Raising a glass of bubbly is a timeless way to end a year.
The act is naturally festive, hopeful and a little nostalgic, and the bubbles themselves can take many forms: small and flashy, racing to the surface of the glass; large and bouncing on the tongue; delicate and softly sparkling. They can come from time-honored pours of champagne or another sparkling wine, one that’s sour, floral, and honeyed, or just flash past the idea of sweetness. Or they can be bubbling cocktails, less in keeping with strict holiday tradition but no less cheerfully bubbly.
The fizz is one such cocktail that feels festive and is a far cry from the champagne flute. A 19th century classic, it comes with a simple template: citrus, liquor, sweetener and seltzer – with the optional addition of egg whites, which help trap air and form bubbles when shaken. It’s that protein that gives the tart, gin-forward Midnight Fizz a spectacular frothy head; a final splash of club soda makes it even more, well, fizzy.
Carbonating beer is another way to form a fizzy glass. In the To Wit, unfiltered, spiced wheat beer adds a sparkling top to an orange drink enhanced with Calvados and amaro.
But if you want to dress up traditional bubbly, Julia Comey, a wine writer and educator from Washington, DC and Houston, keeps it simple by adding crème de cassis, grenadine, or Lillet Rosé to champagne for color and subtle flavor. Or you can easily prepare a classic cocktail that combines champagne with sugar and bitters. As the bitters-soaked sugar cube slowly and nicely dissolves at the bottom of the glass, it sends up a steady stream of bubbles, gradually turning the drink sweetly bitter.
When choosing champagne or any other sparkling wine, Ms. Comey emphasizes that a bottle should remain the same quality whether you plan to mix it or serve it alone. “It all starts with ‘Can you drink it alone before it’s a cocktail?'” she said. “If you put it in a cocktail, it doesn’t get any better.”
The pop of champagne, prosecco or other fizzy drinks calls for a salty snack. Mrs. Comey often pairs champagne with a specific style or brand of chips.
“If you have really heavy, aggressive bubbles, you need Lay’s,” she said. “For a smooth wine you need Ruffles because they contain less salt.”
Spiced chips, says Mrs. Coney, go best with a bottle of demi-sec champagne; kettle chips with blends; vegetable chips with rosé champagne.
For a chip-based snack that goes with any variety of bubbly drinks and needs a little more lift than pouring from bag to bowl, layer potato chips of your choice with cured meats (prosciutto, finocchiona, or chorizo), steep chunks of aged cheese (parmesan, cheese), Gouda or Manchego) and something salty (olives, cornichons or guindilla peppers). Eat between sparkling sips.
And keep going. As Mrs. Comey points out, you don’t need an opportunity to pour some bubbly.
“Bubbles are an everyday drink,” she says.
With that philosophy in mind, you raise your glass to toast the end of the year, the beginning of a new one — and all the days that follow.
Recipes: Midnight Fizz | to White | Classic champagne cocktail
