Blogging Resolutions

Happy New Year, friends!
Hope everyone rang in 2007 as deliciously as possible. Mine was very bubbly indeed with Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco, Nicolas Feuillatte Brut, and Pierre Peters Blanc de Blanc, to drop a few names. They’re all mighty tasty sparklers and good values, not like that ubiquitous Champagne in orange packaging that shall be nameless…ahem. ‘Blanc de blanc' means 100% Chardonnay grapes as opposed to the usual mix of Chard, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (well, not everyone knows that) and is usually lighter and crisper than the blends. The hit of the night, however, was the pomegranate martinis (thanks Pia). I made Pomegranate Bellinis (Prosecco and Pom juice) for a party a few years ago, but never tried these martinis. They're so good, had to include the recipe below. New Year’s Day was celebrated en famille with mimosas and hoppin' john with black-eyed peas for good luck.

Pomegranate Martini for 6
12 ounces 100% pomegranate juice
6 ounces citrus vodka
3 Cointreau liqueur
Optional: Splash of sparkling water for you sissies. Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses (or serve on the rocks). Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish.

p.s. My blogging rhythm has been pitiful, but I'm aiming to be more prolific in the new year. Tune in next time for an East Village food crawl featuring Caracas Arepa Bar, Xunta, and Momofuku Sassaim Bar. Yummy!