Poinsettia Cocktail

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 5

Total Time 1 35

Course Drinks

Servings 4 cocktails

4 ounce Cointreau
3 ounces Grey Goose Vodka
8 ounces chilled cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 bottle chilled champagne
cranberry sugar for rim of champagne flutes (recipe below): 8 fresh cranberries and 1/2 cup sugar)
16 cranberry ginger garnishes (recipe below): 16 fresh cranberries and small can ginger beer
4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Make cranberry sugar for rim of champagne flutes: Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar for about 1/2 minute to make the sugar into super fine sugar (very fine crystals). Slice 8 fresh cranberries in half and add to sugar. Blend Cranberries and sugar together so that the sugar has a little pink tint. Place the cranberry sugar on a plate and set aside.
Make cranberry ginger garnishes: Place 16 fresh cranberries in a saucepan and cover with water. (Try not to let them burst, but if a few burst, it's okay.) Remove from heat and drain off water. Cover cranberries with ginger beer and place covered in the refrigerator for one hour. Remove cranberries from refrigerator and drain off ginger beer. Place sugar on a baking sheet. Roll cranberries in sugar. Place sugared cranberries on cocktail picks for service (4 cranberries per cocktail pick).
Run the rims of 4 (6 ounce) champagne flutes under a trickle of running water to lightly moisten them. Dip and twirl the rims in cranberry sugar. Allow the rims to dry while preparing the cocktails. Place any extra cranberry sugar in a covered container in the refrigerator for later use.
Make cocktails: Combine the vodka, Cointreau and cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until very cold.
Strain evenly into the 4 champagne flutes. Top with about 3 ounces chilled champagne in each flute.
Garnish with cranberry ginger cocktail picks and a fresh sprig of rosemary.