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Sparkling Pomegranate Snowflake
by Caroline O'Neil - I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!! First off, I know that many of you are "extremely" disappointed that I have not written an article for Darcy in a long time. I will admit that it has been almost a year since my last post. I still have a few more days before that happens. I do have a valid excuse for my absence though. Unfortunately, I have not been able to indulge for the last 7 months, we are expecting child #2 in the middle of March. Of course we can't forget that chasing the other toddler around is a full time job. Don't let his cute little smile fool you, and I assure you that he is plotting his next move, whenever he flashes that smile. Fionn, not Darcy.
Natalie over at The Liquid Muse has come to the rescue for us moms-to-be. She has published a book called Preggatinis, a modern book about non-alcoholic drinks. This is a wonderful collection of drinks that can be enjoyed throughout the nine month self-imposed dry spell. The book is organized into the different stages of pregnancy, and beyond. I especially enjoyed how she has highlighted special Preggatinis for all of the holidays. I decided to give her New Year's Eve "Sparkling Pomegranate Snowflake" a try.
Sparkling Pomegranate Snowflake
1 ½ ounces pomegranate juice
3 ounces nonalcoholic sparkling wine
1 sugar cube
Dash blood orange bitters *
2 tablespoons granulate white sugar for rim
1 teaspoon pomegranate seeds
Instructions: Rim a champagne flute with sugar. Place the sugar cube into the bottom of the flute, and soak it with the bitters. Add pomegranate juice and alcohol free sparkling wine, which is available at most grocery stores. Drop pomegranate seeds into the drink as an edible garnish.
Wow, what an amazing drink. I would recommend serving this to any of your guests who are off the wagon. I couldn't believe that this was a non-alcoholic "champagne"cocktail, I always thought virgin cocktails were boring and overly sweet.
The only minor modification that I would suggest is to use a teaspoon of simple syrup instead of the sugar cube. The sugar cube doesn't dissolve completely making the finish very sweet. The sugar cube trick comes from the Champagne Cocktail and as you drink that cocktail, it gets sweeter as you work your way toward the bottom of the flute. Champagne is very dry to start, so it works well there. The Sparkling Pomegranate Snowflake seems sweet enough to start, considering the sugar rim, so my preference is to have a balanced drink throughout. But it is always your choice. This is a great way to toast the New Year, or enjoy anytime you feel like being an adult. Cheers to everyone!! I wish you all the best in 2009.
*Stirrings makes a non-alcoholic variety
62 Comments on Sparkling Pomegranate Snowflake
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This sounds absolutely divine!I love pomegranate and this looks like such a treat - without the guilt!
That is an amazing sounding drink! And it reminds me of something my niece and I concocted this past holiday season. She wanted to make pomegranate sorbet in the worst way. I said 'wouldn't it be cool to drop a ball of that sorbet into a glass of champagne?' It worked spectacularly well (though our sorbet could have been colder so that it would have held its shape better). the sorbet has the advantage over a sugar cube in that it melts completely relatively quickly making the flavour consistent throughout. Plus it looks wonderful!
But the point is that a similar non-alcoholic drink could be made combining this idea with your recipe. Using non-alcoholic wine instead of champagne, a ball of pomegranate sorbet, some pom seeds and either with or without the rim (I'm not a fan of rimmed glasses personally).
I can imagine how this would look when it would be served... intense red at the bottom of the glass dissipating to the mellow straw of the wine/champagne and highlighted by the pom seeds carrying the colour from the bottom. By the time you would be halfway done the entire glass would be a pale golden reddish pink. Bottom's up!
p.s. Congrats on #2!!
p.p.s. Isn't being 'on the wagon' sober and 'off the wagon' drinking... hmmm... now I'm going to wonder about that! LOL