Wine With Lisa

“Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of bubbly”
- Napoleon

Let the festivities begin!

Christmas? New Years?

Kick back or Party Hard. This delicious cocktail will go with any celebrating you will be doing!

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

Toast to any celebration with a champagne flute bubbling over with crisp Prosecco Sparkling Wine and Sweet-Tart Homemade Pomegranate Syrup. Rim the glasses with fresh mint and lime zest sugar that’s easy to whip up for a party with ingredients that are convenient to keep on hand for any special occasion.

Riondo Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine made from 100% Prosecco grapes from the Veneto,Italy region.
The light effervescence and delicate citrusy flavor and floral aroma make this a great everyday or celebration wine AND is a perfect choice as is
OR with the tart Pomegranate Syrup.

Making the pomegranate syrup from scratch is easy and it tastes great. You can double or triple the recipe and it stores great in the refrigerator.

I developed this recipe for the Lime-Lemon Mint Sugar.Those strange sugars in a tin that you
find in the store are usually made of artificial ingredients and have an odd flavor.

So,toss out the cans of artificially flavored cocktail sugars. Make your own! It’s easy!

This crisp,dry,citrusy wine and frizzante (small) bubbles of the Prosecco are a perfect match with the tart-sweet deep berry flavor of the pomegranate juice.

Ingredients:
1 bottle Prosecco ( great also with CAVA or CHAMPAGNE)

1-32 oz bottle of 100% Just Pomegranate Juice or any other high quality brand

1/2 cup sugar

Add sugar and Pomegranate Juice to saucepan and simmer until reduced by half.

“Take care NOT to thicken it too much,it will then become a glaze. If this happens,you can
either thin it out with extra juice or find the recipe for Pomegranate Glazed Cornish Hens
from Ann Burrell on the Food Network!”

Cool and store in a decorative bottle.
Keeps in refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Lemon-Lime Mint Sugar:

For the HOLIDAYS,I used a few sprinkles of  Red Sugar Sprinkles

1/4 cup SIMPLY ORGANIC Lemon Sugar *Whole Foods

*I especially like the Lemon Sugar because it reminds me of lemon drop candy.
*If you can’t find the Simply Organic Lemon Sugar,then zest a fresh lemon along with lime.

2 limes

5-6  mint leaves (more to taste)

Zest 2 limes into the sugar.

Slice one lime in half and reserve. Store the zested limes in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for future recipes.

Process the mint leaves in the food processor for a few seconds,then add the sugar and lime zest mixture.

Pulse a few times to mix all of the ingredients finely,then pour onto a plate.

Any sugar leftovers can be stored in a container in the fridge for a few days.

Run the cut lime half around each rim of glass and immediately invert the glass into the sugar mixture.

TO PREPARE THE COCKTAIL:

Pour a tablespoonful of Pomegranate Syrup into the glass.

Top with Prosecco.

TOAST AND ENJOY!

CHEERS!

Local Artisan BANG CANDY Company  has helped make Nashville just a little sweeter!

Not only have they cornered the market with their unique varieties of melt-in-your mouth pillows of hand-made marshmallows such as Toasted Coconut,Chocolate Chile and Expresso Chocolate, Sarah has managed to create another delicious product. Sarah Souther, the creator of this magical company, makes naturally flavored syrups to enhance the flavor of tea,lemonade,dessert and SPARKLING WINE! Lavender Rose,Ginger Rose,Hibiscus Orange Flower and Habanero Lime are just a few of the unique,fresh syrups she has to offer. Her secret? She uses fresh ingredients steeped in a concoction of simple syrup and bottles it for our enjoyment!

I discovered this delicious product during the Local Artisan Cheese Event. We all got a chance to sample Prosecco (Italian Sparkling Wine) with the Lavender Rose Syrup.
Prosecco and Cava (Spanish Sparkling Wine) are both dry,crisp and citrusy often with honey and floral aromas. The Lavender Rose Syrup is pleasantly sweet, fresh and floral.
It reminds me of the intoxicating aroma lavender fields at Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, Texas where the rows of vines often have a beautiful rose bush at the front.

Just a tablespoon or so is all it takes. It adds a new dimension to the already refreshing glass of bubbly. The delightfully fresh and floral components enhance the crispness and citrus flavors of the Cava or Prosecco.

I often welcome my friends into my house for a gathering with a tall glass of Sparkling Cava or Prosecco with a splash of BANG SYRUPS. They love it! TOAST!

To purchase the syrups, check out the website BANG CANDY COMPANY in Nashville,Tn.

AND, don’t forget about the marshmallows!!!!! They are AWESOME!

CIAO for NOW!!!!!