Tag: champagne

champagne

Spicy Mango Sherbet Float | A 2 Ingredient Summer Cocktail with Mouthwatering Chamoy

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The Spicy Mango Sherbet Float packs the sweet heat of summer into a glass. The chamoy adds a mouth-watering blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy. And, it only has 2 ingredients, making it the perfect cocktail to make at home.

I’ve made a lot of cocktails this summer, but this Spicy Mango Sherbet Float really feels like the essence of summer contained in a champagne glass.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

I don’t know what summer feels like for you, but here in central Texas it. is. hot. I’m talking four-consequtive-days-over-100 hot. I’m having to plan my meals around recipes that don’t require the oven because our poor air conditioner just can’t hang.

Thankfully, there’s no shortage of cool drinks around here. During the day, I’m drinking sparkling water with muddled fruit. When night rolls around (and it’s still 100 degrees), I’m on the search for something refreshing and a little boozy.

Emphasis on “little”. If you’re like me, you prefer drinks with lower ABV on hot days. And that’s where this Spicy Mango Sherbet Float comes in.

The Spicy Mango Sherbet Float packs the sweet heat of summer into a glass. The chamoy adds a mouth-watering blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy. And, it only has 2 ingredients, making it the perfect cocktail to make at home.

But before I talk about the recipe, let’s talk about the word sherbet. Since childhood, I’ve pronounced this word as “sher-bert”. I remember giving a middle school friend a hard time for calling it “sher-bit”. But he rocked my world when he pointed out that there is no ‘r’ in the word.

Since then, I’ve had several conversations over the years about to pronounce this dang word. I’ve only met a couple of people who pronounce it without the ‘r’. Most people say “sher-bert”. But then I think about the word “sorbet” and we all pronounce this word the same French-y way: “sore-bay”. So… why don’t we pronounce it “sher-bay”? Why is English weird?

The Spicy Mango Sherbet Float packs the sweet heat of summer into a glass. The chamoy adds a mouth-watering blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy. And, it only has 2 ingredients, making it the perfect cocktail to make at home.

I’m not a big champagne, prosecco, or sparkling wine drinker so I prefer to keep the mini bottles on hand. That way, I don’t waste a whole bottle of champagne since I won’t be able to drink it all before it goes bad. Opt for brut champagne since the sherbet will already be pretty sweet. And since you’re going to be mixing the champagne with a strong flavor, there’s no need to use the nice stuff. Save that for a special occasion and buy cheapie champagne for this recipe.

Originally I made some mango liqueur to go with this Spicy Mango Sherbet Float but it ended up tasting a little too heavy for what I was wanting. I may use that mango liqueur in another recipe in the future. If you want to up the ABV, feel free to add 1/2 to 1 oz of a fruit liqueur. Mango is an obvious choice but orange liqueur or even limoncello would be nice, too.

If you don’t want any alcohol, you can easily make this Spicy Mango Sherbet Float a mocktail by using Sprite or sparkling water in place of the champagne. You could even add a splash of mango juice, too.

Whether you choose to make this float a little boozy, extra boozy, or alcohol-free, this cocktail will pack some sweet heat.

The Spicy Mango Sherbet Float packs the sweet heat of summer into a glass. The chamoy adds a mouth-watering blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy. And, it only has 2 ingredients, making it the perfect cocktail to make at home.

The star of this sherbet float is definitely the mango chamoy sherbet made by H-E-B, a grocery store chain in Texas. If you’re not familiar with chamoy, it’s sweet, sour, savory, & spicy perfection. It can be found in sauce form, candy form, or as a coating on dried or fresh fruit. Walk down any street in Mexico and you’ll find a wide range of street food vendors selling something flavored with chamoy. Sometimes chamoy’s got quite a kick to it. Othertimes, it’s not spicy at all. If you want to learn more about this unique flavor, check out this article.

If you can’t find mango chamoy sherbet, you can use plain mango sherbet and add in a dash or two of chamoy, tajin, or chili powder. Can’t find plain mango sherbet either? Just follow the outline of this recipe and sub in your preferred flavor of sherbet. A raspberry sherbet float would be reeeeally good.

If you love a cocktail with some sweet heat, check out my Spicy Basil Margarita and Cero Miedo. The Cero Miedo is one of my favorite creations to date. So. Good.

If you make a Spicy Mango Sherbet Float, or some variation of it, make sure to tag me on Instagram!

And please, let me know in the comments how you pronounce the word “sherbet”. ðŸ˜œ

The Spicy Mango Sherbet Float packs the sweet heat of summer into a glass. The chamoy adds a mouth-watering blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy. And, it only has 2 ingredients, making it the perfect cocktail to make at home.

Ingredients for a Spicy Mango Sherbet Float

  • 2-3 scoops of mango chamoy sherbet*
  • 3-5 oz brut champagne, prosecco, sparkling wine OR make it alcohol-free and use sparkling water or Sprite
  • optional– mango liqueur

How to Make a Spicy Mango Sherbet Float

Add your scoop of mango chamoy sherbet to a glass. Slowly pour in the champagne. You may need to pour it in an ounce or two at a time to prevent the bubbles from taking over. Garnish with a slice of chili-dipped mango.

Spicy Mango Sherbet Float

This cocktail packs the sweet heat of summer into a glass.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 min
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 scoops mango chamoy sherbet*
  • 3-5 oz champagne/prosecco**
  • 1 dash tajín or chili powder (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Add the scoop of sherbet to a glass.
  • Slowly pour in the champagne.
  • Garnish with a mango sliced dipped in chili powder.

Notes

Want it extra spicy? Rim your glass with tajín or chili powder.
*If you can’t find mango chamoy sherbet, use mango sherbet and add a dash of chili powder.
**To make this a mocktail, you can use Sprite or sparkling water in place of sparkling wine.
 
Keyword chamoy, champagne, mango sherbet, sherbet, sparkling wine
champagne

Aperol Spritz | A Classic North Italian Cocktail

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An Aperol Spritz is a bitter, refreshing cocktail made with prosecco and Aperol. If Campari is just a little too bitter for your liking, try out it's sweeter counterpart- Aperol.

Y’all. I have been wanting to share the recipe for an Aperol Spritz ever since I shared my first Campari cocktail recipe awhile back. I know some of you already have Aperol on hand and some of you prefer it to Campari. But alas, I have never bought a bottle of Aperol… yet. This is where my girl Rebecca comes in. The blogosphere is huge but she and I were able to connect in a Facebook group for female bloggers. She’s hardworking, genuine, and publishes a lot of gluten-free recipes (*insert hallelujah chorus*). She’s also from the UK, so that’s fun.

When I saw her Aperol Spritz recipe, I knew I had to have her write a guest post for Girl & Tonic. Rebecca and I actually did a recipe swap and you can find the post I wrote for her here. So, without further ado, here’s Rebecca.

Hi, I’m Rebecca, The Free From Foodie, recipe creator of all things nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and IBS friendly. I provide tasty recipes for anyone suffering with allergies and intolerances and believe no one should miss out on great food and drink!

I think making and drinking cocktails are fun and love that Corrie’s recipes are made up of only a few ingredients, making it easy to recreate great taste at home! It has been a pleasure to collaborate with her.

Today I am taking you through my Aperol Spritz recipe, a classic North Italian cocktail that I fell in love with last summer when I visited Rome and Lake Como.

Sipping an Aperol Spritz in your garden will transport you to an Italian summer! No one should miss out on this little gem of a drink and if you like prosecco, this one is for you. A simple mix of prosecco, Aperol and soda water creates the perfect summer cocktail.

Firstly, what is Aperol? It is a classic Italian bitter aperitif made up from the gentian flower, rhubarb plant, and bark from the cinchona tree. It is bright orange and looks like a sunset in a bottle.

Comparing Aperol to Campari, which is another Italian aperitif, we can see that Aperol is less alcoholic, the sweeter of the two and contains hints of bitter orange. Campari is significantly more bitter and is bright red in colour.

A spritz is the most common aperitive staple and is sometimes called the ‘unofficial cocktail of Milan’ for their creation of adding soda water to wine.

The recipe is made of a few simple ingredients – Aperol, prosecco and soda water. Try the proportions listed here, or adjust the ratio to taste. I’ve found that a smaller portion of Aperol helps to ensure you can enjoy more than one of these cocktails without falling on the floor!

This Aperol Spritz recipe would go great with my Italian Eggplant Parmigiana recipe or Quick Pizza Flatbread recipe for an Italian themed meal.

Eggplant: https://freefromfoodie.com/eggplant-parmigiana/

Pizza Flatbread: https://freefromfoodie.com/quick-pizza-flatbreads/

An Aperol Spritz is a bitter, refreshing cocktail made with prosecco and Aperol. If Campari is just a little too bitter for your liking, try out it's sweeter counterpart- Aperol.

Ingredients for an Aperol Spritz

To make one, in the glass:

  • Half a glass of Prosecco, I recommend Prosecco Brut, the driest type of prosecco, so you don’t end up with too sweet a drink
  • 1 Shot of Aperol
  • Soda water
  • Handful of ice-cubes
  • Orange slice to garnish

The Method for Making an Aperol Spritz

To start, grab a wine glass and pour out roughly half a glass of prosecco. Add in a shot of Aperol and then the ice-cubes. Top up the glass with soda water and garnish with a slice of orange.

To make multiple glasses of Aperol Spritz, just repeat the instructions in each glass.

Aperol Spritz

Rebecca | Free From Foodie
A classic north Italian cocktail that's perfect for summer.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine Italian
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • ½ glass prosecco the drier the better
  • 1 ½ oz Aperol
  • soda water
  • orange slice

Instructions
 

  • Pour prosecco into a wine glass, halfway full.
  • Add the Aperol.
  • Carefully add a handful of ice.
  • Top off with soda water.
  • Garnish with a slice of orange.
Keyword Aperol Spritz

Check out all my other recipes at https://freefromfoodie.com/.

gin

Down the Bunny Trail | A Spiced Honey French 75

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Down the Bunny Trail is the perfect Easter cocktail if you’re not in the mood for something too sweet. It’s essentially a spiced honey French 75. For some reason, when I think “Easter cocktail”, champagne comes to mind. Maybe because of the association of Easter brunch and mimosas, maybe because champagne feels bright and springy. Or maybe because of the association with celebration. And as a Christian, Easter is definitely a celebration of something more than candy-filled eggs.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

Don’t get me wrong, though. I love me some candy and the nonreligious traditions of Easter. It was always one of my favorite holidays as a child. I remember anxiously waiting while my parents went and hid our Easter eggs and being stoked to FINALLY get to eat the Cadbury creme eggs I’d seen on the kitchen counter. I remember the distinct smell of egg-dyeing kits, and watching the egg teeter on the thin wire ladle as I dipped it down into the colored cups. Nowadays, egg dyeing is outta control. I’m glad my daughter is young and won’t be expecting anything extravagant this year. Because sheesh, with Pinterest these days, some holiday crafts are beyond me.

The color of Down the Bunny Trail comes from the combination of lemon juice and a pinch of deep magenta beet powder. Honestly, I was going for a pretty pink color for my Easter cocktail but I think the orangey coral result is gorgeous. It looks like Easter egg dye. I promise it doesn’t taste like that though. It tastes like spicy sparkling bliss.

Beet powder would also be a great way to naturally dye your Easter eggs. I use it to dye cakes and frostings. If you aren’t using too much of it, it really doesn’t affect the flavor of baked goods. You can also use it in smoothies for a boost of vitamins and minerals. Or make yourself a Passionfruit Paloma with beet syrup as the sweetener.

If you’re not a huge champagne fan or if you’re the only one in your house who’ll be drinking it, consider buying the mini bottles of sparkling wine. That way, you won’t be wasting an entire bottle of the good stuff.

Ingredients for a Spiced Honey French 75

  • 1 1/2 oz spiced gin (or regular gin)
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz honey-ginger simple syrup**
  • pinch of beet powder-– mostly for color but it does add a slight earthy flavor that I dig
  • 1-3 oz champagne, depending on the size of your glass

How to Make A Spiced Honey French 75

Make your honey-ginger syrup first. To make this, I added a small amount of ginger paste (the size of my pinky nail) to my honey simple syrup recipe. If I had fresh ginger on hand, I would’ve used that instead. If you have fresh ginger root, simmer a 1/2-inch knob in the honey syrup for about 5 minutes.

Add your gin, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup, and beet powder to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well to mix up the beet powder. Pour the now-coral elixir into either a champagne glass (the traditional way to serve a French 75) or into a lowball glass filled with ice. Top your Easter cocktail with champagne.

To make this feel more like an Easter cocktail, I garnished it with a bun-bun on a stick. I feel like that screams Easter, no? I got a pack of 4 at the Dollar Tree for–you guessed it–a dollar. I’m pretty obsessed with the little pom tail.

Looking for other springtime drinks? Check out the light & lemony Tom Collins, a tart Gimlet or Lemon Drop, or my current favorite, the Golden Pothos. All of these are super refreshing and perfect for porch-sippin’.

gin

The Classic French 75

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The classic French 75, a champagne cocktail.

The French 75 is a classic, classic cocktail. It’s one of the first cocktails I ever had and it was ordered for me by one of my dearest friends. It’s her go-to drink and honestly, she IS a walking French 75. Tall & blonde, bright & effervescent, feminine & sophisticated, but man, she can pack a punch. Cheers, Colleen. You powerhouse, you.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

This gin & champagne cocktail dates back to the early 1900s and gets its name from the 75-millimeter Howitzer field gun that was used by both the French and the Americans in World War I. I’m no gun expert but apparently this thing had a pretty mean kick to it. So it seems the French 75 is appropriately named– it is BOO-ZY, I tell ya.

When I make a French 75, or any cocktail with champagne, I prefer to purchase the little mini bottles. I love champagne as much as the next person, don’t get me wrong. But it almost always gives me an instant headache so I never finish a bottle of the stuff.

Simple cocktails, or all cocktails IMO, call for a garnish. Twist a strip of lemon peel around a straw to help it hold a curl while you assemble the rest of the drink. I know I need to up my garnish game and I plan on spending my daughter’s next nap time watching some YouTube tutorials. We all gotta start somewhere. You can use a traditional vegetable peeler or special citrus zester. I found this teeny red box grater at Hobby Lobby for a couple bucks and it is surprisingly extremely sharp.

Another great place to find fun garnishes is the dollar store. I think I got a pack of 8 of those sparkly hearts for a buck. These would be the perfect garnish for a Galentine’s Day cocktail. And the foiled paper straws just take it all to the next level.

There are a few ways to make a French 75 but typically, the components are gin + sugar + lemon juice + champagne. I’ve had them with vodka in place of gin, honey syrup instead of sugar, and with a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. It seems the recipe below is the most commonly used one, but make it however you want.

The French 75 is a classic cocktail for a reason. With only 4 ingredients, this champagne cocktail is incredibly easy to make. Make it this Valentine's Day.

The Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz gin
  • 3/4 oz simple syrup
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 2-3 oz champagne

The How-To

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Shake well. Strain into a champagne glass and top off with champagne. Garnish with a lemon peel and cheers yourself for being so classy.

French 75

A classic gin cocktail with champagne and lemon. It's simple, sophisticated, and fun.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz gin
  • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ oz simple syrup
  • 2-3 oz champagne or sparkling wine

Instructions
 

  • Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice.
  • Shake well.
  • Strain into a champagne glass and top off with champagne.
  • Garnish with a lemon twist.

Notes

If you don’t know how to make simple syrup, find the easy recipe here.
Keyword champagne, french 75, gin, lemon, prosecco, simple syrup, sparkling wine
The French 75 is a classic cocktail for a reason. With only 4 ingredients, this champagne cocktail is incredibly easy to make. Make it this Valentine's Day.