Paris's Crimson Champagne Cocktail


Servings: Makes 1 drink


Ingredients

Brandy-cranberry syrup
1 quart cranberry juice cocktail
4 slices fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece star anise

Champagne cocktail
1/4 cup brandy
Champagne
1 fresh cranberry, for garnish

Preparation

For cranberry syrup
In a medium saucepan, boil the cranberry juice cocktail, the ginger, the cinnamon stick, and the star anise for half an hour or until reduced to 1 cup. Let cool.

For cocktail
Fill a Champagne flute half-full with Champagne and add the brandy. Add 1 ounce Brandy-Cranberry Syrup and mix. Garnish with fresh cranberry.

Cook's note: The syrup recipe makes enough for 10 drinks.

Spiced Orange Wine


What could be more French countryside than pulling a chilled bottle of homemade (or at least home-doctored) wine from the fridge for a special celebration? This orange sipping wine is a little sweeter and stronger than a regular glass of white, and it's the perfect aperitif for the onion tart with mustard and fennel.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish 5 1/4 hr (includes chilling)

Servings: Makes 2 (750-ml) bottles

Ingredients

2 (750-ml) bottles dry white wine
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier
1/4 cup Pernod
2 whole cloves
4 Turkish or 2 California bay leaves
2 navel oranges

Preparation

Bring all ingredients except oranges to a boil (reserve wine bottles and corks), stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Remove zest from oranges in a continuous spiral using a vegetable peeler and cut off any white pith with a paring knife. Reserve oranges for another use and divide zest between empty wine bottles.

Fill bottles with orange wine and cool, uncorked, 1 hour.

Cork bottles, then chill at least 4 hours.

Cooks' note: Orange wine can be chilled up to 1 week.

Pom-Ade


When life gives you pomegranates... make lemonade. In this refreshing version, a splash of pomegranate juice adds a sweet-tart note, as well as plenty of good-for-you antioxidants.

For an adult version, add 2 tablespoons vodka to each drink.

Servings: Makes 2 servings


Ingredients

1 cup lemonade
1/2 cup club soda
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
Ice cubes

Preparation

Mix lemonade, soda, and pomegranate juice in a small pitcher. Fill 2 tall glasses with ice. Pour lemonade mixture over.

by Scott Peacock

Champagne Punch


Eye-opening notes of lemon, lime, and grapefruit keep this festive punch from heading into ultra-sweet territory—and fresh mint seconds the motion. "Once the Champagne has been added," says Scott Peacock, "serve the drinks as soon as possible to experience the maximum tickle of bubbles."

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr (includes chilling)

Servings: Makes 8 servings


Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup white grape juice
1 1/2 cups fresh grapefruit juice (preferably pink or ruby red)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup Cognac or other brandy
1/2 cup packed mint leaves
1 navel orange, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 lime, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 lemon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 (750-ml) bottle Champagne or other sparkling white wine, chilled

Preparation

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then transfer to a bowl and cool syrup completely (or quick-chill by setting bowl in an ice bath and stirring occasionally until cool).

Stir together juices, wine, Cognac, mint, fruit, and cooled syrup in a large pitcher. Chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour. Stir in Champagne.

Cooks' notes:
• Syrup can be chilled up to 1 week.
• Punch, without Champagne, can be made 3 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Add Champagne just before serving.

Amaretto-Cranberry Kiss

The tang of the cranberry juice is balanced by the smoothness of the amaretto and vodka.

Servings: Makes 8 cocktails

Ingredients

2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup amaretto
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Ice cubes
Clementines, peeled, separated into segments

Preparation

Mix cranberry juice, vodka, amaretto, and orange juice in pitcher. Cover and chill until ready to serve. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

To make 2 drinks, fill cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Pour in scant 1 cup vodka mixture. Cover and shake vigorously. Strain into 2 Martini glasses. Garnish each with clementine segment. Repeat 3 times with ice cubes, remaining vodka mixture, and clementine segments.

Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail


Servings: Makes 8 servings


Ingredients

1/4 cup crème de cassis (black-currant liqueur)
1 1/2 cups strained fresh blood orange juice (from about 6 oranges)
1 750-ml bottle chilled brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine
8 blood orange slices (optional)

Preparation

Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons crème de cassis into each of 8 Champagne flutes or other glasses. Add 3 tablespoons juice to each glass. Fill each glass with Champagne, then stir gently. Garnish cocktails with slices of blood orange, if desired.

Apple Soju Cocktails


This refreshing aperitif, a brainchild of David Arnold of the French Culinary Institute, bathes crisp matchsticks of Pink Lady apple with soju (a Korean spirit) and a little sparkle.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 40 min

Servings: Makes 8 drinks


Ingredients

1 Pink Lady or Granny Smith apple
2 cups soju or sake
5 cups chilled tonic water (40 fluid ounces)
8 lime wedges

Equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer fitted with 1/4-inch julienne blade

Preparation

Cut apple into matchsticks with slicer, discarding core, then put in a pitcher and stir in soju. Let macerate, covered and chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Fill 8 (12-ounce) double Old Fashioned glasses with ice. Strain about 1/4 cup soju into each glass, then add some apple pieces to each glass. Top off drinks with tonic and serve with lime wedges.

Cooks' note: Apples in soju can be chilled up to 2 hours.

Milkie Way Malt


Vanilla ice cream with malted milk, chocolate, caramel sauce, and crushed malt balls make for a candybar- inspired treat.

Prep: 10 minutes; Total: 10 minutes

Servings: Makes 2 servings


Ingredients

2 1/2 cups vanilla bean ice cream
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon malted milk powder
1 tablespoon milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon caramel sauce plus additional for drizzling
Chocolate syrup
Malted milk balls, coarsely crushed


Preparation

Place two 8-ounce glasses in freezer to chill. Combine first 4 ingredients and 1 tablespoon caramel sauce in blender; process on high speed until thick and smooth, about 30 seconds.

Squirt chocolate syrup and caramel sauce into both glasses; split malt mixture between glasses. Top with malted milk balls.

Nutritional information

One serving contains the following: Calories (kcal) 499.86, % Calories from Fat 42.4, Fat (g) 23.57, Saturated Fat (g) 14.27, Cholesterol (mg) 80.28, Carbohydrates (g) 66.67, Dietary Fiber (g) 1.56, Total Sugars (g) 55.34, Net Carbs (g) 65.11, Protein (g) 9.20

Watermelon-Ginger Agua Fresca


Why you'll make it: Because it's an all-purpose refresher — drink it straight, top with sparkling water, or spike with vodka, gin, or tequila.

Servings: Makes about 8 cups.


Ingredients

10 cups 1-inch pieces peeled watermelon (from about 8-pound watermelon), seeded, divided
3 cups cold water, divided
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (or more) sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger juice* (from one 3-ounce piece of ginger) Ice cubes
Lime wedges

*To make ginger juice, peel a 3-ounce piece of ginger and grate it over a plate. Wrap in cheesecloth; twist at both ends to squeeze out the juice. Or put the grated ginger in a finemesh sieve and press to release the juices. In a pinch, bottled ginger juice is available at natural foods stores.

Preparation

Place 2 1/2 cups watermelon and 3/4 cup cold water in blender. Puree until smooth. Pour agua fresca into large pitcher. Repeat 3 more times with remaining watermelon and cold water. Add lime juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and ginger juice to pitcher and stir to blend. Add more sugar by tablespoonfuls, if desired. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Keep chilled. Stir before serving.

Fill glasses with ice cubes; pour agua fresca over. Garnish each glass with lime wedge and serve.

Tangerine-Ginger Caipirinhas
by Amber Levinson


The Caipirinha is Brazil's most popular cocktail. The drink is traditionally made with limes, but Amber uses tangerines instead.

Servings: Makes 6 servings.


Ingredients

3 small chopped seeded tangerines or small oranges (no need to peel)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
3/4 cup tangerine juice 1 1/2 cup cachaça (Brazilian sugarcane liquor) or vodka.

Preparation

Divide tangerines or small oranges among 6 tumblers. Add 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon grated peeled ginger to each glass. Crush the ingredients in the bottom of the glass with a muddler or handle of a wooden spoon. Top each drink with 2 tablespoons tangerine juice and 1/4 cup cachaça (Brazilian sugarcane liquor) or vodka. Fill glasses with ice cubes, stir, and serve.