There’s nothing like a weekend brunch with family and friends gathered around your table. Put together the ingredients for a make-your-own sparkling wine cocktail, and make table tents with favorite recipes. Encourage your guests to come up with their own recipes and variations that everyone can sample and share. The key is having fun, and these brunch cocktail ideas are a great way to do just that!
No need for an elaborate or expensive centerpiece. Here’s an idea that is pretty and … bonus… you can drink it when the party’s over or give it as a gift to your guests. Simply tie flowers (as we did to the left), ribbons or greenery around the neck of a bottle of champagne or wine. Secure with floral wire if necessary.
EXTRA TOUCHES
fresh fruit for garnish
fresh flowers (or herbs!)
bar tools for mixing and measurement
champagne flutes
What's better to serve at brunch than a fabulous mimosa recipe made with dry sparkling wine and orange juice? It's simple, fun and perfect to serve company. Here's how to make the absolute best mimosa at home.
½ gallon orange juice
1 (750 ml) Sparkling Wine – Korbel Extra Dry recommended
2 shots Orange Liqueur – Grand Marnier recommended
Combine the orange juice and sparkling wine in a large pitcher. Add the orange liqueur and stir thoroughly until well mixed.
Here's another take on a sparkling drink festive enough for any summer celebration.
12 fresh cherries
3 oz bourbon – Woodford Reserve recommended
½ oz lemon juice
champagne – Chandon Brut Rosé recommended
dash bitters
Muddle cherries and bourbon in a cocktail shaker. Add lemon juice and shake. Pour into two champagne glasses; top with champagne and a dash of bitters.
Yields 6 Servings. Make ahead and thoroughly chill.
• 3 cups tomato juice – fresh tomatoes recommended
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. horseradish – adjust to taste
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Lea & Perrins sauce
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 3/4 tsp. celery salt
• 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive brine
• vodka – Tito’s Handmade Vodka recommended
Blend together tomato juice, lemon juice, lime juice, horseradish, Lea & Perrins sauce, garlic powder, olive juice and hot sauce and process until smooth. Pour into glass pitcher. Add celery salt and black pepper; adjust to taste. Fill glasses with ice and add vodka – add about an ounce. Top off with your Bloody Mary mixture. Stir. Garnish.*
*Get creative. Don’t just add a celery stick. Add pickled green beans and okra, a crispy slice of bacon, a boiled shrimp or crawfish tail, and a lemon or lime wedge.
Each of these excellent sparkling wines will fit into any brunch fare, at any price range.
Toso has been producing sparkling wine for more than 85 years. This crowd pleasing Brut really over delivers with tiny bubbles laced with yeast and butter notes. It is brunch food-friendly and also makes a great Mimosa.
This wine is fresh and bright. Its aromas and flavors of wild strawberries, bright cherries, and just a hint of yeastiness makes it perfect to pair with a wide range of brunch foods like salmon, sea scallops – just about anything from the sea.
This critically acclaimed Champagne is perfect for any occasion. It has plenty of rich apple fruit along with a streak of lemon zest and just a hint of juicy tangerine. The palate is round but fresh, and has a long, steely finish which leaves you wanting another sip.
Sweet Cuvée has a tantalizing, fruit-forward style with bright citrus and tropical fruit character. So easy to sip, it pairs perfectly with spicier offerings and desserts.
Produced entirely from white muscat (moscato) grapes grown in the strictly delineated Asti region of northern Italy, the wine has a delicately sweet character which makes it delightful and refreshing. Try it with brunch salads and pastas, especially when goat cheese is involved.
The sweetness in Cremant is subtle, providing a fine balance with desserts, such as fruit tarts, poached fruits, light cakes, custards, exotic sorbets, gingerbread, and crème brulee. It also compliments a wide range of spicy Asian foods, blue cheeses, and matches especially well with foie gras.
