The Bubbly Girl

Champagne, Drinks, Shopping, Sparkling Wine

10 Great Bubbly Bargains for New Year’s Eve – All Under $30

December 30, 2009

This cremant from Burgundy is French, eminently drinkable, and $10 at Trader Joe’s.

On the whole, I think 2009 will be remembered as the year of moderation. Nearly everyone is looking for ways to be smarter about how they spend their money. While champagne and sparkling wines seem like a luxury — and they are a luxurious experience — they don’t have to come with a high price tag. One of the most useful features of my book The Bubbly Bar is a guide to buying bubbly in every price range. Since I wrote the book, I’ve continued to discover affordable sparkling wines that are great for sipping alone or in cocktails. Here’s my list of bargain bubbly available nationwide for New Year’s Eve 2010.

1. Michel Dervin Brut Champagne – crafted by a small grower in Champagne, this is toasty just the way you want, about $29.99
2. Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut or Extra Dry – made just outside Seattle, these wines are fresh and easy to like, about $8.99
3. Juve y Camps Reserva de la Familia Cava Brut Nature – an elegant and delicate mouthful, about $15
4. Blason de Bourgogne – a sparkling wine from Burgundy, made especially for Trader Joes available in brut and a brut rosé, about $10 – At Trader Joe’s
5. Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs – crafted from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, a satisfying bubbly with a hint of richness, about $17

The Domaine Carernos Brut is a perfect marriage of California and France, with its fresh fruit balanced by toastiness.

6. Domaine Carneros Brut – fresh and toasty, a marriage of California and France, about $24
7. Roederer Estate Brut – crisp green apple abounds, about $19
8. Mionetto Prosecco Brut – fresh green pear and soft bubbles, about $14
9. Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rosé – sophisticated and juicy with pinot noir, about $20
10. Domaine Chandon Brut Classic – a bright and bubbly wine, always a classic about $15

The Bubbly Girl Drink of the Week: Spicy Sparkling Cider Recipe

December 28, 2009

spicy sparkling cider 3
I get lots of questions about sparkling wine and champagne at my web site The Bubbly Girl. Some times they’re asking my opinion of a certain wine, or whether it’s alright to drink an old bottle of champagne they’ve been saving – I always say yes to that one; you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. Other times they want me to help divine the name of a wine they liked from a few flavor clues.

I got one of those questions the other day from a woman who had been served champagne at wedding that tasted just like apple cider. Since champagne is made from grapes and many people are trying to save money at a wedding, it’s very likely what was served as “champagne” at this nuptial was closer to a sparkling cider like Martinelli’s than Moët.

But the question got me thinking about the delicious bright and sweet taste of fresh apple cider made from fall apples. If you have a juicer, try making your own apple juice sometime – it’s nothing like the flat and sugary golden liquid that comes in glass jugs and juice boxes. The closest thing to making your own is getting fresh apple cider in a soft plastic jug.

The season and the cider inspired this cocktail I call Spicy Sparkling Cider, which is a mixture of fresh cider and sparkling wine. I used the Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut, though an extra dry style of bubbly would work if you like a sweeter drink. It’s spiked with Navan, a natural vanilla cognac by Grand Marnier and warm spices like cinnamon, star anise and ginger. Spicy Sparkling Cider is a fun individual drink – we had it before Christmas Eve dinner- but would make a delicious punch as well garnished with whole crab apples bobbing on the surface.

Spicy Sparkling Cider

2 ounces fresh apple cider (don’t use anything from a glass jug)
1.5 ounces Navan Vanilla Cognac
1 sliver cinnamon stick
1 sliver candied ginger
1 star anise (optional)
3 to 4 ounces brut or extra dry sparkling wine, chilled
slice crab apple, cut crosswise to show the star
Add the cold apple cider and Navan to a rocks glass or small stemless wine glass. Add the cinnamon stick, ginger and star anise, if you’re using it to the cider-cognac mixture. Let the spices rest in the cider-cognac mixture for a 5 to 10 minutes to give them time to release their flavor. Top with the sparkling wine, garnish with the apple sliced and serve right away.
By Maria Hunt, author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion (Clarkson Potter, $16.99)

Making a Champagne Cocktail with The Bubbly Girl – Video

December 21, 2009

Champagne Cocktails are some of the simplest and best drinks for starting off a party. They’re bubbly and the aromatic bitters get your appetite going. And then there’s a hint of sweetness, but not so much that you’re in danger of drinking the whole thing in 2 gulps. Check out this video where I lead you through making a classic Champagne Cocktail, the first drink in my new book The Bubbly Bar.

Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe with Angostura bitters, there’s a world of possibilities for making the Champagne Cocktail more elaborate. For my Los Angeles Bubbly Bar launch party at The Edison, I doused sugar cubes in a variety of flavors including absinthe, Pama pomegranate liqueur and orange bitters. I arranged the pretty tinted cubes in rows on a silver tray and let guests customize their own drinks.

: Create champagne cocktails take on a range of flavors with different flavored sugar cubes.

Celebrity Chefs, Champagne, Drinks

Champagne Daniel: You Can Take it Home with You

December 14, 2009

I’ve been in NYC for a few days of press interviews and book signings to promote The Bubbly Bar. The highlights included taping a Better.tv segment with Audra Lowe that airs later this week, making cocktails for Betsy on Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food with Betsy Karetnick.

But in between all the running around, I was lucky enough to be able to steal away to a few of Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurants that included the fabulous new DBGB Kitchen & Bar where we had the most perfect gourmet burgers and housemade sausages and DB Bistro Moderne, where I enjoyed a a light lunch of an Indian spiced squash soup, Alsatian tart and an Eliot Spitzer sighting.

One element that I found in all three restaurants – besides the amazing food, interesting decor and top-notch service, was the Cuvée Daniel Champagne. It flowed most freely at Restaurant Daniel, where we sipped glasses of the house bubbly along with a series of little morsels including scallops and satiny fluke that were on the appetizer menu. It was elegant and crisp with a richnesss that unfolded around gorgeous streams of tiny bubbles.

Daniel’s champagne is made by Pierre Paillard, a small producer in Bouzy that has specialized in pinot noir-driven wines and champagnes since 1768!

And it turns out, it’s available for purchase from Sherry-Lehman in NYC. This week they’re offering Cuvée Daniel for $45 a bottle; even with cross country shipping it’s a quite affordable way to experience a bit of luxury from one of New York’s top restaurants.

2017 Update: Cuvée Daniel is no longer available.

Bubbly Girl Drink of the Week: The Winter Shandy

November 20, 2009

The Winter Shandy features Crispin hard cider, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur and Meyer lemonade.
I discovered the Shandy cocktail in Chicago, a tangy blend of lemonade and a local brew. I did think it odd that the bar – which shall remain nameless – was serving such a summery drink in October. A Shandy struck me as a perfectly refreshing summer cocktail

According to my historic cocktail books, Shandy is short for Shandygaff, which was a mix of beer and lemonade, according to Tom Bullock in his 1917 cocktail book Ideal Bartender. Sometimes it was done as a blend of beer and gingerbeer too,

I decided to create a version of this refreshing drink perfect for those sunny days in autumn and winter. Since the season means apples and citrus, I decided to use hard cider as a base for my cocktail since I’d been sampling Crispin’s Natural Hard Apple Cider which has a taste of a crisp apple soda finished with just a touch of natural honey. Crispin’s hard cider comes in a variety of styles from a cloudy old fashioned hard cider in a brown bottle to a clear and crisp brut style to a light hard cider for people who might be watching their weight. The lighter ones are designed to be served over ice, kind of like a soft drink.

I plucked a couple Meyer lemons off the tree, made up some lemonade and created this drink.

The Winter Shandy
2 to 3 ounces chilled Crispin’s Natural Hard Apple Cider
2 to 3 ounces fresh Meyer lemonade
1/2 ounce Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
small piece candied gingerroot
lemon zest, for garnish

Add the chilled cider and Meyer lemonade to a pilsner style flute or rocks glass. Add the ginger liqueur and stir to combine everything. Drop the candied gingerroot into the glass. Garnish with the lemon zest.