We’re used to pouring bubbly for the holidays and this year we’re opting for a different effervescent. Spanish wines have long been noted for their high quality-to-cost ratio, and cava is no exception: a nice bottle runs $10 to $15 less than its Champagne counterpart.
Like manchego, cava is protected by Spain’s strict Denominación de Origen classification system, or a guarantee that every bottle carrying its name is produced in Spain and generally in the Penedès region of Catalonia. It’s made using a bottle fermentation process and its name literally means “cave” in Catalan, a reference to the underground cellars where it is stored as it reaches maturity. Not to be confused with kava, the trendy root-based beverage that now has its own bar in the East Village (because of course), we recommend heading to Socarrat for a glass of Spanish suds, or this Spanish grocery in SoHo.
We’ve heard that the use of high-quality sparkling wine in cocktails is on the rise, and we’re hoping we can blame last year’s subpar mimosas on our roommate’s flat André. In the spirit of investing in high-quality ingredients, we’re on a quest for the perfect cava cocktail. We partnered with Segura Viudas, a 165-year-old family business, to find the perfect cava cocktail recipe. Their delicate crispness can bring out the best in a tangy goat cheese and mesclun salad, and it complements a wide variety of tapas, Thanksgiving-inspired or otherwise.
Check out our picks below — actual shaking not recommended.
Poinsettias
Makes 1 cocktail
½ ounce orange liquor
3 ounces cranberry juice
4 to 5 ounces Segura Viudas cava
Chilled orange wedge
Lime wedge
In a wine flute, squeeze orange wedge; mix liquor and cranberry juice. Add sparkling wine and stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Lemon cava
Makes 4 cocktails
1 bottle chilled Segura Viudas cava
For lemon syrup:
2 large freshly squeezed lemons
2 tablespoons melted honey
Stir lemon juice and melted honey until combined, let cool. Divide lemon syrup between 4 glasses, top with cava and dress with a lemon zest peel.
This post was made possible by Segura Viudas.
