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Recipe Detail Page
Spruce Spritz
Holiday 2024
This cocktail is lovely made with either spruce or fir. Not only is this drink spritzed with sparkling wine, but it also gets a final “spritz” of fragrant evergreen infusion (find atomizers at dollar stores or drugstores, or cocktailemporium.com) before serving—a touch reminiscent of top bars. If you use them, the pomegranate seeds provide a festive, snow globe–like effect: they’ll initially sink, then gradually float to the top of the drink.
Makes 1 drink
Sprig of spruce or fir, slightly taller than serving glass (optional)
Edible glitter or unsweetened coconut, finely chopped (optional), for glass rim
Pomegranate seeds (optional)
1 oz Evergreen Infusion (recipe follows), plus more for spritzing
1/2 oz orange or elderflower liqueur, or more to taste
3 to 4 oz dry sparkling wine
1. For tree-effect glass, the night before serving, place an evergreen sprig in bottom of each sparkling wine flute/stemless glass or highball glass and add 1/2 to 1 inch of water, depending on height of glass. Cover each glass with plastic wrap and make a hole in the middle, then poke evergreen through hole to hold it straight. Freeze overnight. Once frozen in place, trim sprig to below level of glass rim.
2. When ready to serve, dip rim of frozen glass in a saucer containing 2 mm of water, then dip into edible glitter or coconut. If desired, add a few pomegranate seeds to each glass.
3. In a cocktail stirring glass or shaker, pour Evergreen Infusion and liqueur over ice and stir to combine. Strain mixture into serving glass and slowly top with sparkling wine. If desired, spritz with Evergreen Infusion immediately before serving.
Makes 1 drink
EVERGREEN INFUSION
Using one 3-inch (8-cm) sprig of fresh spruce or fir for every 1 oz of vanilla vodka to be infused, heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat and toast evergreen sprigs until needles start to turn golden brown and emit a nutty, earthy fragrance (less than 5 minutes). Pour desired amount of vanilla vodka into a glass container with a tight-fitting lid (such as a glass jar) and add warm evergreen sprigs. Once sprigs are completely cool, cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. (Mixture will turn more woody and bitter the longer it infuses.) When desired flavour is reached, strain mixture into a clean glass container and store for up to 1 week. If desired, pour some mixture into an atomizer for spritzing the finished cocktail.
