Prosecco love has swept the nation over the last few years – even leading to a potential shortage this summer – as more and more of us switch on to its pleasant flavour and significantly lower price tag than its fancy French cousin champagne.
Now, don’t get us wrong, we can’t get enough of our prosecco straight up BUT sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit.
Here are five ideas to make your Friday night tipple sparkle.
1. Aperol Spritz
The must-have drink of the past few summers, the Aperol Spritz’s popularity shows no sign of waning. And why should it? A perfect mix of bitter and sweet orange flavours, the Italians are definitely on to something with this delicious aperitivo time cocktail. Create a perfect serve of three parts prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda and stir with plenty of ice and a slice of orange: you’re in Capri.
2. L43 Royale
If you’re anything like us, having acquired a taste for Licor43 from the parents drinks cabinet in 2001, you’ll be making a beeline for this strangely addictive Spanish caramelly-y vanilla-y liqueur every time you’re in Duty Free (apparently it’s in Asda too; who knew?). It’s beyond delicious just neat with some ice, but the guys at Licor43 have created this excellent cocktail too: mix a teaspoon of rindless marmalade with 25ml of Licor43 and then top up with prosecco. Crazy good.
3. Lemon Spritz
A close personal favourite, this is the Amalfi coast’s answer to pre-dinner summer drinking. We first tried it at the Carluccio’s summer menu launch, so grab a glass there if you like, or make it at home by putting a shot of Limoncello in a champagne flute and then topping up half and half with Limonata and Prosecco. It’s light, lemony and unbelievably drinkable. Tart it up even more by dipping the rim of the glass in lemon juice and rolling in vanilla sugar – we can’t imagine drinking prosecco any other way now.
4. Pomegranate Rose Fizz
Pomegranate and rose are both super summery flavours, and they have the added bonus of being incredibly pretty. A splash of readymade cordial or syrup like this Pomegranate & Rose cordial we’ve used is all you need to totally transform your prosecco into a cocktail bursting with Eastern promise. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds (TOP TIP: if buying a whole pomegranate, cut in half, hold over a bowl seed side down and give it a few bloody good whacks with a wooden spoon and they’ll all drop out) or if you’re particularly fond of rose, some fresh or dried petals go a long way in the style stakes.
5. Frozen Chambord Royale
A step on from the traditional (but a tad dull) Kir Royale, this pimped up prosecco cocktail uses Chambord – the yummy black raspberry liqueur – as its base. Muddle it with some frozen forest fruits in place of ice cubes, then top up with prosecco. We may have added a little scoop of vanilla ice cream too to make a Chambord Float. Why not?
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.