Panache in a glass
Make the holidays happier with some splashy, wine-based drinks
‘Tis the season — again! Time to plan those holiday parties and meals — again!
This year, make a splash by greeting your guests with sparkle and panache in a glass.
One stylish way is to go vintage. The Champagne cocktail was the welcoming drink in dozens of high society movies from the 1930s and ’40s. Serve the cocktail this holiday season and your guests will feel like they’re at Rick’s in Casablanca.
Champagne cocktails are best served in a tulip-shaped “Bordeaux-style” wine glass, and it doesn’t take much to whip them up. Before your guests or relatives arrive, set out the number of glasses you’ll need and drop in a teaspoon of sugar and two dashes of Angostura bitters in each. As guests arrive, add one-half ounce of your favorite Cognac or brandy and three ounces of refrigerated sparkling Brut Champagne, drop a lemon twist and thin orange slice into each glass and serve (without ice).
Or to add a splash of color to the party starter, try this drink mix instead: two ounces of cold pink grapefruit juice, three ounces of refrigerated sparkling wine and one 2-inch-long strip of grapefruit peel dropped into the glass.
Any classic Champagne cocktail calls for using the real stuff from France. But, of course, any decent sparkler will do. Try the lower-priced Cava from Spain or a solid Finger Lakes sparkler. Another good sparkling wine choice, especially for that pink grapefruit cocktail, is Prosecco from Italy. Always use a Brut (dry) style sparkling wine for these drinks.
When it gets bone-chilling cold out, it’s the perfect time to serve warm mulled wine. Usually made from a red wine base (some people use Port), mulled wine is combined with spices and warmed in a large crock. Fill the crock with wine and warm it, but don’t boil it. Add a handful of cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, some lemon and orange slices, plus sugar to taste. Serve the way you would serve a punch, into thick cut glass or crystal.
Once you’ve gotten your guests warmed up with an opening drink, it’s time for the food and wine. Even a medium-sized party can require a big volume of wine. So no matter what you’re serving, a holiday party is generally not the place to pull out that rare bottle of wine you’ve been saving (perhaps you can open that one later, to remind your long-lingering guests that you know how to save the best for last).
Of course, you don’t want to serve plonk. That’s where those double-sized, 1.5 liter bottles come in handy. The glut of wine on the market has meant some decent stuff is showing up in that size. With a little shopping around, you can find a number of solid wine offerings in the perfect party-sized 1.5 liter bottles, both imported and domestic, and they sell at a discount compared to buying the same amount in two bottles. And remember, leftover wine refrigerated for a few days keeps perfectly well.
To help make your selection, here’s a sampling of some food-friendly wines that can pair well with many kinds of party fare.
Known for its white wine, the village of Orvieto is located in the Umbria region in the dead center of Italy. The Palazzone family produces a zingy, bright, fruity Orvieto without the use of petro-chemical pesticides and fungicides. The wine in a 1.5-liter bottle is just $14.
Not far from there, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, the Citra family produces red wine. Their wine from the Sangiovese grape has a satisfying, leathery mouth feel and dark cherry taste, and their Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from the Montepulciano grape is rustic and earthy. Each wine in the 1.5-liter bottle is $10. (Don’t confuse Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with Rosso or Vino Nobili di Montepulciano; the latter two are produced in Tuscany in the village of Montepulciano. To potentially confuse you more, those two are produced primarily from the Sangiovese grape.)
For solid domestic party wines, you can’t go wrong with the Barefoot brand. Owned by Gallo, Barefoot continues a tradition that began more than 30 years ago when two partners started their winery with a mission to offer good price to quality ratio.
For red wine, the Barefoot Zinfandel is brambly, raspberry-like and full-bodied. For white wine, Barefoot’s Pinot Grigio is clean and snappy, with a resin-like thread running through it. Each is a truly food-friendly wine—and at $10 for a 1.5-liter bottle.
If you don’t find one or more of these wines, ask your retailer for suggestions that are similar. And buy by the case to get the 10 or 20 percent discount most stores offer.
To calculate how much wine you’ll need, figure two to three 4-ounce glasses per person. Some may have more, some may have less, and then some won’t have any—so don’t forget to stock up on beer, too, plus some non-alcoholic drinks.
And remember: Plastic cups ruin the taste of wine—and any illusion that you’re sipping with the regulars at Rick’s.
