This easy-to-make Champagne cocktail will add sparkle to your holiday spread

Between cooking and cleaning – and more cooking and more cleaning – hosting during the holidays involves a ton of preparation. Luckily, there’s a festive adult beverage that is quick to prepare ahead of time that also adds a little sparkle to your holiday spread.

The Merry Mimosa offers a fun twist on the classic brunch beverage that makes it as show-stoppingly beautiful as it is delicious. And the only kitchen gadget you need is an ice mold.

Technically, this spritz is what’s known as a Poinsettia because it combines cranberry juice (instead of orange juice) and Champagne. Last year, I stumbled upon an Instagram video recipe and was delightfully surprised that the specialty ice cubes that define this cocktail were both easy to make and foolproof.

I recommend using a silicon ice mold that creates 2-inch square ice cubes, the size you might use for an Old Fashioned. Instead of filling the mold with water, however, drop in a handful of cranberries and a sprig of rosemary, and then place a dehydrated orange slice vertically in each square. Then fill the mold with cranberry juice and stick them in the freezer – voila!

Once they are frozen, the cubes are ready to be put in wide-mouth stemware, or you can cut them down to fit in your average wine glass. (The ice cuts more easily because juice doesn’t seem to freeze as hard as water.)

Top with Champagne and you have a Poinsettia cocktail that slowly infuses as the wine melts the cube and turns your beverage a pretty pink color.

Heck, this recipe is so easy you could even ask one of your guests to make the cranberry cubes ahead of time and another to bring the wine. Cheers to that!

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