Made with a homemade cider-spiced honey simple syrup, whiskey, and champagne, this special sip is impressive and delicious!
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This recipe is…
I like my cocktails to be extra special. Extra special, my friend, is the theme of this recipe. This sip comes by way of a cider spice-infused honey, a dash of a smoky whiskey, and a good glug of champagne or prosecco. Garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary and let the bubbly, fall-flavored goodness transport you to falling leaves and other happy things.
Harvest Sparkle Drink Ingredients
The ingredients here are pretty simple! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Honey – 1/2 of a cup of honey heads into a pot to boil with a few other ingredients for a really delicious cider-spiced simple syrup.
- Spices – a 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, a 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and an 1/8th teaspoon of ground cloves head into the syrup to bring the spiced flavors to life!
- Orange Juice – 1 cup of orange juice finishes off the spiced syrup!
- Whiskey or Bourbon – for the cocktail itself, you’ll need whiskey/bourbon. If you’re making a pitcher, you’ll need 2 1/4 cups, and if you’re making a single cocktail, you’ll need 1 ounce.
- Prosecco, Champagne, or Sparkling White Wine – another main ingredient in the cocktail itself! For a pitcher, you’ll need 2 1/4 cups, and for a single drink, you’ll need 1 ounce.
- Rosemary Sprigs – garnish your drinks with sprigs of fresh rosemary for a sweet, festive touch!
How to Make
For as special as this sip is, it’s also incredibly easy to throw together! To make it, you’ll need to…
- Make the syrup – to a small saucepan over medium heat, add the honey, spices, and orange juice. Whisk together until it starts to bubble, then remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix together the whiskey and syrup – in a pitcher or shaker, mix the syrup and whiskey together with a good amount of ice so that it’s completely chilled. Strain the mixture into a different pitcher or serving glass (be careful not to let the mixture sit in the ice for too long — it’ll get watered down!). Keep the whiskey and syrup mixture (no longer on ice) in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
- Add prosecco, garnish, and enjoy – just before serving, pour the whiskey/syrup mixture into glasses and top with prosecco. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired, and serve!
How can this drink or the garnishes be modified to also enjoy it as a Christmas Bourbon Cocktail?
I honestly don’t think this cocktail needs to be modified at all to be enjoyed as a Christmas sip! The flavors are spot-on for both the fall and winter months. If you’re looking for a cranberry-style Christmas cocktail, though, this cranberry margarita is a great option.
How to Serve
This drink is best sipped on with good friends and family and is really delicious next to a tasty charcuterie board!
More Favorite Cocktail Recipes
Bourbon and Champagne Cocktail (Harvest Sparkle Drink)
Ingredients
For the cider honey syrup:
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup orange juice
For a large batch/pitcher (serves 18):
- 2 1/4 cups whiskey or bourbon
- 1 1/2 cups of the cider honey syrup entire batch
- 2 1/4 cups prosecco champagne, or sparkling white wine
- 9 sprigs of rosemary
For a single cocktail:
- 1 ounce whiskey or bourbon
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cider honey syrup
- 1 ounce prosecco champagne, or sparkling white wine (or enough to top off the glass)
- 1/2 sprig of rosemary
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the honey, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and orange juice together until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- In a pitcher or shaker, mix the honey syrup and whiskey together with a good amount of ice so that it is completely chilled. Strain into a different pitcher or serving glass. (Note: caution that you don’t let the honey and whiskey mixture sit in the ice for too long so that it doesn’t get watered down.)
- Keep refrigerated.
- Just before serving, add prosecco to top off the glass and garnish with a ½ sprig of rosemary.
Nutrition
This was a delightful (and strong!) pre-Thanksgiving dinner treat! I’ve since swapped out the champagne for soda water for a slightly less sweet (and less strong!) option, and it has become my favorite fall/winter cocktail. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Amazing! We’re so glad you like it, Robyn!
Awesome! Made these for (socially distanced) Thanksgiving! We used the pitcher size for a group of 4, which allotted us a few refills each. I’d scale up the size for larger groups.
So glad they were a hit, Meghan!
Made this for my very small thanksgiving gathering (3 people). We all loved it!! I made a half batch and it was a tiny bit excessive bc these are very strong! The good news is that everything keeps, so we’ll be having them all weekend.
Yay! We’re so glad they were a hit, Chelsea!
that isnt good
Oh no! Sorry about that, John!!
I made this cocktail for Christmas Eve, and it was a big hit! All of the flavors combine for a festive and delicious cocktail that’s sure to please both bourbon and Prosecco lovers. The honey cider syrup is delicious, and the rosemary is both a pretty garnish and a subtle taste of something woodsy. I’ve already made another batch of syrup for more of these cocktails!
So glad everyone enjoyed it Amanda!
I have made this multiple years and adore it! Fall in a glass indeed. Just pulling up again in preparation for the holiday next week and thought I’d let you know it’s been a hit many parties over!
So glad to hear that Meghan, it is one of our favorites too!
I made this last year for a holiday bunco party and I’m still thinking about it! Very, very good.