Summer Cocktails: Sparkling (not Spritzing) Up Your Life

WE ARE NOT SPRITZING HERE! We are toasting with bubbly. Don’t worry; I am not seizing your Aperol from you. It is not cancelled. But it is not in these drinks, nor is there club soda here. These are serious cocktails for hardcore toasting, and either getting up the nerve to make or suffering through a speech. There are a lot of reasons people celebrate in June: graduations, Father’s Day (June 16), weddings, and the Summer Solstice (June 21st), for starters. There is also National Take Your Cat to Work Day (June 17) and National Kiss Day (June 22) both of which I intend to celebrate by kissing a kitten. And don’t forget International Asteroid Day (June 30). Big rocks deserve days too. Plus y’all know there are oodles of birthdays in the summer because nine months prior sometimes wine doesn’t get one warm enough. Before the cocktails, let me tell you what bubbles to use. You want bubbles that mix but you also want bubbles that you can just pour for those too impatient to wait on your mixology skills. LaMarca Prosecco is fine but level up to their Luminore Conegliano-Valdobiadenne Prosecco Superiore if you can. More verve. I always like Cava from Spain for value bubbler that is going to be mixed. Those black bottles of Freixenet will do just fine (and speak to my goth soul). I also like J Winery’s sparkling wine options, both white and rosé, which cost a little more but also taste that way. If you simply have to have French bubbles, look to a bottle with budget prices and Champagne tastes known as “ Cremant ”. That means they were made the same way Champagne is. Cremant de Jura and Cremant de Loire are some of my favorites. And now, four cocktails to plug those into! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FATHER’S DAY This is a riff on the classic Old Pal cocktail. Because Dad is your pal and Bob remains your uncle. The Old Pal is classically equal parts whiskey, dry vermouth and Campari. I played with the proportions and added bubbles. Here’s to family being your friends. Old Dad (caution: maybe don’t tell him the name of this) Add to a rocks glass: • 1 oz. rye or bourbon (I prefer bourbon for this one) • 1 oz. dry vermouth • 1 oz. Campari • Bubbles (I prefer a less brut bubbler for this one—a Prosecco is a fine choice). Build the drink and hand to your papa. If he asks, it’s named Father My Friend. SUMMER SOLSTICE Here’s to the first day of summer! I wanted to conjure dawn in the dewy grass. I went pink and floral and while I’d still drink it at night, imagine twirling in at lawn at sunrise while drinking it. A Midsummer Night’s Drink • ½ Lillet rosé • A dashes rose water • 2 dash grapefruit bitters • If you are a flower head, one dash rose water Fill w bubbles. Rosé bubbles. WEDDINGS Guess what? Dry champagne is possibly the worst pairing for cake ever. And the last thing you want at a wedding is an incompatible couple. Here’s a drink that complements the almond-y flavor of wedding cake with a dash of floral in homage to tossing the bouquet. Sweet harmony. For the Love of Cake: for once a wedding drink that marries well • ¾ oz. amaretto • Dash of orange flower water • Bubbles. Go ahead and get a good bottle here. Weddings are not time to phone it in. Add the amaretto and orange flower water to a flute, top with bubbles, toast! INTERNATIONAL ASTEROID DAY I am not sure if International Asteroid Day is meant to be a celebration of the celestial bodies, or a way to celebrate that they stay in space, as opposed to crashing through Earth’s atmosphere at which we might want to say our goodbyes. Asteroids are very big rocks, and while I could tell you to put some coke in your cocktail I’m going to wholeheartedly not exactly endorse that. I am going to put some rock candy in your glass. The classic Champagne Cocktail calls for a sugar cube dosed with bitters and garnished with lemon peel. This drink is similar, but the rock sugar is meant to emulate the rocks that are remaining hopefully somewhere out there like the Oort Cloud, circling and never crashing. Classic No-Crash Cocktail • One big ol’ hunk of rock sugar • Five dashes of your choice of bitters—the bigger the rock the more bitter you might desire • Bubbles! Your favorite ones be they sweet Moscato or brut Champagne . You’re celebrating life so you do you. • Twist of lemon Build your drink one ingredient at a time. Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Want to read more from Ellen? Check out her recent articles: Old World vs. New World Round Six: Syrah! May Day! May Day! Emergency Drinks in Dire Straits Pink Wine, Pink Wine Everywhere Seder Sips Old World vs. New World Round Five: Zinfandel! But Is It Vegan? Classic Pairings for the Veggie Soul: Pairing Five You can also listen to Ellen's podcast with Shaughn Buchholz, The Wine Situation here .