12.31.2012

Pomegranate Sparklers

Pomegranate sparklers

Happy New Year's Eve! I hope you all have some fun plans for ringing in the new year. Jeff and I are planning to stay in, cook a nice meal, and sit by the fire in our new house. That's right... we bought a house! And we finally moved in just before Christmas. We are still settling in and are very much looking forward to a low-key New Year's Eve. There's so much to tell you all about the house, but that will have to wait for the new year.

As for New Year's Eve, perhaps these cocktails, which I actually made when my family came up the weekend before Christmas to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Garden with us (and, um, to help us move), might make an appearance. They're a simple but elegant concoction of prosecco and pomegranate juice. There's no exact recipe for them either, so that makes them super simple to throw together.


Pomegranate Sparklers

First, de-seed a pomegranate. I do this by cutting four slits through just the peel of the pomegranate, as if I were going to cut it in wedges. Then I submerge the pomegranate in a bowl of water and pull apart the wedges. Working under water, I separate all the seeds from the peel. For the most part, the pith will float to the top of the bowl, where you can scoop it out, and the seeds will settle at the bottom. Discard the pith and peel, pour off the water, and you'll end up with a bowl of seeds.

Next, set out champagne flutes for however many drinks you want to make. (Chill the flutes if desired.)

Cut orange wedges for squeezing and slice some wedges to decorate each flute. (I recommend Cara Cara oranges, which are perfect for winter drinks and dishes.)

Place about 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds in the bottom of each flute.

Fill the flutes one-fourth to one-third of the way with pomegranate juice. (I used a pomegranate-cranberry juice blend, which was much less expensive than straight pomegranate juice.)

Squeeze 1 orange wedge or 1/2 of an orange wedge into each flute (depending how orange-y you want them).

Fill the flutes the rest of the way with prosecco, and decorate each flute with an orange slice.

Toast to the new year!

Pomegranate sparklers

How are you celebrating New Year's Eve this year?