My Key lime tree is once again bearing a boatload of beautiful fruit. Like every year when I start to pick it I look for new ways to use them. Many years ago I posted a delicious Key lime margarita that has become a favorite. Everyone who tries my Key lime muffins with Key lime glaze asks for the recipe, and for some limes to make it. So you see the pattern? Now I share a cranberry Key lime mimosa.
When I suggested this Cocktails and Mocktails event to some blogger friends in advance of New Year’s Eve I knew I wanted to use Key limes. Cranberry and lime are a popular flavor combination so I thought why not just add something sparkling. Champagne, Prosecco or Cava would all work well in this mimosa.
So, what if you don’t have Key limes? You can certainly use the more common Persian lime but I would start out using less. Both limes and cranberry can be tart but they don’t overpower the taste of the sparkling wine. Persian limes have a bolder flavor than Key limes so you may not need as much. I chose to write the recipe to make one glass at a time. If sparkling wine sits, it will loose the bubbles so you don’t want to mix everything as a punch and have it sitting around. It really is easy enough to make by the glass and guest can always fill up on their own.
Ingredients
- Champagne, Prosecco or other sparkling wine
- Cranberry juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Key lime juice
- Thinly sliced Key lime for garnish
Instructions
- Fill champagne flute 1/4 with cranberry juice. Fill glass with champagne and squeeze Key lime juice into glass, about 1/2 a teaspoon, or to taste.
Have a look at these other delicious drinks from my blogger friends:
- Cranberry Apple Cider Sparkler by The Redhead Baker
- Cranberry Key Lime Mimosa by Family Around the Table
- Mincemeat Manhattan by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Perfect Harmony Cocktail by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Sparkling Cranberry Sangria by Bear and Bug Eats
- Strawberry Ginger Champagne Cocktail by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
You may be wondering to yourself, what is a bay breeze? You’re probably familiar with the more popular sea breeze. A drink made with vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juices. I am not a fan of grapefruit and many who take statins can’t have anything grapefruit. A traditional bay breeze is one of my favorite cocktails. It’s made with vodka, cranberry and pineapple juice. I decided to mix it up a bit and make a sparkling bay breeze using sparkling cranberry juice. Am I ever glad I did because I now have a new favorite sparking drink.
You’re probably wondering what a ‘Noreaster is. Well, in the world of meteorology it is a storm. But in the world of cooking, or rather imbibing, it’s an adult beverage. This is a drink I used to serve often when I was a waitress at a St. Augustine bar, Scarlett O’Hara’s, many years ago. It was very popular on cold North Florida nights.
