Champagne Cocktails

Celebrate the Holidays with Chambord

December 22, 2020 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Celebrate the holidays with Chambord! I’ve teamed up with my friends from Chambord to give you a last-minute gift idea plus two holiday cocktail recipes. I understand better than anyone what it’s like to procrastinate to the very last minute to buy gifts and to plan what you’re making for the holidays. It is me. Every. Single. Year.

Chambord makes the perfect gift for a hostess, last-minute gifting or stocking stuffer. The bottle is so unique and elegant and looks amazing on your home bar or entertaining area. Pretty and delicious? Sounds great to me!

Every drop of Chambord is produced at a chateau wholly dedicated to Chambord in Cour-Cheverny in the Loire Valley of France. It’s made with 100% natural ingredients and uses whole, fresh fruit in the production process and contains XO Cognac, which is aged longer than VS or VSOP. So you can feel great about using it in your cocktails.

A very easy cocktail you can whip up in no time for Christmas or even the New Year is The Chambord Royale by simply adding 1/4 oz. of Chambord to your favortie glass of Champagne or Prosecco and garnishing it with a raspberry, blackberry or both.

I’ve made my own little spin on this cocktail by turning it into a larger format punch for easy entertaining at-home or socially distanced. In addition to Chambord all you do is add lemon juice and your spirit of choice. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Chambord Royale Punch

1/2 cup of Chambord

1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 cup of your spirit of choice (I recommend gin or Cognac)

Top off with a bottle of sparkling wine

lemon wheels, for garnish

raspberries, for garnish

blackberries, for garnish

Add lemon juice, Chambord and spirit to punch bowl. Then add ice and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lemon wheels, raspberries and blackberries.

This Chambord Royale punch is decadent and wonderfully effervescent. It’s the ideal accompaniment to meats and cheeses for a cocktail hour or beside a rich holiday meal. Might I add that a sparkly punch is always wonderful and appropriate for NYE.

Whether you’re spending it with your closest family members or even apart from them, Chambord makes the perfect gift. If you’re spending it apart, gifting a bottle and then making the Chambord Royale cocktail or punch over Facetime/ Zoom might be a fun way to connect with your loved ones this season. Regardless have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and please celebrate responsibly.

Order directly via Drizly and you can get $5 credit on your first order* using promotion code CHAMBORD. Also don’t forget to tag your Chambord cocktails with #makethemomentmagnifique over on Instagram.

This is a Drizly offer. 21+ subject to terms and conditions of Drizly. Void where prohibited. Offer Expires 3/30/21. Thanks for supporting the sponsored posts that make Arsenic-Lace happen.

Easy 3 Ingredient Quarantine Cocktails

April 30, 2020 by Natalie Leave a Comment

While we’re all stuck at home it’s nice to have a few easy cocktail ideas up your sleeve. I’m sharing three of my favorite easy 3 ingredient quarantine cocktails. These are the three cocktails I drink the most of so I made sure I had all ingredients on hand to make these classic staples. Classic cocktails are great for at-home mixing because most of them are simple as well as delicious. My three must-have cocktails for quarantine is an Aperol Spritz, a margarita and a negroni. Shall we make some drinks? It’s been a while.

Quarantine Cocktails

Aperol Spritz, serves 1

2 oz. Aperol

3 oz. prosecco

1 oz. soda water

orange wheel, for garnish

Firstly, add all ingredients into a wine glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with an orange wheel. Suns out spritz out!

Margarita, serves 1

1 1/2 oz. tequila

1 oz. triple sec (like Cointreau or Combier)

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice.

lime wheel, for garnish

salt, for rimming (optional)

You can either serve this up or down but I prefer my margaritas up with salt. Salt is also optional here. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Then shake and strain into a salt-rimmed glass. Or not. Finally, garnish with a lime wheel. Or not. You don’t have to be fancy with garnishes. You’re home so you can take it easy. If you feel like being more adventurous try this hibiscus margarita recipe that I made!

Negroni, serves 1

1 oz. gin

1 oz. sweet vermouth

1 oz. Campari

orange twist, for garnish.

Add all ingredients to a double rocks glass with ice. Stir and express the orange twist on top of the drink. Lastly, place the twist in the drink. Sip and enjoy! If you’re into tequila like I am you should try a Rosita instead.

Most people with a decently stocked bar should have these items on hand. These quarantine cocktails are easy and quick to make and there’s something for everyone. If you’re in the mood for something light and refreshing, obviously an Aperol Spritz. Do you want something that’s crisp and sour? Well then, have a margarita! Or would you rather have something bitter and boozy? Then a negroni should do the trick.

I hope you’re all staying home and above all else staying safe. In the meantime, fix yourself a drink. After all, it’s almost the weekend, if that means anything anymore. I’ve linked all my favorite product picks to Drizy just in case you needed to get anything delivered to make some cocktails. Cheers, everyone! xo

Bitter Blood Orange French 75

December 30, 2018 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Can 2018 get the hell out of town already? Sending this year off with something bitter and sparkling because it only seemed appropriate. I took a popular classic champagne cocktail, the French 75 (gin, lemon, simple, champagne), and changed it up a bit by adding fresh blood orange juice and Campari. My bitter blood orange riff on the French 75 is the perfect cocktail to send 2018 packing.

The original French 75 was created by Harry Macelhone at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in 1915. The cocktail was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm Howitzer field gun. The cocktail was popularized in America at The Stork Club in NYC and with its publication in the Savoy Cocktail book in 1930. It also makes an appearance in one of my favorite Humphrey Bogart movies, Casablanca.

Bitter Blood Orange French 75, makes 1 serving

1 oz. gin

1/4 oz. campari

1/2 oz. blood orange juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

Champagne or Prosecco

First add all ingredients (except champagne) to a cocktail shaker, fill completely with ice and then shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

The changes that I made to this classic cocktail were so simple yet made such a huge impact on the flavor. Blood oranges have deep red flesh and the flavor is much more intense than a normal orange. This fruit is sweet, bitter, and has a slight hint of raspberry flavor. They pair perfectly with Campari, which is also crimson red and has a bittersweet taste with distinct notes of cherry, cascarilla, clove, rhubarb, cinnamon, and orange peel. As a result of the color of both of these ingredients, and their delicious flavors we are left with a delicious and stunningly hued cocktail.

While many great and positive things happened in my life during 2018, unfortunately, it has come to a bittersweet ending. It only felt right to make a bubbly and bittersweet cocktail to coincide with that. I’m looking forward to the future, continuing to grow my business, and making some big life changes in 2019. But most of all I am most excited for a fresh start and a chance to be happy again. I’m raising my glass and wishing you all a very Happy New Year! xo

Sparkling Rosé Paloma

November 7, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

It’s always rosé season in this house! So excited to team up with 90+ Cellars for this post to share my Sparkling Rosé Paloma recipe with you.

If you haven’t heard of 90+ Cellars, it’s a really cool wine brand that curates a portfolio of wines from all over the globe. They love great wine and their mission is to make drinking great wine easier and more affordable for everyone. They do this by buying wine at a discount from acclaimed wineries and vineyards — then they are able to sell great wine at a reduced price under their label. Thus bringing better wine to more people at a lower price. It’s a pretty brilliant concept!

I’ve used their Sparkling Rosé in this recipe which is lovely in a glass on its own but also works marvelously in cocktails. 90+ Cellars Sparkling Rosé is made with Pinot Noir grapes from Northern Italy. It is pale pink in color, dry, fruity, and has charming effervescence. It’s notes of strawberry, passionfruit, and rose petals make it perfect for complimenting spirits and adding a delightful flavor to cocktails.

Sparkling Rosé Paloma, serves 1

1 1/2 oz. blanco tequila

1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup (1:1)

top with 90+ Cellars Sparkling Rosé

sprigs of thyme, for shaking with and garnish

grapefruit wedges, for garnish

ancho chile salt, for rimming

First, make your ancho chile salt by combining equal parts salt and ancho chile powder. I also sprinkled in some crushed red pepper for extra texture. Rim the edge of your serving glass by running a lime wedge around it and then dipping it into a bowl of your prepared ancho chile salt.

Next, add tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple syrup and thyme to a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake, and then strain into your salted glass filled with ice. Top with 90+ Cellars Sparkling Rosé and garnish with a sprig of thyme and grapefruit wedge.

Have I ever told you how much I love Palomas? I do. I do.

They’re citrusy and oh so refreshing. They’re like little fizzy effervescent grapefruit margaritas. Then I went ahead and added rosé to it and made it 100,000,000x better.

Traditionally a Paloma is made with tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda. I like to make mine with the fresh juice of lime and grapefruit and then I use club soda to add the carbonated element. Here I simply swapped out soda for 90+ Cellars Sparkling Rosé and it truly came out amazing! This Sparkling Rosé Paloma is fruity, juicy, fresh, clean, fizzy and herbaceous. Did I mention delicious? Why yes it is!

I hope you’ll be enjoying one this weekend. You can check out 90+ Cellars website here to view and purchase their entire wine collection online. Cheers everyone! xo

Summer Solstice Sparkling Chamomile Sangria

June 21, 2018 by Natalie 1 Comment

The Summer solstice marks the official start of Summer. With it brings the longest day and shortest night of the year. You might need sangria for the longest day of the year, correct? In light of Summer solstice, I made Sparkling Chamomile Sangria with Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. just for the occasion. After all, I do wait all year for the first day of Summer — every year. A delicious bubbly wine together with chamomile tea, elderflower liqueur, lemon, and strawberry seems like the perfect combination to ring in the first day of Summer.

Today also marks my 2nd blogiversary. I can not believe it! We’re going to need more prosecco!

Sparkling Chamomile Sangria, serves 4-6

1 bottle Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G

2 cups chamomile tea

3/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup gin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup elderflower liqueur

lemon wheels

strawberries

First, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 2 chamomile tea bags and let steep 5 minutes. Remove bags and discard. While tea is still hot add your 1/2 cup of sugar and stir until fully dissolved.

Next, cut up the fruit and then add it to your pitcher or large serving vessel. Pour tea, lemon juice, gin, and elderflower liqueur into the vessel and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours. The longer you let the fruit steep the better!

Just before serving your Sparkling Chamomile Sangria, add ice and finally top with a bottle of Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. In this recipe, I only used 1 bottle of prosecco, but if you want to make a boozier sangria I suggest using 2 bottles instead.

I love adding an iced tea element to cocktails in the Summer. Especially in sangria and punches! Tea adds a lot of fruity, floral, and herbal elements that can compliment wine and spirits nicely. In this case, the chamomile adds floral notes that are a perfect match to the aromatic, fresh, fruity, and sweet floral aspects ofSanta Margherita Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. Santa Margherita grows luscious, aromatic Glera grapes in the gentle hills of Valdobbiadene, a town synonymous with the finest Prosecco Superiore, and DOCG status – the highest and most distinctive classification possible.

Please sip and enjoy this delicious Sparkling Chamomile Sangria. I’ve been waiting a long time to say this — happy first official day of Summer everyone!

The Perfect Galentine’s Day Brunch Cocktail

February 2, 2018 by Natalie 3 Comments

I’m not sure if you guys know but I’m a HUGE Valentine’s Day fan. Any excuse to wear pink and shake up a cocktail (or bake) is the perfect holiday for me. The counterpart to V-Day? Well, it’s Galentine’s Day! What better excuse to celebrate your fabulous self by getting together with your lady friends for brunch, drinking a cocktail or two, doing fun DIYs, and watching your favorite romantic chick-flicks. I’ve come up with the perfect Galentine’s Day brunch cocktail that’s both easy and delicious.

No party would be complete without a fun bar cart set up either. I got the #Gals banner and garland from Target for $3 each.

Raspberry Sorbet Bellini, serves 1

1 scoop raspberry sorbet

1/2 oz. elderflower liqueur

sparkling rosé wine

edible flowers and fresh raspberries for garnish

These raspberry sorbet bellini’s are so easy to assemble and makes them the perfect entertaining cocktail. Simply scoop the sorbet into a champagne glass and add 1/2 oz. of elderflower liqueur and then top with the sparkling rosé. Garnish with fresh raspberries and an edible flower garnish.

SO EASY RIGHT?

I have a feeling you will be drinking these raspberry sobet bellini’s long after Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day comes and goes. I think this is my new every Sunday brunch cocktail. You can get creative and change what type of liqueur you use, the flavor of sorbet, as well as switch to a regular sparkling wine or champagne instead of rosé. ‘Tis the season for pink and red and I couldn’t help myself but pick raspberries and a little pink wine to go along with it. The Lamberti Rosé Sparkling wine I used was great for the price, bright, refreshing with lasting flavors of apple and raspberry that complemented the sorbet perfectly.

Are you planning on having a Galentine’s Day get together with your bffs? I hope so and I hope you will try this cocktail out. If you do don’t forget to let me know how it turns out in the comments below. I also started a hashtag over on Instagram, so snap some pics and tag it with #ALinmyglass so I can see. Stay tuned for more Valentine’s Day treats. Cheers everyone! Happy Weekend! xo

Champagne Cupcakes

December 30, 2017 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Yes, the Champagne posts continue! It is, after all, New Year’s and what else would I be drinking? I made these Champagne Cupcakes for tomorrow night because the only thing better than drinking Champagne would be eating it. Okay, maybe I’m wrong. Drinking Champagne is definitely better. But these will pair perfectly with a glass of bubbly!

Champagne Cupcakes, makes 1 dozen cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

1/2 cup sparkling wine

Champagne Frosting

For the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup sparkling wine

1 tsp. vanilla extract

sprinkles

Preheat your oven to 350°. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together sour cream/yogurt and sparkling wine. Slowly add wine mixture and flour mixture into sugar and eggs.

Distribute batter evenly with a tablespoon among a lined tray and place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool about 15 minutes. While they’re cooling you can make the icing.

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine all frosting ingredients and beat until smooth. Fill a pastry bag and frost the cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles. I used these gold ones.

This is the same recipe that I made when I did Rosé Champagne Mini Cupcakes for A Beautiful Mess. I changed the wine to regular sparkling wine instead of Rosé and didn’t add food coloring to the batter or frosting. I used a Prosecco because I didn’t want to use the really good stuff. I’m saving that for midnight! These Champagne Cupcakes still turned out pretty good. The first time I made this recipe I used sour cream. This time around I did Greek yogurt and I have to admit that the sour cream ones were better. So go with the sour cream! They still came out light and fluffy but were a little less moist.

The best part about making these is you get to drink the rest of the sparkling wine. Make sure you save a glass to wash these Champagne Cupcakes down with though! I hope you will be making these for your New Year’s Eve festivities. Let me know how they turn out in the comments below. Happy New Year everyone! xo

Pineapple Champagne Punch

December 29, 2017 by Natalie 3 Comments

Greetings everyone and happy almost New Year! I hope you have some fun plans to ring in the New Year, but if not don’t fret. New Year’s Eve is one of those holidays that’s always filled with unrealistic expectations. I have spent most working behind the bar but this year I’m staying home for a low key evening with a few friends. If you’re entertaining, I made this Pineapple Champagne Punch that’s simple to throw together. What better way to ring in the New Year than with all my favorite ingredients mixed together in one giant bowl! Don’t forget the disco balls!

Pineapple Champagne Punch, serves 8-10

4 oz. Jamaican Rum

4 oz. Cognac

3 oz. pineapple juice

3 oz. lime juice

4 oz. allspice simple syrup

1-2 bottles sparkling wine

The allspice syrup is super easy to make. Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon of ground allspice. Heat on the stove and stir until all sugar has dissolved. Let simmer for 10 minutes to cook in the allspice. Remove from heat and let steep for another 10 minutes. Use a fine strainer and a double layer of cheesecloth to strain out the allspice. You can store the syrup in a jar or bottle. This will keep for up to one month refrigerated. If you have allspice liqueur on hand you can add a 1/2 oz. of that to the syrup as well. It will add more flavor and keep it fresh longer.

To make your Pineapple Champagne Punch add all your ingredients to your punch bowl, pouring the sparkling wine last.Easy peasy. I made this batch with one bottle of sparkling wine. My suggestion for a boozier punch is to use two bottles. It will also help dry the punch out a tad because it’s on the sweeter side.

I made a large format ice cube by using a bundt cake mold. Freeze pineapple wheels, a little pineapple juice, and water in your mold. This keeps your punch cold longer and doesn’t over dilute it.

This Pineapple Champagne Punch was so delicious! I can’t wait to make it again for New Year’s Eve. Even though I made a special syrup for the punch it was still fairly simple to put together. You can make the syrup days ahead of time to make assembly even easier. The allspice added tons of flavor and complemented the rum, cognac, and pineapple perfectly. Allspice and pineapple are a common pairing in a lot of classic tiki drinks and that’s where I got the idea for this Pineapple Champagne Punch.

Stay tuned for more New Year’s Eve ideas this weekend. 2018 I’m so ready for you! xo

Carrot and Orange Mimosa

April 16, 2017 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Hey everyone! Happy Easter! Hope you’re all enjoying your holiday at home with your loved ones. This is my favorite time of year, probably because it’s finally acceptable to wear pastels, not that it stops me at any other time of the year. Finally, I don’t stick out like a sore thumb though! I’ve whipped up quite a delicious (and EASY) cocktail for your Easter festivities. My Carrot Orange Mimosa is literally three ingredients and is sure to impress your holiday guests. Although perfect for Easter, where brunch meals are the norm, this drink is acceptable to serve throughout the Spring season OR any other time of the year that you want to add a little special something to your regular classic mimosa. Get creative with in-season fruit and vegetables. You don’t have to stop with orange juice!

Carrot and Orange Mimosa

1 oz. Orange Juice

1 oz. Carrot Juice

Top with Sparkling

Add your juices to a flute glass and fill with sparkling wine. Garnish with a carrot top.

Guys…carrot juice is so delicious. Why has it taken me this long to realize it? I have a confession to make and it’s that I don’t have a slow juicer. I’ve always wanted one but have never had the extra space for kitchen gadgets. Now that I’ve moved and have a kitchen to accomodate more appliances, it is defintely on the top of my list of things to buy.

With that said, I knew I needed fresh carrot juice to really make this recipe work. I went to my local organic food store that also sells fresh juice and brought some home. Super helpful and a great idea for those that also don’t have access to making fresh vegetable juice at home.

Along with these mimosas I also have a number of other things on the menu for today. For breakfast I’m making bunny pancakes, stay tuned for super cute photos! For dinner I’m making a chilled asparagus soup and Ethan is making an apricot and mustard glazed ham with root vegetables. Dessert which I am most excited for, is a strawberry rhubarb tart!

Banana Pancakes from Good Housekeeping Chilled Asparagus Bisque from Good Housekeeping Apricot-Mustard Ham with herb roasted root vegetables from Good Housekeeping. Rhubarb-Strawberry Tart from Martha Stewart.

Have fun cooking, baking, and drink making tomorrow. I’d love to hear what you’re making for Easter. If you decide to make these mimosas let me know how it turns out!

Giveaway with Shaker and Spoon

February 15, 2017 by Natalie Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone! Excited to announce that I’ve teamed up with Shaker and Spoon for a little giveaway. If you’re not familiar with them they do a monthly subscription cocktail club. All you have to do is pick up the bottle and they take care of the rest! That just sounds too easy, doesn’t it? It defintely takes the hassle out of making drinks at home. No running to the super market, fussing over making syrups, running around for those impossible to find bitters. I know we’ve all done it…I defintely have.

Fear no more, because with Shaker and Spoon you can confidently make drinks for your date, friends, or just for yourself, and the cocktails will always be perfect and stress free.

I recieved February’s After Party Box which included ingredients for three champagne inspired cocktails, because after the holidays everyone has bubbly laying around, am I right? Guilty! I made the Time After Thyme by my friend Pamela Wiznitzer.

This cocktail combines the herbaceous fusion of cucumber, celery, and thyme with the fresh citrus of grapefruit and the effervescence of sparking wine. The Time After Thyme was devine and completely refreshing and very easy to make. All I had to do was build my ingredient in the glass, add ice, stir, and top with champagne. I may have had two (or three). I can’t wait to try the others and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on one of these boxes!

All you have to do to enter is go to my Instagram, comment on the photo that I’ve tagged Shaker and Spoon in, tag three friends you want to share cocktails with and make sure you’re following me (@arseniclace) and Shaker and Spoon (@shakerandspoon). Winner will be chosen at random and the contest will go for 48 hours. Good luck everyone, and hurry up and enter!

Everything but the booze!

Cheers and Good Luck!