Today's recipe was completely inspired by the beautiful day that we had in Portland Oregon today. Look at that blue sky! Can you blame me? Everyone I have encountered today was abuzz about the sunshine. So my fellow blogger Sarah and I decided we needed a sweet sparkly drink to quench our thirst for Friday fun.
This cocktail is a sweet nod to mimosas- champagne with a touch of orange flavor from Cointreau and blood orange Italian soda. Cointreau is basically a fancy pants triple sec, which is an orange flavored liqueur. The blood orange Italian soda is from Safeway and is organic! I don't shop at Safeway often, so when I do, I always stock up on these fancy sodas.
I garnished the drink with tangerines because that's what I had. I always like to use a garnish because it elevates the drink from being a beverage to an experience. The other little twist I made to the classic champagne cocktail was serving it in a mug instead of a typical champagne flute. These mugs were hand painted with gold polka dots by my cousin Kate and given to me for Christmas, and they were begging to be used!
Blood Orange Champagne Cocktail
1 ounce Cointreau (or triple sec)
2 ounces blood orange soda (if not Safeway brand, San Pellegrino has a blood orange flavor)
3 ounces champagne
Slice of tangerine for garnish
Striped green straws (absolutely essential!)
Mix, stir and enjoy!
*swap out the champagne for sparking water, such as Perrier for an alcohol free version.
Clink!
