Cheers!!

 What’s cooking? Holiday Sparkler Cocktail

The Kitchen Goddess is celebrating the new year. Yes, in spite of the fairly grim forecasts for the next few months, we can all celebrate something, if not more than a few somethings. After all, the past two years have brought Covid marriages, Covid babies born, and not a few who’ve taken the Covid wake-up call to reassess their careers and goals and move their lives in new and exciting directions. So there’s sure to be good coming out of 2022.

And what better way to celebrate this new year than with a bit of alcohol? Anything that bubbles, anything that sparkles – the goal is to be festive. Long ago, in the early days of this blog, I posted a drink called a Champagne Cosmopolitan, the recipe for which I found in a long-forgotten issue of Gourmet magazine. When we lived in New Jersey, for our annual Soup Party, my hubby and I frequently met guests at the door with a tray of these lovely drinks. They were always welcomed. (Click here for the recipe.)

More recently, I hosted a holiday luncheon for a small group of women friends, and my friend Gail, the one in charge of the drinks – you know you can’t have a holiday luncheon without a special drink – brought an over-the-top cocktail that was simultaneously fun, beautiful, and delicious. And light enough on the alcohol that we could have two if we wanted.

The pièce de résistance was a tiny spoonful of edible silver dust (also known as Luster Dust), which you can find on amazon or at your local baking supply store. As it swirls around in the liquid, it creates an effect that I can only describe as magic. (And here I’ve been using it only on cookies!)

Gail introduced another element that made the cocktail special: fresh cranberries frozen in ice cubes. So, of course, the Kitchen Goddess did likewise when serving them to her family on Christmas. It’s a bit of a pain getting them to freeze in the middle of the cubes because the berries have a tendency to float. But if you fill the tray half-way, add the berries, then freeze them, then add water on top and freeze again, you can get just the effect. I know... it’s a Kitchen Goddess sort of obsession, but you must admit they look special.

If you can’t find fresh cranberries, I think you could do the same trick with raspberries or pomegranate seeds. And if you have a hard time finding white cranberry juice, try your local mega-liquor store 

Holiday Sparkler Cocktail

Adapted from Breckenridge Distillery

Makes 1 drink.

Ingredients

1½ ounces vodka
5 ounces white cranberry juice
Splash of Prosecco
¼ teaspoon silver pearl dust

Special equipment: a lowball glass (also called a rocks glass or an old-fashioned glass), which holds 6-10 fluid ounces.

In a lowball glass, stir together the vodka and the cranberry juice. Add ice and pour in the splash of Prosecco. Slowly stir in the silver dust and serve.

Kitchen Goddess note: If you are going to be making more than one of these – and who would not make more than one? – it's easiest to mix together a batch of the vodka and the white cranberry juice. Then for each drink, all you have to add is the ice, the splash of Prosecco, and the silver dust.

So here’s to you and yours, to better times, to your health and happiness, and to whatever manner of blessings that come your way. Happy New Year!