Bring a Little Effervescence to the New Year - Three Cocktails to Try

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Dec 28, 2017, 10:30 ET

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Dec. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time to ring in the New Year and the last of the holiday celebrations for 2017. According to Meijer spirit buyers, effervescence is this year's top trend in New Year's Eve cocktails, with sparkling wine as the featured ingredient.

According to the Daily Meal, some sparkling cocktails feature fruits such as citrus or pomegranates, which in some cultures are consumed on New Year's Eve to ensure prosperity and good health in the New Year. If you consider yourself a mixologist and have some sparkling wine on hand, the Meijer spirit buyers are featuring three bubbly cocktail recipes to try.

Bourbon & Bubbles – A bourbon Champagne cocktail? Why not add a little sparkle to your whiskey? You can use any sparkling wine, such as Champagne or Prosecco.

4 ½ oz. sparkling wine
1 ounce of American whiskey
½ oz. orange liqueur
3 dashes sweet bitters
Lemon twist

Combine the whiskey, orange liqueur and bitters. Add the sparkling wine slowly. Fill glass partway with crushed ice and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Jack of Spades – Ironically, as sweet as this cocktail sounds, tastewise, it really isn't. This cocktail features autumn ingredients such as apple and honey. If you don't have Prosecco on hand, you can substitute Champagne or another sparkling wine of your choice.

2 oz. of Prosecco
1.5 oz. Cognac
.75 oz. lemon
1 oz. Apple Cider
.5 oz. Honey syrup

Shake the Cognac, lemon, apple cider and honey. Strain into a lowball glass with ice and top with Prosecco.

Pomegranate Champagne Punch – If you are entertaining a group this New Year's Eve, consider serving a Pomegranate Champagne Punch. This punch features the sweet tart flavor of pomegranate and can be made with Champagne or your favorite sparkling wine.

½ cup water
½ cup sugar
2 bottles of chilled sparkling wine
1 ½ cups of white rum
1 ¼ cups pomegranate juice
1 large lemon, thinly sliced
Pomegranate seeds
Fresh mint leaves
1 ice block

Bring ½ cup water and sugar to boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer five minutes. Cool syrup completely. Combine sparkling wine, rum, and pomegranate juice in punch bowl. Add enough syrup to sweeten to taste. Mix in lemon slices, pomegranate seeds, and mint leaves. Add ice block to bowl.

Need some party tray ideas that can be ordered online? Click here to see the Meijer Deli selections available.

About Meijer: Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 235 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. A privately-owned and family-operated company since 1934, Meijer pioneered the "one-stop shopping" concept and has evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, pet departments, garden centers, toys and electronics. For additional information on Meijer, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer and @twitter.com/MeijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.