drinks Archives | butter loves company

holiday sparkler champagne cocktail (perfect for winter brunch!)

December 22, 2017 by Butter Loves Company

It may come as no surprise that one of my favorite things to do is feed my friends and family. For the past few years, we have hosted a holiday brunch here in Los Angeles to celebrate the season before we take flight back to the East Coast. Despite the overall chaos that was December hustle and bustle, foregoing Christmas brunch is not an option. I mean, if Greg couldn’t spend the year talking about the famous (according to him) sausage gravy he makes every holiday brunch to accompany these buttermilk biscuits I don’t know how he’d pass the time 😉

Because we always make quite a few food items, some of which require day-of preparation, e.g. baking the sticky bun bundt cake, crisping up salty bacon, scrambling a vat of eggs, and so on, we try to keep the beverages as easy (but still special) as possible.

This year, a make-ahead cocktail bar worked perfectly. We mixed up a few simple cocktails that could easily be topped with sparkling wine—brunch’s favorite babe—and voila! You have brunch elevated without needing to shake or stir while your guests are mingling.

Simply prepare the base of the cocktails a day or two before your brunch and store them in the fridge in carafes or jars. Set them out before your event, next to a chilled bottle of your favorite sparkling wine—we go with Korbel’s Brut or the Brut Rosé for a pretty twist.

Our three make-ahead holiday cocktails—each to be topped with champagne—included:

The classic orange juice punched up with a splash of citrus vodka (3:1 ratio of OJ to Vodka).
A berry punch which combines equal parts Chambord and pure pomegranate juice.
A gorgeous Holiday Sparkler with rich, tart cranberry juice and mango-flavored vodka. Grab the recipe for this make-ahead batch cocktail below!

Sparkling wine and fruit is a match made in heaven, which is why we loved this Holiday Sparkler Champagne Cocktail. The cranberry juice adds a little tartness, while the mango offers a welcome sweet hint, but not too much since it carried the potency of vodka with it. We all know bubbles scream celebration, so these sparkling wine cocktails are perfect for really any gathering or brunch, during the holidays or otherwise!

cherry sparkler cocktail – celebrating pride month with OneHope!

June 20, 2017 by Butter Loves Company

Glitter and sparkling wine. Did you ever think it was possible to combine that much shimmer? June is Pride Month and I’m so excited to be celebrating with this cherry cocktail recipe made with deliciously festive ONEHOPE Sparkling Brut.

I find it pretty wonderful and inspiring that June in Los Angeles is as synonymous with Pride Month and celebrating equality as it is with the sun staying out later. I was recently listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Straight Talk with Ross Mathews on my commute and, on what happened to be their first ever Pride episode, they did a segment called “On this Gay in History” where Ross and his guests shared dates in recent history that were important for gay rights. It was incredible to listen to how far we have come in a relatively short time as a nation in terms of equality, but also shocking to put in perspective the inequality that the LGBTQ community has been facing for so many years. There is so much more that needs to be done.

Not only is this bottle the perfect way to celebrate Pride Month and perfect for all of your summer festivities (hello, glitter), this bubbly is also helping to make a difference.

I’m super excited and honored to spread the word about ONEHOPE’s pride campaign because it is so important that people have the opportunity to be themselves and know they are worthy of a terrific life. Every four bottles of ONEHOPE Rainbow Glitter Edition Sparkling Brut funds one hour of operational costs for the Trevor Project’s Lifeline, an accredited, 24/7 suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ youth. Find out more about the Trevor Project here.

So let’s pop open the glittery bubbly for a good cause, and celebrate Pride!

This cherry cocktail recipe is super easy to make and consists of vodka, Cherry Heering, fresh lemon juice, and sparkling brut. I’ve been looking for ways to use Cherry Heering ever since I bought a bottle for a cocktail party a couple of years ago. The cherry liqueur is made from lightly crushed Danish cherries and spices and has a deep red color and natural, sweet cherry flavor. This sweetness is balanced by a little vodka and tart lemon juice and then the cocktail is rounded out by the amazingness that is ONEHOPE sparkling wine. Voila!

Happy Pride!

Holiday Brunch and 3 Festive (and Sparkly) Cocktail Recipes

December 22, 2016 by Butter Loves Company

This past Sunday, Greg and I hosted some lovely friends and family at our place for a very merry holiday brunch. I’m not sure if there’s anything I enjoy more than getting people together over food and drink, and the holidays always seem to make it feel extra special. I love learning about people’s holiday traditions past and present: whether it is matching family Christmas pajamas, take-out with friends, going to an early movie, caroling or having fruitcake.

This holiday brunch is a new tradition for us (2^nd Annual this year!) and incorporates a few of our favorite things: cooking, eating, music, and champagne. 😉

What is brunch without a little bubbly? My go-to sparkly sipper for celebrations big and small is Korbel. It is delicious on it’s own—love those shimmering bubbles—and also a great champagne for cocktails. For brunch, we went the festive champagne cocktails route with a few different varieties. There was a Cranberry Rosemary Spritz—tart, herbaceous, and effervescent, a Sparkling Raspberry Lime Royale—sweetened with the delicious deep raspberry flavor of Chambord, and a Fig Sparkler, using a super easy house-made fig vodka as the base. All three use Korbel’s Brut Champagne but you could substitute with their Brut Rosé for an extra pop of color and flavor variety.

The rest of the menu included Greg’s famous sausage gravy, biscuits, Ottolenghi’s veggie tart, a sticky-bundt, gravlax and fixings, crepes, hasselback potatoes gratin (Which I undercooked…oh well!), bacon and eggs. We did everything in advance aside from making the eggs and baking the already-prepared biscuits and sticky bundt. I also made cookies the weekend before–and froze them in pre-measured (I realize I’m a little nuts) dough balls so I could just grab and bake once I had time.

Because we had prepped the food in advance, when everyone arrived on Sunday morning, I was stress-free and ready to welcome everyone a sparkly cocktail. If you’re ever looking to immediately put your guests in a fun and festive mood, pop a bottle of champagne. The sound alone will be enough to make everyone feel cheery right when they walk through the door. I think that’ll be a new holiday brunch tradition of ours—what’s yours?

Happiest Holidays to you and your families. Wishing you all a safe and warm time. All the hugs your way!

Cranberry Rosemary Spritz
Makes 1 drink

1 ounce Cranberry Rosemary Purée (recipe below)
4 ounces Korbel Brut Champagne
Sugared cranberries, for garnish (recipe below)
Rosemary sprig, for garnish

Instructions:

Pour the Cranberry Rosemary Purée into a champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a skewer of sugared cranberries and a rosemary sprig. Stir gently with the skewer if the purée begins to settle. Enjoy!

To make the Cranberry Rosemary Purée: In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, 1 8-inch rosemary sprig, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and the liquid has reduced slightly. Turn off heat and remove rosemary with a fork and discard. Transfer cranberry mixture to a blender, allowing to cool a little beforehand if it is too hot. Blend until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl or container for later use.

To make the Sugared Cranberries: Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add 1/2 cup fresh cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to the prepared baking sheet. Allow to cool until no longer sticky, about 20 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a small bowl. Toss cranberries in the sugar to coat. Return to the baking sheet until ready to use.

Sparkling Raspberry Lime Royale
Makes 1 drink

1/4 cup granulated sugar, for glass rim
1 teaspoon lime zest, for glass rim
1 ounce Chambord
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
ice
3 1/2 ounces Korbel Brut Champagne or Brut Rose

Instructions:

In a wide shallow bowl or plate, combine the granulated sugar and lime zest with your hands, until the sugar is fragrant with lime. Use the cut side of a lime to moisten the rim of your coupe glass or champagne flute and press it into the lime sugar to rim the glass. Set aside.
In a cocktail shaker, combine Chambord, lime juice, and ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and strain into a coupe glass or champagne flute. Top with champagne. Enjoy!

Fig Sparkler
Makes 1 drink

1 1/2 ounces fig vodka (recipe below)
1/2 ounce lemon juice
ice
3 ounces Korbel Brut Champagne

Instructions:

In a cocktail shaker, combine fig vodka and ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and strain into a coupe glass or champagne flute. Top with champagne. Enjoy!

To make the fig vodka: Combine 1 1/2 cups vodka and 5-6 dried mission figs, each sliced in half (10-12 halves total, into a medium sealable jar or container. Seal jar and shake. Refrigerate for at least 2 days and, if you have time, a week or two, shaking the container every day. The longer you allow it to marinade, the more ‘figgy’ it’ll become. Strain out the dried figs, if desired, or save them to use as garnish on your figgy cocktails!

homemade irish cream (baileys)

March 8, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

I promise you’ll be shocked at how quickly you can have a glass of homemade Irish Cream on your coffee table. This creamy, vanilla treat with just enough of a whiskey bite is perfect over a few ice cubes or splashed into coffee. St. Patrick’s Day being right around the corner, you can mix up a batch of this and clink glasses with all your Irish friends (hint: Me! Me! Even if making homemade Irish Cream is the closest thing to Irish I’ll ever be…).

Since I first realized I could make Irish Cream at home, I’ve bottled some for the boys in my life to accompany Christmas gifts, I’ve made a batch for a ski weekend with friends (where it was likened to sipping an adult vanilla milkshake), and I’ve had some leftover each time to keep in the refrigerator for a cold winter’s night (liquid dessert!).

Once you get the ingredients, sipping on a glass of homemade Bailey’s is just five minutes and a blender away. How fun is that?

Sláinte!

homemade irish cream (baileys)

Recipe Type: Drinks

Author: adapted from brown eyed baker

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: about 34oz

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup heavy cream
1 ¾ cups Irish Whiskey (such as Jameson’s)
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon instant coffee or instant espresso
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. Feel free to taste and adjust flavor to your liking.
Transfer to tightly sealed containers and refrigerate. Shake well before enjoying! (Will keep for up to 2 months – I am basing mine off of the heavy cream expiration)

aviation

January 5, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

On a cold winter’s day in Boston, I would like nothing more than to fly off to a tropical island and catch some rays. With a -12 degree wind chill, the cabana life couldn’t feel further away, so I got to thinking. If I couldn’t board a plane out of the chilly city, I could at least make an Aviation right here in my warm(ish) apartment!

The Aviation is a light and refreshing classic gin cocktail that first took flight in the early 20^th century. The drink was reportedly created by Hugo Ensslin—the head bartender at Times Square’s Hotel Wallick—as a combination of gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and violet liqueur. Supposedly, the recipe was altered around 1930, omitting the hard to come across violet liqueur. Since I sipped my first Aviation at Harvard Square’s Russell House Tavern, I have seen and enjoyed the cocktail made both with and without violet. The ingredient does add a nice floral note to the drink, not to mention its signature light blue tint. Don’t fear if you can’t find Crème de Violette. It’s still delicious without.

My memories of florescent red maraschino cherries in Shirley Temples made me initially hesitant to try the drink, but the maraschino liqueur itself is clear and adds a necessary subtle sweetness balancing the botanical gin and tart lemon of the drink. Though a little on the pricey side, the Luxardo deep red maraschino cherries I used changed everything I had previously thought about maraschino cherries. I do aim to make my own at home soon, so stay tuned for a future post.

The drink is often served in a martini or coupe glass, but I have also seen it served in small rocks glasses – whatever you have on hand (a rocks glass for me because I have not yet stocked the apartment with martini glasses).

Even though I didn’t physically get to the tropics, I was spirited away from the blustery winter for a cocktail or two.

Aviation

Recipe Type: Cocktail

Cuisine: Beverages

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 ounces maraschino liqueur
1/4 ounce crème de violette (optional)
Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Instructions

Add the gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and crème de violette to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until thoroughly chilled, strain into a martini, coupe, or rocks glass, and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Enjoy.