Champagne and sparkling wine come in a wide variety of styles, tastes and prices, making them accessible to everyone. In the new book The Bubbly Bar: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion (Clarkson Potter/Publishers), set to hit bookstores next Tuesday, Aug. 25, drink writer Maria Hunt shares the secrets behind creating sparkling wine and Champagne cocktails that shine.
The Bubbly Bar, which is illustrated with 75 full-color photographs, instructs both the novice at-home bartender to the veteran mixologist. Nearly 60 recipes for Champagne and sparkling wine cocktails, punches, sangrias and dessert drinks are featured, as well as guides for making cocktail mixers and natural infusions.
Hunt’s recipes range from classics such as Kir Royale and French 75 to modern concoctions involving liqueurs, seasonal fruits and herbs. The book includes themed chapters like Bubbletinis, Mixed and Muddled, Floral-Flavored, Latin Libations and Rose-Colored Glasses.
Hunt also provides readers with information on all kinds of sparkling wines, such as prosecco, cava, cremant and sparkling sake, and she even provides a buying guide and a list of the best Champagnes and sparkling wines from around the world.
The Bubbly Bar hits shelves Tuesday in hardcover for $17. For more information, visit www.thebubblygirl.com/bubbly-book.
Here’s a sampling of the innovative recipes included in the book.
Violet Fizz
4 ounces brut sekt or presecco
½ ounce Monin Violet syrup
1 ounce gin (delicate style, such as Martin Miller’s)
Juice of ½ lemon
½ ounce pasteurized egg white
2 pieces of candied violet for garnish
Pour sekt or prosecco into a Martini glass. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add violet syrup, gin, lemon juice and egg white; shake until chilled. Strain into Martini glass. Garnish with candied violet.