Because there is always a reason to celebrate…no matter how big or small.
If you’ve been around here a while, you know how much we love Thirsty Thursday. And every week, on Instagram we introduce either a new cocktail or a new mocktail. And, of course, they all contain bubbly of some sort.
In honor of May holidays, yes we just needed an excuse, we created a different kind of mocktail and cocktail recipe.
Cocktails and mocktails
And for this next set of recipes, we thought we’d try something different.
We started every drink with the perfect mocktail. So in a perfect world, you could whip up a pitcher of the mocktail and there you have your base for all the drinks for the day.
Once you have the mocktail base it is super easy to turn that into a cocktail or better yet, a BUBBLY cocktail.
When you create your bubbly beverages this way, it’s a very easy way to include everyone at your celebration. Not only do you have a fun drink created for all those who choose to not drink or who are underage, but you make it really easy for those who do want to a cocktail to control the amount of liquor they put in.
When we came up with these cocktails we had a few occasions in mind. Of course that was all pre-social distancing, but these are great either way.
Cinco de Mayo
As a former Spanish teacher, I am well aware that we, in the United States celebrate cinco de mayo as a major holiday and in reality in Mexico it’s a pretty normal day. It’s not (as many believe) Mexican Independence Day, it’s the celebration of the victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. But I love a good reason to celebrate as much as the next person, so let’s keep the spirit of cinco de mayo alive in the United States and raise a glass!
To create a super fun cinco de mayo celebration (especially because this year we’re all sheltered in place), I’ve linked up some fun items on our Amazon storefront.
My most favorite Mexican cocktail believe it or not is not a margarita, it’s a paloma. And that actually shouldn’t surprise anyone since a paloma has bubbles. But I wanted to come up with a way to make a version of that into a bubbly cocktail, so we did just that with the Ruby Red.
And since we all know that bubbly pairs so well with salty chips, what is more perfect than this bubbly cocktail paired with nachos, chips and salsa or chips and guacamole?
This bubbly cocktail would also pair well with hard shell tacos too…and since cinco de mayo is on a Tuesday, you should probably whip up this mocktail for your kids, the bubbly cocktail for yourself and create a taco bar with all the fixins.
For a full run down of 3 awesome and easy cocktails with an accompanying bubbly version, a delicious and simple appetizer that everyone will love and a full blown taco bar spread with grocery list, check out the cinco de mayo blog.
National Beverage Day
Did you even know it was National Beverage Day on May 6? Well you might as well celebrate the day by practicing one of our delicious mocktails or cocktails.
And you know what can kick your National Beverage Day celebration up a notch? Put any and all drinks in a champagne flute or coupe. That right there is an instant celebration, right?
The cool thing about a champagne coupe is that while it reminds people of 1920s bubbly fun, it also makes a perfect cocktail glass for those that you make in a shaker but do not want to serve over ice.
Memorial Day
If you live in the Midwest like I do, Memorial Day is a pretty exciting day. It’s the day where we hope (and pray) the weather will have turned consistently warm and that summer is on the way. Now, notice I said hope because unfortunately, all too often that is not the case. But we can create cocktails that make us thinking of summer fun, right?
And that’s how the Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade came to be. The perfect, refreshing mocktail turned cocktail turned bubbly cocktail great for soaking up the sun.
When I think of our get togethers on Memorial Day it usually revolves around being outside and firing up the BBQ grill. And when I think of BBQ, of course, chips make a perfect (and easy) side. If you haven’t read our chip + bubbly pairing post yet, go check it out.
Now my perfect get together involves all sorts of finger foods. So while you’re waiting for that grill to fire up, here are some perfect snacks to munch on…
Gather almonds, cashews, peanuts for the perfect salty snack that pairs well with bubbly that is super easy to graze on.
Make your own fried chicken wings or, if you’re like me, order out. These are a delicious and easy snack that pairs perfectly with bubbly. And while you’re at it, you might as well whip up (or order) some french fries. This is the perfect combo to compliment your bubbly cocktail.
When I think about summer and being able to hang outside around a BBQ with friends, I need the perfect Summer Fun playlist! And here’s a few of my favorites.
Fun Drinking Songs
Songs with “champagne” in them….
- Champagne Sí, Agua No-Jimmy Buffett
- Knee Deep-Zac Brown Band
- Escape (The Pina Colada Song)-Rupert Holmes
- Day Drunk-Morgan Evenas
- Champagne High Sister Hazel
- Champagne Supernova-Oasis
Wine themed songs
- Sangria Wine Pharrell Williams x Camila Cabello
- Wine-Emily Reid
Other drinking themed songs
- Buy My Own Drinks-Runaway June
- Raise a Glass-Pink
- Whiskey in a Teacup-Dean Brody
- Fix a Drink-Chris Janson
- Toes-Zac Brown Band
- Drunk on a Plane-Dierks Bentley
- Knockin’ Boots-Luke Bryan
- Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo-Tracy Byrd
- It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere-Alan Jackson/Jimmy Buffett
- And of course, most Jimmy Buffett songs which is a playlist by itself
Mixed drinks and mocktails
If you’re looking for a variety of mocktails/cocktails your can check out our highlights on Instagram or these blog posts:
9 Bubbly Mocktails to Rock Any Occasion
3 Bubblies, 2 Valentine’s Day Cocktails, and 1 Amazing Dinner to Celebrate
6 Delicious Bubbly Strawberry Recipe
And if you’re looking for some outdoor inspiration and supplies to host the perfect celebration, check out our Amazon storefront. You will find everything from ice buckets to outdoor essentials to bubbly tumblers.
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