The 2-Ingredient Cocktail I’m Making for New Year’s
It’s so sophisticated but so easy.
Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel
The holidays are my favorite. I love how cozy everything is, with sweaters and warm drinks, cookies and Christmas lights. And I love a good New Year’s party. My husband and I tend to stick to smaller gatherings these days, usually involving a really nice homemade meal with close friends, complete with plenty of drinks and good cheer. A couple of years ago one of our friends made prime rib and I’m still thinking about it.
I tend to change out the cocktails every year, mixing up concoctions based on my mood and what’s on hand. This year, I was peering into my liquor cabinet looking for inspiration when I came across a bottle of crème de cassis. I’ve used the blackcurrant liqueur in a few drinks in the past, but it mostly sits in the back of the cabinet undisturbed.
I was already thinking bubbles for a cocktail when I remembered a classic 2-ingredient French drink that would be ideal for our get-together: the kir royale. It’s fizzy, which says holidays and celebrating, but it’s more complex than just a bottle of sparkling wine. The crème de cassis adds a beautiful fruity note without making the drink too sweet, giving it a lovely hue.
In short, it feels fancy and French, ideal for a holiday tipple. I’ll be serving this to New Year’s guests as soon as they walk in the door.
What Is Crème de Cassis?
Crème de cassis sounds so fancy, but don’t be intimidated. It tends to be stocked in standard liquor stores, and you won’t need to spend more than $20 to $25 for a bottle, which will go a long way and never go bad. The liqueur is made from blackcurrants, a tart and juicy little fruit popular in Europe. It looks very dark in the bottle but adds a red hue to drinks once poured.
It’s probably best known as an ingredient in the popular cocktail kir. Kir is made simply with white wine and crème de cassis, while a kir royale is made with sparkling wine instead of white wine. I tend to gravitate towards fizz, so the royale is my preference. Any sparkling wine will do, as long as it's dry and pretty good quality. Save the super fancy champagne for the midnight toast.
Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel
How To Make a Kir Royale
For one drink, you’ll need:
1/2 ounce crème de cassis
6 to 7 ounces dry sparkling wine, chilled
Add the crème de cassis to a champagne flute or white wine glass. Top with the sparkling wine and serve.
If you’re making several cocktails at once, add the crème de cassis to 5 to 6 glasses and top each with equal amounts of sparkling wine.
Other 2-Ingredient Cocktails Perfect for the Holidays
While I prefer this cocktail with bubbles, especially for the holidays, you can make a plain old kir using dry white wine and creme de cassis. This cocktail can be batched since there are no bubbles involved.
Swap the crème de cassis for Chambord, a raspberry liqueur, to make a Chamb’ and bubbly.
If you pick up some pre-made mulling spices, you can make mulled wine using just two ingredients. Nothing says holidays quite like a warm cup of spiced, aromatic wine.
For another warm option, combine spiced apple cider with bourbon or rum. You can leave out the booze so that kids can also enjoy, and adults can assemble using their spirit of choice. If you’re willing to stretch to three ingredients, serve with wedges of lemon or cinnamon sticks as a garnish.
Read the original article on SIMPLYRECIPES
