Category Archives: Champagne & Sparkling Wine

Fried Chicken + Bubbles = the Dream Team

I love sparkling wine.
I love fried chicken.

I would love to have the two together.

(I’d like to meet someone who doesn’t agree with the above. … actually, I don’t think we’d get along, so NM.)

Some restaurants like Shakers restaurant Roanoke have chicken and sparkling wine on the menu so you can pair them that way. But more restaurants need to recognize the two can pair together quite nicely, and work towards making sure it happens. (Plus I would like those restaurants to be closer to me, just saying.)

Street’s Fine Chicken sent out a press release, and they have the right idea: fried chicken + sparkling wine. The pairing is classic, and one of my favorite things in the world is to pair haute elements with food that comes in a cardboard container of some sort.

So, of course, I HAD to do some “research” to verify that their fried chicken did, in fact pair nicely with sparkling wine. And, research I did. (Not like I didn’t know what the research would return, but it’s best to do your due diligence.)

Luckily, my results were correct. Using bubbles to mitigate the richness of the chicken is just about perfect. Acid can act as a palate cleanser, which is why you’ll often see pickled items served alongside fried items. Since sparkling wines usually ring in 2.5 to about 4.5 pH, their acidity helps to cut the richness and greasiness of the chicken. Choosing a dry sparkling wine helps to push through the fat, and makes for a delightful experience.

Street’s Fine Chicken’s signature fried chicken is “brined for 24 hours and fried in herbs from various French Provinces.” They take their time to do it right, and they get it right. They also offer sparkling starting at just $5 a glass and $18 a bottle, so you can try out the pairing for yourself. (Enjoy.)

 

STREET’S FINE CHICKEN
streetsfinechicken.com
3857 Cedar Springs Rd. | 469-917-7140
5211 Forest Lane, #108 | 972-803-5181

National Bubbly Day

National Bubbly Day is June 3!

We’re obviously obligated to celebrating the effervescent elixir that has improved more than one wedding/New Year’s Eve/casual Tuesday afternoon and my health in 2017 (no kidding). While I’ll be hanging in my pool with some mini bottles of Segura Viudas to commemorate the day (screw the forecast that’s calling for rain), there are plenty of other ways to celebrate. Enjoy a chilled glass, boozy popsicles, sparkling sangria, or my newest creation, the basic girl favorite frosé (recipe below).

Visit my Instagram page (@susiedrinks) before Sunday, June 4 at 6pm for the chance to win a bubbly goody bag from Segura Viudas including a full size bottle of Segura Viudas Brut and two mini bottles, a portable Bluetooth speaker, a badass cava straw like the one in my picture, and some other goodies.

The frosé has been a recent favorite around town, but I decided to triple down on the booze by adding orange liqueur and vodka. (Because, I mean … it’s me.) Using frozen strawberries automatically chills the drink, so no ice is required that would eventually water it down.

Segura Viudas Frosé
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup of Segura Viudas Rosé
0.5 oz agave syrup
0.75 oz Cointreau
1 oz Reyka Vodka

Blend all ingredients on high. Pour into a flute, then top off with more rosé. Garnish with a strawberry half and a sprig of mint.

 

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Special thanks to Segura Viudas for providing the giveaway goodies!

Recipe: Orange Cava Popsicles ft. Segura Viudas Brut Cava

Summer is coming … and it’s going to be a rough one, so being poolside with a cocktail and something cold is going to be the way to cope. Since all day pool parties aren’t always conducive to mass amounts of liquor, I figured out a little less aggressive way to up my booze intake … and get some extra vitamin C while I’m at it–Orange Cava Popsicles.

Made with a few simple ingredients, the easy to make popsicles are a perfectly refreshing poolside treat. Just freeze overnight and, voila, a boozy treat to cool you off … and they look pretty damn cool, too.

Orange Cava Popsicles
1 cup Segura Viudas Brut Cava
1.5 cups orange juice
0.5 cups water
3 tablespoons agave syrup (or other flavored syrup to your liking)
Orange halves

Combine liquid ingredients and mix until the syrup is dissolved. Place an orange slice in each popsicle mold, then fill with the mixed liquid leaving a little room for expansion from freezing. Depending on your molds, either place sticks in the molds immediately, then freeze overnight, or let freeze for one hour before placing the sticks.

If you want to go full-tilt basic, grab some fresh juice (or some extra cava) and drop your popsicle in. The drink will change with every sip since the popsicle will gradually melt into it!

SEGURA VIUDAS CAVA
seguraviudasusa.com
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#OpenUpCava #SeguraViudas

***Special thanks to Segura Viudas for buying the bubbly for these goodies!***


Afternoon Picnic in the Park

Spring is coming, but it seems Dallas has already decided to give us spring weather.  With perfect sun nearly every day, it’s important to get outside and enjoy it before the temperatures are too warm to do so.  I invited some friends to join me in the park across the street from my home for a little bubbly picnic to enjoy the weather.  (Somehow we caught the only overcast day we’ve seen in a while, but it was still lovely.)

No weekend meal before 3pm is ever complete without bubbles, so I stocked up on Segura Viudas Brut Cava and Rosé … and plenty of ice.  (I used Segura Viudas’s bottle calculator to determine how many bottles to get … and then got an extra bottle because I know my friends so well.)  The cava was a nice choice thanks to its crispness and mild floral note, which is light and pairs nicely with many items.  We started on the sparkling wine while we set up–pillows, blankets, plenty of trays (key), and some snacks.

While we were focused on the drink, we figured the definition of a picnic was a meal outside, so we each brought a little something to snack on.  We started with the biscuit bar, complete with homemade whipped honey butter, Irish Whiskey Jam, Trader Joe’s Fig Butter, and other goodies.  Kathryn brought caprese skewers and watermelon/feta skewers, both drizzled with balsamic glaze, and we sprung for Kuby’s chicken salad (really, the best around) with endive and crackers.  For sweets, we picked up donut holes and I made no-bake cherry cheesecakes, which were incredibly easy and tasted fantastic.

The perfect little treat for the end of the meal was Strawberries and Cava gummies made with Segura Viudas But Cava by Chris Henley (a.k.a. Betty Cocktail).  I am very particular about the consistency of gummies and I LOVED these.  The flavor was delightful, and we were told that they still have booze in them, which is unique for gummies as the alcohol is usually cooked out.  (Chris also brought her little pup along to enjoy the festivities.)

 

The picnic was a delight

Just make sure you get a wagon to haul everything!

 

SEGURA VIUDAS CAVA
seguraviudasusa.com
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#OpenUpCava #SeguraViudas

***Special thanks to Segura Viudas for buying the bubbly for our picnic!***


GALentine’s Day Brunch

I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s Day (and no, not in a sad girl way), but after years of low key, forced romance with respective boyfriends, I’ve learned that it’s actually a great opportunity to spoil your friends.  Because, really, love comes in all sorts of forms … isn’t that what Hugh Grant told us in “Love Actually”?

I got some of my girl friends together (and surprisingly, two dudes) for a fancy, little plein air brunch this past weekend.  I went a little full-tilt girly brunch with French macarons, yogurt parfaits, cookies, quiche, and croissants.  I didn’t make a dang thing (very unlike me) because I wanted to have one no-stress party.  It was the best decision I have made in a while.

I sweetened the deal (and ensured a longer brunch session) with a mimosa bar featuring Segura Viudas Brut Cava, blueberry and orange juices, and St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur.  Everyone was able to make their perfect mimosa concoction.  Trader Joe’s has a fantastic selection of unique juices for mimosas, just stay away from the carbonated options as it can make your mimosa too effervescent.

A fun, extra touch on the brunch was adding party favors at each place.  Segura Viudas makes the cutest little (totally totable) splits that were perfect as placeholders.

So, what are your favorite Valentine’s Day traditions–both with S.O.s and friends?

SEGURA VIUDAS CAVA
seguraviudasusa.com
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#OpenUpCava #SeguraViudas

 

***Special thanks to Segura Viudas for sponsoring our brunch!***


Healthy & Happy in the New Year

Can you believe that Christmas came and went already?  Yeah … me neither. With all the New Year’s Resolutions that probably (for most of us) have already been broken, I made one that is a winner–drink more and get healthyish.  But, Susie, how is that a thing?  Sit back and let me throw some learning your way.

Here are two things helping me through my resolution:

I learned that sparkling wine … is healthy.

To begin, sparkling wine kicks the other wines’ butts ringing in around 80-90 calories per glass.  The other guys?  Closer to 110-300.  See … we’re already on the way!

Even better, (at least for me) the bubbles seem to make me drink sparkling wine a little slower than non-bubbly booze. And, even if I’m drinking slower, sparkling seems to make me feel a little boozy sooner than other drinks. (Is that just me?) So, two more reasons that may I consume less!

Working out CAN be fun.

As I’ve learned, there are fun ways to get your steps and reps in. While I love to run alone to clear my head, I have recently become a fan of buddy workouts; they motivate you and keep you accountable. (Oh, and you have someone to grab a smoothie with after sweatin’.)

If you need a few, quick workouts to get you started, check out Melissa Rountree’s fitness tips on the #DrinkingwithSusie feature we did together.

I have also been enjoying Camp Gladiator, which is a butt-kicking workout, but the high-energy, friendly instructors keep you motivated and moving, so it flies by. Find one of their super convenient classes (a ton of places and even more class times) and then email me for a referral to knock some $$$ off. 😉

So, before popping out to the millions of random shindigs that happen in January (we thought we were done with the holiday parties, but housewarmings, baby showers, girl’s nights … geez), grab a totally totable split of your favorite sparkling (like my little bottle of Segura Viudas Brut Cava). That way, with all your hard work, you’ll not only look great, but you’ll feel great by starting the night on a healthy note.

If your resolution was to be more generous or a better friend, take a whole bottle to share!  Then you’ll look like you’re not only a baller, but then you can tell them how healthy it is for them and you’ll look like you care … like, a lot. (And don’t forget to deck your bottle out with a tag like this one by Southern Fried Paper!)

If you’re really into the healthy cocktails (believe me, they’re out there), adding a couple of carefully chosen ingredients may help in other ways. I enjoy this cocktail because adding ginger and lemon have health benefits of their own. Ginger is a natural nausea and indigestion remedy and lemon is jam packed with vitamins.

LIGHT(EN) UP THE NIGHT
1oz vodka
1/2oz lavender simple syrup
1/2 oz ginger liqueur
1/2 oz lemon juice
Segura Viudas Brut Cava

Add first four ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a coupe (or any martini-style glass) and top with Segura Viudas Brut Cava. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Around my home lately, I’ve been favorite Segura Vuidas Brut Cava, which happens to pair well with autumnal flavors thanks to its slightly spicy notes. My favorite pairing? Just about anything pumpkin, which happens to be super healthy, too! I got a little crazy this holiday and kept making the pumpkin bread below and gave them to neighbors with the little splits in the picture above. BEST.NEIGHBOR.EVER.

PUMPKIN BREAD
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine ingredients with mixer and pour into two prepared (greased) loaf pans. (Makes two medium loaves or four smaller loaves.)

So, let’s tackle this year and get healthy-ish with a little help from our favorite sparkling wine and the buddy system!


SEGURA VIUDAS CAVA
seguraviudasusa.com
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#OpenUpCava #SeguraViudas

 

***Special thanks to Segura Viudas for sponsoring this post.***


SETENTA Y CINCO

A fresh take on a French 75 … this tequila version is bright and approachable.

 

1 oz tequila
.5 oz orange liqueur
.5 oz lemon juice
sparkling wine

Combine tequila, orange liqueur, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice and shake to mix and chill thoroughly. Pour into flute, then top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

garnish: lemon twist

glass: flute

 recipe by Betty Cocktail

Coco Cordon, Ma’am

G.H.Mumm Grand Cordon Rosé Champagne
1.25 oz Absolut Elyx vodka
.75 oz simple syrup
.25 oz lemon juice
2 bar spoons coconut cream
Handful of raspberries
Whole nutmeg

Muddle 5 or so raspberries in the bottom of a shaker tin. Add vodka, simple, and coconut cream, then shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass, then top with G.H.Mumm Grand Cordon Rosé Champagne over the back of a spoon. Garnish with grated nutmeg and raspberries (if desired).