Valentine's Throwdown: Prosecco

Alcohol hardly ever gets any love in our house. We live in a dry county, where no alcohol or beer is sold. The next county over sells alcohol, but only in liquor stores, not in the grocery stores or convenience stores. Since I have two small children with me at all times, I usually never get the chance to visit the liquor store. So, when I made a trip to Trader Joe's over the holidays I stocked up on a few things, namely white wine, but also Prosecco.

I had never tried Prosecco before and was excited to try it out. I have an entire list of drinks I wanted to make using Prosecco, so I decided a Prosecco Throwdown was in order for Valentine's Day.

I mixed up three different Prosecco drinks this week. There were so many recipes that I wanted to try, but I settled on a Pomegranate Bellini, a Fruit Fizz with Meyer Lemon Sorbet, and an Amaretto Sour with Prosecco. While I did have a favorite, all of them would be a great drink for your Valentine's Day table.

First up, and probably the prettiest, is Nigella's Pomegranate Bellini. This recipe is the simplest of all three drinks. It only consists of two ingredients (pomegranate puree/juice and Prosecco). The color of the drink is gorgeous, but the drink was a little too tart for me. I think this drink would be best served in smaller amounts, perhaps a champagne glass.
Pomegranate Bellini
1 part chilled pomegranate puree or concentrated juice (I used concentrated juice)
3/4 part chilled Prosecco or other fizzy dry white wine
Pour the pomegranate puree/juice into a glass. Top with Prosecco. One 750ml bottle of Prosecco should yield about 6 Bellini


Next up, was Giada's Amaretto Sour with Prosecco. Back in the day, an Amaretto was one of my favorite drinks, so I was really excited to get started on this one. This was a really tasty drink made with Amaretto, simple syrup, and Prosecco. The glass is dipped into a lemon/lime sugar to coat the rim and the drink is supposed to be served on the rocks. I got a little too excited and forgot to serve mine on ice. This is definitely a sweetly flavored drink that is served with even more sugar on the rim, but I really enjoyed the flavor of the Amaretto mixed with the bubbly Prosecco. I will definitely make this drink again, especially if I had a party or people over. You can find the recipe HERE online at Food Network.
The last drink I mixed was Nigella's Fruit Fizz, which is almost like a dessert because it starts with a scoop (or two) of sorbet. You simply scoop some sorbet into a glass and top with Prosecco. I used a Meyer Lemon Sorbet that I made earlier this week, but almost any flavored sorbet will do. For Valentine's Day, a strawberry or raspberry sorbet would be gorgeous! This drink was cold, crisp, bubbly, fruity goodness and I really enjoyed it. You can find the recipe for the Fruit Fizz HERE on the Food Network.

AND THE WINNER IS..................................................................................................

NIGELLA'S FRUIT FIZZ WITH MEYER LEMON SORBET!!!

Why?

Well, Nigella's Fruit Fizz was really cold, crisp, refreshing and fun! The Meyer Lemon Sorbet seemed to compliment the Prosecco much more than the Pomegranate juice or the Amaretto. I loved that sour tang from the lemon sorbet and would definitely make this drink again using other sorbets.

Giada's Amaretto Sour with Prosecco still deserves a shout out because it was a really tasty drink. I would be happy to serve it anytime.

Do you have a favorite drink that is mixed with Prosecco?