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Showing posts with label fizz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fizz. Show all posts

Friday, February 13, 2015

Ring In the New Year with Mia Sparkling Moscato Featuring My Raspberry Limoncello Moscato Fizz

Christmas is officially over for another year -- and now its time to turn our attention to planning a relaxed at-home New Years Eve celebration! Were planning to catch an early movie, then head back home to watch the ball drop on TV from Times Square. Well also enjoy a few simple, no-fuss appetizers...and a bubbly cocktail. I recently received samples of Freixenets delicious Mia Fruity & Sweet Moscato -- and I immediately knew that I wanted to create a fun New Years Eve celebration cocktail with it. Mia sparkling Moscato is perfectly fizzy and sweet -- just like a romantic kiss from your sweetheart at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve! Mia Fruity & Sweet Moscato is easy to drink, and its delicious on its own paired with desserts or a composed cheese platter. However, I knew that Mias tasting notes of peach and apricot would match perfectly with tart raspberries and citrusy limoncello liqueur to create my Raspberry-Limoncello Moscato Fizz. This cocktail is my spin on a traditional bellini -- and its a snap to make! Its hot pink color is festive, and the flavor strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tart. The coarse sugar rim on each cocktail glass is totally optional, but it adds an extra boost of sweetness to each sip -- and the coarse grains of sugar sparkle like diamonds in the light. Tres romantique!

Raspberry-Limoncello Moscato Fizz

a Weekend Gourmet Original
Ingredients:
  • 12-ounce bag frozen strawberries, thawed
  • 1/3 cup limoncello (lemon liqueur)
  • 2 tbs. honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 bottle Mia Fruity & Sweet Moscato, very well chilled
  • Optional: coarse sparkling sanding sugar to rim the glasses
Directions:
Step 1: Add the thawed raspberries to a large mesh sieve thats placed over a large measuring cup. Use a wooden spoon to thoroughly press the raspberries through the sieve, leaving the majority of the seeds behind. Discard the seeds. Add the limoncello, honey, and vanilla extract to the raspberry puree in the measuring cup. Whisk until the honey is completely incorporated into the puree.
Step 2: Rub the rim of 4 margarita glasses (or large wine glasses) with a slice of lemon. Place each glass in a shallow bowl of the coarse sanding sugar. Let the glasses sit for a minute or two to set the sugar before making the cocktails. Add 2 tbs. of the raspberry-limoncello puree to the bottom of each glass.
Step 3: Slowly pour the chilled Mia Fruity & Sweet Moscato over the raspberry-limoncello puree. The drink will mix itself perfectly as you pour in the fizzy Moscato. Let each cocktail rest for a minute or two before serving -- until the bubbles on top die down a bit. Sit back and enjoy a glass of fruity, fizzy goodness!
Sigh...this is a perfect celebration cocktail. Its fruity, fizzy, and totally fun! We especially loved its bright color and the tartness from the raspberries and limoncello. The Mia provided the perfect amount of bubbles -- and the addition of honey and the sugared rim provided just enough sweetness. I hope youll give this fantastic Raspberry-Limoncello Moscato Fizz a try for your New Years Eve celebration! Make sure to come back tomorrow for a simple and flavorful shrimp dip thats ready in minutes and tastes even better the second day!

Disclosure: I received samples of Mia Fruity & Sweet Moscato to facilitate this feature. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
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Monday, February 9, 2015

Kicking Off Summer with a Summer Kiss Cocktail and a Pina Colada Fizz Mocktail!

Just in time for the three-day Memorial Day weekend, I’m sharing a couple of fun and refreshing Summer-inspired beverages with you today. One is an adult’s only fruit-infused cocktail, and the other is a fizzy family-friendly mocktail. Both beverages are flavored with fresh Summer fruit, and theyre perfect for any BBQs or other outdoor parties you have planned this long holiday weekend...or all Summer long! First up is an original creation, my Summer Kiss Cocktail, which is flavored with juicy fresh raspberries. I absolutely love the vibrant pink color they brought to my finished drink! The Summer Kiss Cocktail features two of my favorite cocktail ingredients: Skimpy Mixers and Pinnacle Tropical Punch flavored vodka.
Skimpy Mixers are made in Dallas, and they really help keep the calories down in your favorite cocktails while   delivering a bright punch of flavor. For this Summery cocktail, I wanted a tart citrus backnote…so I used Skimpy Margarita mixer. It has just 20 calories per serving, and it contains real fruit juice. If you haven’t tried Pinnacle flavored vodkas, they have a great line of infused vodkas in lots of fun flavors. The Tropical Punch flavor provides just the fruit punch flavor that my cocktail needed. For fizz, I added sugar-free citrus soda, along with some cream of coconut for a tropical nod. Add some ice and blend the ingredients up, and you’ve got a fantastic cocktail to kick off Summer!

Summer Kiss Cocktail
a Weekend Gourmet Original
Ingredients (makes two cocktails):
  • 2 ounces Pinnacle Fruit Punch Vodka
  • 4 ounces Skimpy Mixers Margarita
  • 4 ounces sugar-free citrus soda [NOTE: I used Fresca]
  • ½ cup fresh raspberries (approx. 8-10 raspberries)
  • 1 ounce cream of coconut
  • 1 cup crushed ice
Directions: Add the crushed ice to the bottom of a blender container. Add the vodka, Skimpy Mixer, sugar-free citrus soda, raspberries, and cream of coconut. Cover and blend until the ice is completed incorporated, then pour into two cocktail glasses. Garnish with maraschino cherries if you like. NOTE: For an even icier cocktail, freeze the raspberries.

This cocktail is so delicious! I loved the tart background flavor from the citrus soda and Skimpy Margarita mixer. The tart, juicy raspberries provided a gorgeous color...and their flavor paired really well with the Tropical Punch Pinnacle Vodka. The little bit of cream of coconut provided the perfect coconut flavor and aroma that says Summer is here! Using sugar-free mixers helped keep the overall calorie count of this cocktail down too. This one’s a keeper, folks. Speaking of keeper…wait until you see the fun mocktail I’m sharing today!
As a hostess, I am understand that not everyone wants to partake in an alcoholic beverage...and the little ones like to enjoy a fun tropical drink too! My Pina Colada Fizz Mocktail is my idea of a perfect alcohol-free warm-weather beverage to enjoy poolside. It features all the flavors of a tropical pina colada, with the addition of a refreshing fizz. The fizz in this mocktail comes from adding sugar-free Coconut Cascade Ice before blending. Cascade Ice Sparkling Water has zero calories, and it comes in a ton of yummy fruit flavors. I buy this product nearly every week, so I was really excited to create a special beverage featuring their product! This mocktail is a breeze to make, and it tastes SO good. The smell of the coconut will immediately remind you of being at the beach...even if you live miles inland! Trust me...this one’s going to be in regular rotation at my house all Summer long.

Pina Colada Fizz Mocktail
a Weekend Gourmet Original
Ingredients (makes one mocktail):
  • 1 cup frozen organic pineapple chunks
  • 8 ounces Cascade Ice Coconut sparkling water
  • 2 ounces cream of coconut
Directions: Add the frozen pineapple chunks to the bottom of a blender container. Add the Cascade Ice Coconut and cream of coconut. Blend until the ingredients are completely blended and smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve with a straw – paper umbrella is optional!

This mocktail is a taste of the tropics! The addition of fresh pineapple provides a fruity punch of flavor, and the cream of coconut amps up the coconut flavor from the Cascade Ice. I loved the fizz that the sparkling water provided...it makes the pina colada light and refreshing. This is a beverage that can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike...and it’s perfect for sipping by the pool or around the grill!

Disclosure: Skimpy Mixers, Pinnacle Vodka, and Cascade Ice provided me with samples of their products to facilitate my recipe development for this article. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
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