Easy and Refreshing Sparkling Cocktail

This post is going to show you how to make a refreshing sparkling cocktail!

This cocktail would be the love child of the French 75 and the Bramble, two delicious cocktails with a base of gin.

Just like the Bramble, this cocktail has gin, fresh lemon juice, and crème de mûre. We will be adding some bubbly on top to make it the perfect aesthetically pleasing cocktail for any occasion!

This is an original Sweet Recipe by me, and you’ll love how easy this one is to make. Let’s get right into it! I call this:

“Sunday Morning” 

What You Will Need

Alcohol:

The base of this cocktail is gin! I have decided to use Hayman’s of London Old Tom Gin. Old tom gin is a little smoother and sweeter than other gins such as London Dry Gin. Old tom gins are lighter on the juniper flavors and are typically recommended for someone who is just starting to dabble with this spirit. I find Hayman’s to be SUPER approachable and delicate in its flavors. I highly recommend this gin and I think it sits perfectly in this sparkling wine cocktail! It has flavors of citrus, licorice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and coriander. This is a great gin to have in your home bar, and it is a gin I usually tend to do infusions with. I got my bottle at Total Wine and More!

Next we will be using one of my favorite liqueurs Crème de Mûre. Mûre in French means blackberry, so this is a blackberry liqueur! The brand I have chosen to use is Giffard. Crème de mûre has a rich, sweet, and bold flavor. On the nose you will get a deep berry jam, and you get that in the taste as well. I love using this liqueur to get that deep berry flavor in cocktails. Crème de mûre brings the sweetness in our sparkling cocktail! I got my bottle at Total Wine and More, but you can also find different branded crème de mûre’s at Bevmo and select Liquor Stores!

Lastly we will be using a sparkling wine for our sparkling cocktail! The sparkling wine I have chosen to use is Chandon Brut. This sparkling wine is crisp, light, and is the perfect fill for this cocktail! It is dry, which works because the crème de mûre will be giving us all of the sweetness that is needed in this beautiful drink.

You are more than welcome to use a Champagne if you would like, but I find sparkling wine’s like Chandon to be affordable and just as tasty! If you were ever wondering what the difference is between Champagne and sparkling wine, I can give you a very simple answer. To be called Champagne, it must be made in the region of Champagne, France. There are other regulations such as specific practices within the vineyard, specific selections of grapes, and mandatory passed down methods to be used during production. Please use whatever your preference is! Like I said, Chandon is very delicious, local to California, and affordable. I got my bottle at Total Wine and More!

Citrus:

This sparkling cocktail calls for Fresh Lemon Juice! Using fresh fruit juice is not only a way to elevate your cocktail, it’s a way to elevate your entire life! Seriously, nothing tastes better than real ingredients. You’ll never be able to turn back to the dark ages of store bought juice after you start juicing your own fruit! The tool I am using in the photo above is my hand-pressed stainless steel citrus juicer. This is probably one of the greatest items I’ve gotten myself for my home bar! It has an ease with the squeeze, ability to fit multiple pieces of fruit in at once, a handy pour spout, and never makes any mess! This thing is honestly the best. I couldn’t recommend it more and it’s such an easy way to start using fresh ingredients in your cocktails. You can find one identical to mine RIGHT HERE!

Bar Supplies:

Since we will be building this cocktail right in the glass, the only bar tool we will need is a Bar Jigger! Bar jiggers are a tool that you use when you are measuring out the ingredients of your cocktail! A good cocktail is a well balanced cocktail. You always want your drink to be consistent, balanced, and made to perfection. A bar jigger will help you attain that! My jigger in the photo above is double sided and ranges in measurement from 1/4 oz to 2 oz. A jigger is definitely a must have for your home bar so if you want one just like mine you can check it out RIGHT HERE!

I do have to say that when I first started bartending I used a more simplified jigger. It had easy to read measurements, was only one sided, and had a pour spout! If you are just beginning and want to ease into your pouring skills, I recommend checking out the exact jigger I used to use RIGHT HERE! It really helped me practice and gain the skills I needed to work with other jiggers.

I also must mention that you will need ICE. Lots of people have fridges with an ice dispenser which is perfect for you to use. Alas, if you do not have accessible fridge Ice, AKA ME, you will have to freeze your own! As you see above I use a silicone perfect ice cube tray. I will link an identical one that comes with a LID right HERE! I am lucky enough to have a cocktail store near me as well that  carries perfect ice in every size but that is not always the most affordable option. I would still suggest you check if any such stores exist near your location! Although a little more pricey, definitely worth it in quality!!!

I do recommend that if you are starting to create multiple cocktails at home, you should invest in your own personal little Bartending Kit. Most come with everything you will need as a beginner while others provide several items for more complex creations. I will put links to both a beginners set, and a more advanced set on Amazon below!

Beginner Kit: HERE

Advanced Kit: HERE

Garnish:

There are two optional garnishes for this sparkling cocktail. I do recommend you try them out because they make for a really beautiful presentation! One is very simple and the other requires a bit of finesse. I will explain each thoroughly for you! Garnishes not only look beautiful on a cocktail, but they also will sometimes give you a precursor to what you are going to get inside your drink. For this sparkling cocktail the garnish is a Lemon Spiral and a Fresh Blackberry!

The blackberry garnish is very very simple!

• Get a fresh blackberry and make sure it is washed and clean.
• Make one slit with a pairing knife where the stem of the blackberry would be.
• Only cut into the blackberry 1/3 of the way.
• Wedge the blackberry onto the rim of your glassware where you have made the slit. It should clasp onto the glass perfectly.

Next you will need to make a lemon spiral! This requires a tool called a Citrus Zest Peeler. I had to go to a special chef store to find one of these, but luckily they have very affordable and easy to use ones on Amazon RIGHT HERE!

In the photo above you will see that the zest peeler comes with 5 holes on the top, and one large hole on the side. The hole on the side is what you will use to create your spiral.

• Start peeling in a spiral like motion from the top of your lemon stem and downward.
• Make sure you are applying even and consistent pressure.
• You do not have to go too fast, make sure to take your time and slowly rotate the lemon in your non dominant hand.
• When your spiral reaches a length of around 8-10 inches break it off!

• Find a clean pencil or pen that you can tightly wrap your lemon spiral around like in the picture above.
• Leave your lemon spiral in that same position until your drink is ready to serve.
• When the cocktail is prepared, unwind the lemon spiral and stick half of it inside your cocktail and have the other half dangling off the side.

This peeling technique definitely takes a bit of practice, but once you have it down it is such a beautiful way to garnish cocktails that use fresh lemon juice! It’s also a fun and easy way to elevate your cocktail presentation. You can use this citrus zest peeler in a few different ways such as decorating lime or lemon garnishes. I use it for the Ancient Mariner recipe and it turned out great. Have fun with this peeler, there are so many creative ways that you can use it!

Let’s Build!