Ivy & Eve Champagne-rita

Last weekend we had a family get-together to watch some Sunday Night Football. We made Mexican food and wanted to try and make a bubbly cocktail to go with the feast. Right then and there, the Ivy & Eve Champagne-rita was born.

At first we were apprehensive about mixing sparkling wine with anything, let alone tequila! We shuddered at the thought of wasting sparkling wine, in the event that the concoction tasted awful. Luckily, we ended up LOVING it so much we are making it a signature Ivy & Eve cocktail from now on (we knew it was good when Ivy, who cringes at the thought of a shot of tequila, sipped on hers rather quickly). We hope you try it out and let us know what you think!

Tip: Sip slowly as this has quite a bit of alcohol (about 1/2 a glass of champers and 1 shot of tequila). 

xxx Ivy & Eve

Makes one drink.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a lime

• 2 tsp agave syrup

• 1 shot (1.5 oz.) tequila

• Ice

• Champagne or other brut sparkling wine

Directions:

1. In a tall glass, juice 1/2 of a lime and add the agave syrup, tequila, and a few ice cubes. Stir until cold. 

2. Pour the mixture into a champagne flute.

3. Top with Champagne of your favorite bottle of bubbles.

4. Garnish with a twist of lime.

5. Enjoy!

Cranberry-Rosemary Champagne Cocktail

The holidays go with champagne like Christmas goes with Santa. So naturally we drink champagne during the holidays...a lot. With all of the festivities surrounding the season, it is one of the busiest times for everyone, so many parties to attend and to host. We decided to create a holiday cocktail that is simple, festive, and almost entirely effortless. This drink combines our favorite drink champagne, festive cranberries, (we recommend making our Sugar Dusted Cranberries, but plain works too), rosemary (basically the tasty version of a Christmas tree), a splash of simple syrup or bitters. Put them together and you get a drink that will simply WOW your guests and leave you time to actually enjoy your party! You're welcome. 

xxx Ivy & Eve

Ingredients:

• Cranberries 2-3 for each cocktail (see how to make these pretty & tasty Sugar Dusted Cranberries HERE)
• Sprigs of rosemary 1 for each cocktail (length depends on champagne glass 3-4" should work)
• 1 bottle of Champagne
• Simple syrup left over from the Sugar Dusted Cranberries (optional)
•  Your favorite bottle of bitters (optional)

Directions:

1. Remove leaves off the bottom half of the rosemary sprigs.
2. Slowly poke the stem through each cranberry one at a time.
3. Pour champagne in glass. (add simple syrup from the Sugar Dusted Cranberries recipe for a touch of sweetness and/or a dash of bitters)
4. Place cranberry-rosemary garnish on each glass.
5. Serve!

Cheers!

Pony Party: DIY Cocktail Stirrers

We like to make any occasion a celebration and the easiest way to achieve that is to add a bit of whimsy and sparkle! We have loved horses since we can remember and pony parties have always been a go-to party theme. These little cocktail stirrers add a bit of fun to any cocktail party big or small, and are super easy to make! You can switch it up and use any plastic toy to top these stirrers. Next on our list to make are cats, dogs, and dinos! Yay!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Materials:

Cocktail stirrers (Amazon)

Plastic horse toys (Amazon)

Gold spray paint

E6000 (or any permanent craft glue)

Drill with drill bit that is slightly larger than the diameter of the cocktail stirrers (this beaut was provide by our Dad haha)

Newspaper

Steps:

1. Gather all materials together and cover workspace with newspaper. It is best to do most of this DIY outside.

2. Take drill and drill holes about 1/8 inch deep in the center bottom of the horses bellies. Test to make sure the holes are large enough to insert the drink stirrers.

3. Spray one side of the horses at a time with spray paint; making sure the entire surface is covered. You will probably have to do two coats. Allow to dry a few minutes between coats. (Make sure you do this either outside or in a well ventilated room)

4. Once the horses are painted and dried, apply a small amount of adhesive into the drilled holes and insert the drink stirrers.

5. Allow to dry a few hours before use.

Cheers! 

Champagne Friday: Champagne Cocktail Edition

First off, Happy Champagne Friday!!! We have all successfully made it through another week and WE think that is grounds for celebration! 

If you want to dress up your Friday bubbles, but still want it to taste like sparkling wine, a classic Champagne Cocktail is the perfect solution. This simple yet chic cocktail is always well received. Our first memory of this classy glass is of post-shopping lunches with our parents in San Francisco's Neiman Marcus Rotunda Restaurant. They would always start off the lunch with this festive drink. We were, of course, too young (darn!) to partake in the toast back then, but the fond memories have stayed with us. The classic way to make this cocktail is to add a few drops of Angostura aromatic bitters to a bought sugar cube, and pour in the bubbles. Our house never has sugar cubes on hand (who's does?) so we decided one day to make our own. On a whim, we tried adding the bitters to the sugar mix and they turned out splendidly! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do and create your own fond memories. 

Cheers! 

xxx Ivy & Eve

Aromatic Bitters Sugar Cubes

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon Angostura aromatic bitters (or specialty bitters like Bar Cart Cocktail Co. Summer Bitters)

Silicone sugar cube tray (found here on Amazon)

1.     In a bowl, combine the sugar and 1/2 of the bitters. Mix until the bitters are evenly distributed and all sugar is colored. Add more bitters as needed. You want the sugar to be damp, not wet.

2.     Pack the sugar mixture into the silicone cube tray.

3.     Microwave for 30 second intervals until hot and steamy.  (All microwaves are different but we usually cook ours for two 30-second intervals).

4.     Let cool and dry.

Store your cubes in an airtight tin or baggie.

Champagne Cocktail

Makes 2 cocktials

1 bottle brut sparkling wine chilled (such as Charles Ninot Blanc De Blancs which is a tasty basic, whose flavor is enhanced by the additions below)

2 champagne flutes

2 lemon peel twists

2 or more aromatic bitters sugar cubes

1.     Add 1-2 aromatic bitters sugar cubes to each flute

2.     Slowly fill the flutes with sparkling wine. The sugar cubes will cause the sparkling wine to fizz extra so pour slowly to make sure there are no spillage!

3.     Top with a lemon twist

4.     Cheers!