This post was made in partnership with Truvia®. Recipes and ideas are my own.
It’s May, and we are full swing into all the bridal showers, baby showers, outdoor brunches, weddings, and any other excuse you can think of to drink bubbly cocktails outdoors. I consider this to be the height of outdoor drinking season because the breezes are cool here in SoCal and it’s comfortable in the shade. Come August, FORGET IT. I’m inside with the AC on.
It’s no wonder that May also contains National Mimosa Day; in fact, it’s today! If all you know about Mimosas are the cheap, sparkling wine drinks offered “bottomless” at your local brunch spot, let me change that notion with this vibrant, delicious spin on the classic brunch cocktail. We’ve teamed up with Truvia® to add a little zero-calorie, natural sweetness to this fruity, sparkling cocktail.
Orange juice and sparkling wine can be fine, but mostly, just a flat, one note drink. Here I’ve pureed sweet tart strawberries that have been lightly spiced with cardamom and vanilla, and combined that with orange and lime juice, so you have a sour balance to the sweet. The strawberry puree is sweetened with just three Truvia Natural Sweetener packets; no measuring spoons needed!
Now, do me a favor and use a good prosecco or champagne. A Mimosa is not a reason to use that weird bottle someone regifted you sitting in the back of your pantry. If you want a tasty Mimosa, use a good sparkling wine (if you’d drink it on its own, it’s good to use here). You’ll want something dryer to balance out the fruit; this drink is all about balance. Also, if you think that vanilla and cardamom are bold flavors, you’re right! However, mixed in with all the other ingredients here the vanilla is subtle and the cardamom has the perfect amount of kick. It all results in a lovely, springy drink, with fewer calories than the full sugar version thanks to Truvia.
With just a little pre-planning, you can have some gorgeous, tasty drinks for your next outdoor soiree. Happy brunching!
Notes:
- This recipe is easily scalable and can be batched ahead of time minus the sparkling wine.
- If you do not own an immersion blender to make the puree, you can throw the cooked down strawberries into a blender, or just leave a little chunky as-is.
- Make it non-alcoholic! Use a good quality non-alcoholic sparkling wine. They exist now and are really good when you can’t have, or don’t want, the alcohol.
Fresh Strawberry Purée and Mixed Citrus Mimosas
For the strawberry puree:
1 cup chopped strawberries
3 Truvia Natural Sweetener packets
1/2 vanilla bean pod
pinch of ground cardamom (or seeds from 4 green cardamom pods, crushed)
1/4 cup water
Combine chopped strawberries and Truvia packets in a small bowl. Lightly mash together and let sit 10 minutes. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the mashed strawberries with any juice in the bowl, vanilla pod, ground cardamom, and water. Bring to just under a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard vanilla pod. Let the strawberries cool to room temperature. Using an immersion blender, blend strawberries until smooth (see note above if immersion blender is not available). Use immediately or store in an air-tight container, refrigerated for up to 3 days.
For the cocktails (yields two cocktails):
2 tablespoons strawberry puree (recipe above), divided
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
6 ounces good quality orange juice
6 ounces prosecco or champagne
strawberry slices and orange wheels for garnish
In two champagne glasses add one tablespoon of strawberry puree each. Mix together the lime juice and orange juice in a large mixing glass and divide between two glasses. Top with 3 ounces each of the sparkling wine. Gently mix to combine. Garnish with strawberry slices and orange wheels. Cheers!
This post was made in partnership with Truvia®. Recipes and ideas are my own.
These are no pressure approaches by the way. Being a business owner I have enough deadlines so the thought of adding to that list makes me cringe, so I look at these as fun assignments I will give myself and allow the space to let them happen. I also think of them as ways to incorporate more self-care into the day to day.
When I looked at 2018, I realized that while I was building new parts of my business, I wasn’t leaving much time to spend with friends and family. So for 2019, my assignment is to have more casual get-togethers at home. Nothing requiring lots of advanced planning, but an excuse to sit, eat and drink, and enjoy the company of friends and family. And I’ve already planned my first one with a longtime friend I feel like I barely got to see last year.
We’re calling it brunch, but really it’s an excuse to eat some pastries, buy some fresh flowers, and have some brunch cocktails. This is my ideal self-care weekend date.
For our cocktail we’ll make use of the delicious, seasonal citrus fruit that is everywhere right now. I’ve always loved how citrus is a winter fruit, bringing a burst of sunshine into all those grey, winter days. Hopefully this cocktail, made with citrus distilled gin, orange blossom water, lemon bitters, club soda, and Truvia sweetener, will bring a little sunshine into your day. It also goes very well with a pastry plate.
Now let’s get brunching!
Winter Citrus Sparkling Brunch Cocktails for Two