delicious menus for a fabulous meal. Unlike Thanksgiving when everyone celebrates with a dinner, Easter is a holiday that is either celebrated with a brunch or a dinner - so in an attempt to really help each and every one of my readers, I've planned both. In PartySugarLand you can't have any sort of gathering without specialty cocktails so I've come up with drinks to pair with each of the menus as well. To take a virtual sip, read more

For the brunch: If you have access to an espresso machine, use it! Offer guests cappuccinos, americanos, or espressos. Fresh squeezed orange juice is another must, if you don't have a juicer get a nicer quality pulpy OJ such as Odwalla. Water, sparkling and still, is a must. Mimosas are a classic brunch cocktail but Blood Orange Bellinis are an elegant alternative especially if you make them with fresh squeezed blood orange juice. Harvey Wallbangers are a more festive choice than the regular old screwdriver. However if you want to make a new, unique cocktail specifically for the brunch try a sparkling combination of white wine and chambord in the form of a chambord spritzer.

Chambord Spritzer
From Gourmet magazine

1 ounce Chambord (black raspberry-flavored liqueur)
1 1/2 ounces white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Chilled seltzer or club soda
A twist of lemon peel for garnish

In a tall glass combine the Chambord, the wine, the lemon juice, and 4 ice cubes.
Fill the glass with the seltzer and stir the drink. Garnish it with the lemon peel.

Serves 1.

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For the dinner: At Easter dinner you must offer several bottles of wine. A rosé will complement the rosy pinkness of the ham because it has the refreshing crispness of a white wine, as well as the medium body of a dry red wine. For those whose hearts are set on pouring a red choose a cru Beaujolais, a varietal that I've heard a lot about lately whose rich complexity will pair nicely with the ginger ale glazed ham. Other options include Pinot Noir or Burgundy or a Chenin Blanc if you are looking for a white wine. Water, both sparkling and still, should flow freely from large pitchers strategically placed around the dining table. Fresh grapefruit juice mixed with your favorite lemon lime soda and a splash of lime juice makes a nice non-alcoholic option. Offer one specialty cocktail as an after dinner dessert drink. An Easter Bunny is a tasty vodka-chocolate-cherry combination that will be the finish to a wonderful evening.

Easter Bunny
From Drinks Mixer

1 1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
1/2 oz vodka
1 tsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp cherry brandy

Shake creme de cacao and vodka with ice.
Strain over ice in an old-fashioned glass.
Float chocolate syrup and cherry brandy.

Serves 1.

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What will you be pouring at your Easter celebration? Let me know your amazing ideas below!