On the one hand, posting a photo of a sparkly cocktail seems wrong. It’s been a pretty dark week. On the other hand, we could use a drink.
But even more pertinent, is the fact that I bet you’re in the same situation I’m in – dealing with random amounts of ingredients purchased for the holidays that are just lingering.
On Christmas Day my mother said to me, “Don’t let me forget that I have a 6-pack for you in the garage.”
A little bit later, she shuffled in carrying the weight of a massive “6-pack” – not of beer – but of huge bottles of wine in a cardboard carrying case.
In the mix were two bottles of prosecco. Embarrassingly enough, I’d never had the bubbly Italian wine before. I love my mother! I like prosecco! I love it!
But not enough to remember to finish the open bottle I’d had in the fridge from a family get together, two weeks ago.
I gave the bottle a tentative shake, and it still had some fizz. My Saturday afternoon was off to a good start.
As I was going through the fridge trying to make sense of the rest of the remaining holiday ingredients (cheddar cheese, cabbage, quickles, ricotta, blood orange Aranciata, frozen phyllo from last year that expired, etc.) I stumbled on a bag of fresh and good-looking cranberries from December.
Prosecco, Aranciata and cranberries? Hell, yeah.
So, I whipped up a quick cranberry simple syrup and married the prosecco and the syrup.
On a bleak Saturday while cringing from any news regarding the outside world – sometimes a cocktail doesn’t hurt.
Oh, and does phyllo really go bad? I still have three boxes of it. Probably not. But I bet it’s freezer burnt.
Prosecco and Cranberry Cocktail
Serves 2.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup fresh cranberries
- ½ cup blood orange Aranciata or orange juice
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups prosecco
- 2 tablespoons frozen blueberries
- Fresh mint (optional)
Instructions:
Place the cranberries, Aranciata and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium low.
Simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until cranberries have imploded and are completely softened.
Let cool to room temperature.
Pour a tablespoon of the syrup into a glass. Stir in 1 cup of prosecco and 1 tablespoon of blueberries. Top with mint. Repeat with second glass.
Enjoy.
(Photos by Launie K.)
