Recipe:

Sparkling Wine or Champagne

1 splash Campari 

1 Sugar Cube

1 drop Angostura Bitters

Directions:

1. Place a drop of Angostura Bitters on a sugar cube and drop into a champagne flute. Add a splash of Campari and fill glass with champagne. Serve immediately

(Photo Credit: Hotel Chatter.com)

1 bottle of Island Mist Blackberry Cabernet
1 cup lemon flavoured Vodka
Juice of one lemon and one lime
1 cup soda water
1/2 cup blackberries

Pour all ingredients into a large pitcher with ice. Pour into tumblers and garnish with floating blackberries and thinly sliced lemons and limes.

Recipe: 

4 oz champagne or sparkling wine

2 oz bourbon

1 teaspoon sugar

6 sprigs fresh mint

Directions:

Combine 4 mint leaves with the sugar and a few drops of water, and muddle well. Add the bourbon, and stir well. Strain into a collins glass, add ice cubes and the champagne. Garnish with 2 mint leaves, and serve.

(Recipe from Drinks Mixer/Photo Credit: Recipe Source)

4 oz. Island Mist Blueberry Pinot Noir
1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. Triple Sec

Shake drink mixture over ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass. Toss in some frozen blueberries and add a twist of lemon for garnish. For an added treat, rim the glass with sugar. This tangy cocktail will delight your taste buds all on its own or as a refreshing complement to warm blueberry compote.

5 oz. Island Mist Exotic Fruit White Zinfandel
1 oz. raspberry flavoured vodka
2 oz. mixed berry juice

Pour all ingredients over ice in a tall tumbler, garnish with floating berries or starfruit and an exotic flower.

There is quite the argument however surrounding the the French 75 cocktail in that some believe it should be made with cognac and some say gin. In the spirit of remaining neutral, this is the time time to trust in your taste. If you prefer gin, go with gin and if cognac is more your pleasure, go with that. Either way, the French 75 is delicious and there is no argument on it being utterly satisfying. On another note, using vodka in place of cognac or gin is called a French 76.

Recipe:

2 ounces cognac or dry gin

1 teaspoon superfine sugar or simple syrup

juice of 1/2 of a lemon 

5 ounces champagne or sparkling wine

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except champagne in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Fill a Collins glass with ice cubes and strain the cocktail into the glass filling the glass half way. Top the glass off with champagne. 

(Photo Credit: Romulo Yanes and Gourmet.com)

The "flip" cocktail originated in the 17th century and basically refers to a cocktail that is smooth, frothy and sweet from the addition of eggs and sugar. A flip cocktail can be made with gin, whiskey, rum, brandy, sherry or port. A superb cocktail to cozy up with while sitting around a hot fire on a cold night.

Hot Port Flip Recipe:

6 ounces Port

4 ounces cream

2 pinches nutmeg

2 teaspoons superfine sugar

2 eggs

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a small mixing bowl until the sugar is dissolved and the eggs are frothy. Whisk in the cream.

2. In a saucepan, place the port and heat to a low simmer, making sure the port doesn't boil.

3. Remove the port from heat and while whisking constantly, very slowly add the egg mixture to the hot port in the saucepan. Whisk until completely combined and the mixture is nice and smooth.

4. Serve warm with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Serves 2

6 oz. Island Mist Black Raspberry Merlot
1 oz. Melon Liqueur
1 oz. Vodka

Pour all ingredients over ice and stir. Garnish with a piece of melon and enjoy.
Pair this with open-faced sandwiches with your favourite fillers; try mixing mayonnaise with different spices for a variety of sandwich flavours, such as hot chilies, jalapeos or red curry.

Recipe:

2 large juiced oranges, washed; one orange sliced; remaining orange juiced
1 large lemon, washed and sliced
¼ cup granulated sugar (I like to use superfine sugar)
¼ cup Triple Sec
One 750 ml bottle red wine, chilled

Directions:

1. Add sliced orange and lemon and sugar to large pitcher; mash gently with wooden spoon until fruit releases some juice, but is not totally crushed, and sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in orange juice, Triple Sec, and wine; refrigerate for at least 2, and up to 8, hours.

2. Before serving, add 6 to 8 ice cubes and stir briskly to distribute settled fruit and pulp; serve immediately.

*The longer sangria sits before drinking, the more smooth and mellow it will taste. A full day is best, but if that isn’t possible, give it an absolute minimum of two hours to sit.

**You can easily double or triple the recipe- just switch to a punch bowl instead of a pitcher.
(Recipe from Cook's Illustrated Photo Credit: My Recipes.com)

Bellinis can be made with any sparkling wine and traditionally include peach puree and raspberry puree to give the cocktail it's beautiful blush color. However, an even simpler version can be made with 3 parts chilled sparkling wine to 1 part peach juice and a splash of raspberry juice. The bellini is a perfect way to welcome the new year but no matter how you choose to celebrate, Happy New Year!

Recipe:

1 cup frozen peaches

1/4 cup peach schnapps

3/4 cup Prosecco or sparkling white wine

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup ice cubes

1 teaspoon raspberry juice

Directions:

1. Blend peaches, peach schnapps, sugar, raspberry juice and ice in a blender until smooth. Divide mixture between 2 champagne flutes. Top off each glass with equal parts sparkling wine, very lightly stir to combine and serve.

Serves 2

(Photo from A Taste of Wine)

Recipe:

1 750 ml sparkling white wine

1 750 ml red wine (such as pinot noir)

1 cup brandy

1/2 cup strawberry liquor

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup simple syrup

2 cups lemonade

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a large punch bowl with sufficient ice. Stir to combine. Pour in sparkling wine and gently stir.

(Recipe adapted from and photo credit: House and Home.com)

Crushed ice

3 ounces dry sherry

6 mint leaves, crushed, plus 1 mint sprig

1 ounce chilled aranciata (Italian orange soda), or Orangina

1 teaspoon sugar

3 dashes of Angostura bitters

1 cucumber slice

Directions:

1. Fill a julep glass with crushed ice. In a cocktail shaker, combine the sherry, mint leaves, aranciata, sugar and bitters and shake well. Strain over the ice and garnish with the mint sprig and cucumber slice.

Makes 1 Drink

(Recipe and Photo Credit: Food and Wine.com)

(Photo Credit: Yum Sugar.com)

Recipe:

• 1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• ice
• 4 slices lime
• 4 slices lemon
• 4 slices green apples
• 1 bunch green grapes
• 1 cup club soda
• 
  
• Directions:
• 
  
• 1. Combine white wine, brandy, and sugar in a large pitcher, then stir in ice. Continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then add the lime, lemon, apples, and grapes. Stir in the club soda.

(Recipe from AllRecipes.com Phot Credit: Instyle.com)