A Drink, A Book and Holiday Cheer: Louisa Edwards

Well, like all good things our Holiday party must come to an end, but because here at RBtWBC we like to go out with a bang, I have one last guest joining us. (As does Shannon at Cocktails and Books.) Everyone, say hi to Louisa Edwards! Louisa knows a little something about yummy drinks and hot books that will definitely leave you with some good cheer! 

Hello to the lovely ladies (and gentlemen?) of Reading Between the Wines! Is there any better combo than hot romance and cool cocktails? I’m so excited to be here today sharing my favorite holiday drink recipe.

There’s so much to love about the holidays—and so much to stress out about, which is why I have a LOT of favorite holiday cocktails. My tastes range all over the globe, from my family’s southern eggnog to glogg, the spiced warm wine traditionally drunk in Sweden, to margaritas (I live in Austin! Margaritas are appropriate to every time of year here) or a straight up bourbon manhattan (when things get really rough.)

But for some reason, this year all I want is Kir Royale.

Okay, sure, it’s pretty and red for the holidays, nice and festive—but I blame Danny Lunden and Eva Jansen, the hero and heroine of my latest release, Some Like it Hot.

Eva “The Diva” Jansen is definitely a champagne drinker. And even though she’s not as spoiled as Danny thinks when he first meets her, he still likes to spoil her every now and then by fixing her a special cocktail. Of course, Danny, being a pastry chef, prefers his drinks on the sweet side…hence the classic Kir Royale! Its perfect combination of glamour and sweetness is what Danny, a pretty classic guy himself, serves his true love.

Mix up a batch of this super simple cocktail, and I guarantee everyone who drinks one will feel as elegant and bubbly as Miss Eva Diva!

What You Need:

Chilled brut champagne or sparkling wine (I love Gruet, from New Mexico—super tasty and usually priced at around $15 a bottle)

Crème de Cassis (black currant liqueur)

Whole lemon (optional—for garnish)

What You Do:

Fill a champagne flute ¾ full of sparkling wine, then add about a teaspoonful of crème de cassis—enough to give it a beautiful red color. If you like things sweet (like Danny!) add a little more. It’s okay to taste as you go and figure out the right proportion for your tastebuds.

To make it extra fancy, grab your lemon and give it a good rinse. Then take a sharp vegetable peeler and shave off a nice curl of lemon peel. Twist the peel over the Kir Royale and drop it in—not only is it pretty, it’ll give the drink a nice citrus finish.

And that’s all there is to! Classic, elegant, but in a fun, kicky color—and you can never go wrong serving (or drinking) a bubbly cocktail.

Enjoy! And if you’d like to see more of Eva and Danny, check out this nice, long excerpt from Some Like it Hot. 

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Louisa is graciously giving away one copy of Some Like it Hot to one lucky reader (Int. resident will receive an unsigned copy). To enter, just leave a comment on this post and then fill out the rafflecopter with your name and email address. Additional entries are available but not mandatory. Good Luck!