Sparkling Black Cherry Grape Spritzer Food

CHERRY-LIME SPARKLER

Steps:

• Place the pitted cherries in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lime juice and salt. Stir until the cherries are evenly coated. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to macerate the cherries.
• Drain the cherry mixture, collecting and reserving all the juice. Thread the macerated cherries amongst 8 cocktail skewers and set aside for garnish.
• Stir together the reserved cherry juice and seltzer in a small pitcher.
• Fill 8 highball glasses with ice cubes. Pour the cherry sparkler over the ice and garnish each glass with a skewer of cherries and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

SPARKLING SPRITZER BAR

Steps:

• In a small bowl add orange zest and 4 sprigs of mint. In a second bowl add the lime zest and ginger. To a third bowl add 3/4 cup of the raspberries.
• In a pot mix the sugar and 3 cups water. Put over medium heat and bring it to a boil, then evenly divide the sugar syrup among the 3 bowls. Stir each to mix and let cool to room temperature. Pour each mixture into jars or syrup containers and refrigerate until ready to use or up to 2 weeks.
• Set up the Spritzer Bar:
• Set out chilled bottles of sparkling water. Put out plenty champagne flutes or wine glasses. Let people create their own Sparkling Spritzer by mixing about 3 tablespoons of a flavored syrup with some seltzer water and a shot of vodka or Prosecco, if desired. Garnish the drinks with mint sprigs, orange slices or lime slices.

QUICK GRAPE SPRITZER

Steps:

• Put half of the red grapes and half of the white grapes in the freezer, for garnish. Put the remaining grapes in a large bowl and "smash" them with a whisk (or fingers).
• Add the smashed grape to a large pitcher and pour in the grape juice and honey. Stir in about 16 ounces of vodka. Fill glasses about 1/2 full with the grape juice mixture and top with a splash of seltzer. Drop and few frozen grapes into each glass for a festive garnish that doubles as an ice cube!

SPARKLING CHERRY JUICE

Steps:

• Place the cherries in a saucepan off the stove, pour the sugar over the top and let them sit for 2 hours. Add the water, and stir to mix the cherries, sugar and water together until the sugar dissolves.
• Bring the cherry mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain liquid into another pan, pressing cherries with a spoon to extract all the liquid, and discard the cherries. Simmer the liquid over low heat until it is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour syrup in a jar and store in the refrigerator.
• To serve, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of syrup in each glass, fill glasses with chilled sparkling water and stir to mix.

SPARKLING SHIRLEY

Steps:

• Combine sugar and food coloring. Dip champagne flutes in water and rim in sugar.
• Fill flutes 1/4 way with cranberry juice, then fill remainder with sparkling cider. Garnish each with a maraschino cherry.