Hugo Spritz
A few summers ago, the Hugo Spritz made its debut and boy was it a doozy. I think everywhere I went people were talking about it, posting it, and drinking it. You honestly could not get away from the madness that was the Hugo Spritz. As an Aperol Spritz devotee myself, I had a hard time finding the joy in this slightly sweeter cousin of my favorite summer cocktail.
Then I had one that included more than just St. Germaine and mint - it expanded into additional citrus and that was delicious. The St. Germaine needs a little something more - like the lemon, lime and orange in my version - to make the sweetness seem refreshing and not cloying.
I’ve also learned over the years that I hate making one cocktail at a time. If I can make a large batch, I will then happily make specialty cocktails. Because the Hugo Spritz involves a bit of muddling, it leaves it open to be a cocktail full of little bits floating around. That is not appetizing.
If you make this in a (CLEAN!) French press, you can eliminate all little bits, have the base of the cocktail premade, and be prepared to serve a group. Just make sure the press is clean. A slight coffee tastes would not pair well with the champagne.
Hugo Spritz
makes 4 cocktails
1/2 cup St. Germaine
3/4 cup prosecco
soda water
1/2 lime, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 slice navel orange
large handful mint leaves (about a cup packed leaves)
STEP 1
In a French press, layer in the lemon, lime, orange and mint. Top with St. Germaine and muddle until properly combined.
STEP 2
Add in prosecco and press down on the French press.
STEP 3
Pour into cocktail glasses and top with sparkling water and a garnish of a mint leaf.
Classic Spritz
The classic spritz online is THREE parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda water. But it doesn’t taste like the spritz I had in Venice last year. So I messed around with the proportions and decided that just a little less Prosecco makes for the proper cocktail. Obviously, you can add more bubbles if you’d like, but I like it just like this - a little more bitter!
A spritz is the perfect day drinking/afternoon cocktail. It’s light on booze - Aperol and Prosecco are both light alcohol options so you can have one (or two) and still function for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a classic option when you’re sitting at a cafe in Venice on a warm summer day. The secret to a good spritz is to not waste expensive champagne on it! I like La Marca, which is a reasonably priced Prosecco that tastes great in a cocktail like this.
Ali’s Classic Spritz
2 parts Prosecco
2 parts Aperol
1 part soda water
Fill a glass with ice. Pour in two parts Aperol (I use two ounces) then add equal parts Prosecco. Top with soda water and add a straw. Cin cin!
The perfect spritz in Venice with the love of my life.
The original Champagne Cocktail
The original champagne cocktail is mentioned in Casablanca, in Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad, and has been turned into one million variations. This is the classic one. The OG.
It’s pretty simple - and it works - like most classic cocktails. It’s a little sweet (sugar) a little bitter (bitters) a little warm (cognac) and deliciously bubbly. The lemon on top is the perfect topper.
I found that if you swirl the cognac with the sugar before you add the champagne, it’s a better drink immediately. But it is not as impressive when you serve it. If you don’t swirl, the sugar cube bubbles with the champagne and it looks so pretty. But it takes a few minutes to get to the delicious drink you’re craving. Either way, you should totally make these for New Year’s Eve.
The Original Champagne Cocktail
1 sugar cube
2 -3 dashes bitters
1/2 ounce cognac
Champagne
lemon
Drop a sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne flute. Drip the bitters onto the sugar cube and let it sit so it soaks up. Pour in the cognac and swirl a little (optional - it’s better for flavor, but not the looks). Then top with champagne, pouring slowly to not get too much foam.
Cut a lemon with a wedge knife or a vegetable peeler and squeeze it over the top so there’s just a hint of lemon oil. Serve immediately!
Cran-Orange Mimosa
Nothing says holiday like a champagne cocktail. It’s the perfect cocktail for breakfast, brunch or dinner! Which means I’m pouring them all the time. Literally, all the time.
This one is a perfect combination of holiday flavors with the cranberry and the orange. And if you’re just making two, then you can buy a split of champagne or prosecco and not have any waste. It’s not like I’ve ever reached a point when I “wasted” champagne, but still…
cran-orange Mimosa
1 ounce cranberry juice
1/2 ounce orange liquer
champagne
twist of orange for a garnish
Pour all ingredients into a champagne flute and garnish.
Valentine Cocktail Party + 3 simple appetizer recipes
There are so many options for how to spend Valentine’s Day, but a fun way to celebrate with all of your friends is with a simple cocktail party - after all, Valentine’s Day is on a Thursday this year! Instead of celebrating just as couples, invite everyone over for drinks and small bites and celebrate together. This is especially great if some of your group is ‘coupled up’ and some of your group isn’t. And the planner-ahead-ers can pop over before their dinner reservation!
I have found when you’re hosting a party that the best thing you can do for appetizers is pick three good ones and go ALL IN! So be prepared to make tons of them because no one will dig into a partially empty buffet. I usually make one batch of each of these per every 10 people. But if you are cheese lovers, then maybe add a little more.
BAKED CAMEMBERT
1 wheel of camembert cheese
10 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a bed of rosemary sprigs on a baking sheet and place the unwrapped wheel of cheese on top.
Bake 30-35 minutes until the cheese browns on top. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.
Move the cheese to a serving dish and discard the cooked rosemary branches. Drizzle the top with honey and sprinkle with walnuts.
Serve with slices of bread or crackers.
I found all of these serving platters at Anko - my new favorite obsession because everything is darling and really well priced. I picked up these pink platters because they’re pink but not PINK. I was friends with a guy who used to call PINK menopause pink because when he was growing up in the south, every woman around 50 years old remodeled her kitchen and added those pink appliances that were so hot for a while. It was the ‘60’s after all. Ever since then I have been super picky about my color pink. I DO NOT WANT menopause pink in my life.
These are not. These are awesome. There are dinner plates and bowls too.
PESTO GORGONZOLA
Undoubtably the simplest appetizer you will ever make. Two ingredients; ten minutes; served hot or cold!
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
1 baguette, sliced
In bowl, mix together the pesto and gorgonzola until evenly mixed. Spread on the top of toasted bread. Toast again for 2-3 minutes in a broiler - or serve cold. Delicious either way.
CANDY COCKTAIL
1 packet grape poprocks
slice of lemon
1 tablespoon chambord
champagne
Rub the edge of a champagne coupe with the slice of lemon and rim with poprocks. Pour in chambord and top with champagne. Serve quickly!
I love combining new things with my collection of vintage barware. These champagne coupes are from the 1950’s and I adore them. I use them all the time because there is literally never a time when gold rimmed champagne coupes aren’t appropriate. If you can find some yourself, I highly encourage you to grab them! I set them on top of a marble board from Anko. I like to have everything grouped together - the marble is a great landing place for glassware ESPECIALLY if you have marble countertops. The slab creates a spot that’s unique but won’t damage your real marble counters in the event anyone spills.
Pin these for later!
Vintage Christmas + the best fondue recipe
Can you tell I’m feeling nostalgic for our own house? Soon we’ll have a great new house that will be amazing - especially at Christmas - but until then, I’m posting these darling photos from our old house and how cute we were.
Our original house was a 1940’s with a few “mid century” architectural details. I leaned into the vibe and hosted a little family cocktail party with champagne cocktails and a really delicious fondue. Even without a mid century home, you can still host a fun little cocktail party with mid century vibes.
RASPBERRY CHAMPAGNE
1 scoop raspberry sorbet (about one ounce)
1 tablespoon chambord
champagne
raspberries
In each glass, pop a scoop of sorbet and a tablespoon of chambord. Top with champagne until full. Drop a raspberry in each glass.
THE BEST FONDUE
The trick with this fondue is that you need to keep it warm. It will set up if you let it get cold as we’re basically just dealing with warmed cheese.
8 ounces shredded gruyere cheese
8 ounces shredded swiss cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon brandy
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
Toss shredded cheeses with flour until totally combined.
In a large pot, bring wine, lemon juice, and whole garlic cloves to a low boil. Slowly add the cheese, whisking the entire time. Continue whisking until smooth. Stir in brandy and transfer to a fondue pot. Serve with sliced bread, cooked red potatoes, and honey crisp apple slices.
A Party Girl Cocktail {the Black Cherry Tail}
My birthday party continues! There is no birthday party with out a cocktail. At least at my house. A cocktail makes the whole night sing. My signature birthday cake is a Black Forest Cake and I was dying to figure out how to get those flavors into a cocktail. So I did it.
Lemon Sorbet Champagne Float
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