Every once-in-a-while, I get to do some pretty freaking awesome stuff.  Case in point: Craft Cocktail Texas.  Of all the badass events that CCTX brought to our fair city, I was only able to make it to the opening party at the Stoneleigh Hotel (womb), but that was enough fun to make up for the fact that I wasn’t able to enjoy more of the CCTX festivities.

The party was a multi-level mecca of all-things-booze at the historic hotel starting in the yard and making its way up to the penthouse and (yes, there’s more), then onto the gigantic balcony.  I remember the balcony most of all because it was the location of my favorite drink of the evening, the Solerno & Sparkling.  Blood orange liqueur and champagne?  Yup.  

The last time I had a similarly lethal (read: delicious) combination, was that the opening of Q de Cheval in Addison’s Intercontinental Hotel.  Yeah … after a few tequilas and champys, I told my boyfriend that I loved him for the first time (can’t say it was a bad move in retrospect).  Alas, my more recent encounter with a potent champagne mixture didn’t end with bold statements of love, though I was close to confessing my love to the drink slinger who kept serving them up.

See the recipe below of the Solerno & Sparking — enjoy, and try not to stutter when you say, “I love you, man.”

Solerno & Sparkling
1oz Solerno
4.5oz Prosecco
Orange slice (blood orange if available)

Build ingredients in a tall glass over ice.  Stir to incorporate and chill.  Garnish with an orange slice and a long straw.