This Grapefruit Sparkler is a festive champagne cocktail! I love adult beverages featuring sparkling wine and this is simple to make and refreshing to drink at brunch or to ring in the New Year. This pretty drink will be a mainstay at your next girls night!
Course Cocktails
Cuisine Christmas, Girls Night, holidays, New Years
For the candied grapefruit peels and grapefruit-infused simple syrup:
1grapefruit
2cupsof sugar
2cupsof water
For each Grapefruit Sparkler:
Sugar
2Tbsp.of grapefruit-infused simple syrup + a little extra to rim your glass
1Tbsp.of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
The Champagne or sparkling wine of your choicemine was semi-dry
Instructions
For the candied grapefruit peels and grapefruit-infused simple syrup:
Start by slicing your grapefruit in half. Then lay each half flat-side down and cup it into thin slices (discard the seeds). Finally cut each slice in half and set aside.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saute pan whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Place the grapefruit slices in the water in a single layer (it's ok if they overlap a bit). Let them simmer (not boil!) for an hour or until the rinds are translucent.
Place them on a pan lined with wax paper to cool.
Allow the remaining liquid to cool a bit and then strain it into a container and refrigerate covered for up to a week or two.
Once cool, remove the fruit from the rind.
For each Grapefruit Sparkler:
Dip the rim of your glass into the grapefruit-infused simple syrup and then into some sugar.
Next place the 2 Tbsp. of grapefruit-infused simple syrup into the glass followed by the 1 Tbsp. of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.
Fill the rest of the glass with chilled Champagne or sparkling wine and place a candied grapefruit rind onto the rim (or into the glass).
Enjoy right away!
Notes
I wrote the cocktail recipe for each individual glass so it can be adapted to make these for as many or as few people as you want. I'm told you can help keep leftover sparkling wine fresh by placing a spoon in the opening of the bottle. This would be tasty with the citrus of your choice, but I love grapefruit best!