For the past two years, we’ve asked our columnists what they will be drinking this year to celebrate the holidays. Here’s what’s going on to celebrate the end of 2006…
Matt Hutaff: Poinsettia
You’re sitting alone, enjoying the ambiance of a friend’s holiday party. Murmurs of conversation float alongside the scents of expensive perfumes and an expertly prepared meal — and all you can think about is that bottle of ripple in the trunk of your car.
As if on cue, a beautiful woman sits down beside you and presses a drink into your hands. Champagne? It has the full body of a 1995 Krug Vintage, but there’s something more to it. That’s when it hits you — cranberry. Cranberry and a splash of Cointreau. It may not be Olde English or a bottle of rubbing alcohol, but you can feel the metrosexual in you crying out for this drink. You throw it back and ask for more. “What’s that called?” you ask your benefactrix.
“It’s called a Poinsettia,” she says as she hands you the Riedel champagne flute. “Isn’t it simply fabulous?”
You’re in no position to disagree. Five Poinsettias later, you’re playing the piano and singing “Mac the Knife” — and the crowd is loving you. Maybe being an extrovert has its advantages…
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 oz Cointreau or triple sec
- Champagne
- 3 oz cranberry juice