Weekend Wine Pairing: Holiday Party Ideas For Starters & Some Cocktails
Get your cocktail napkins, some mini-plates, toothpicks, and of course...wine glasses. If you are hosting a holiday party, I'm sure you plan on serving some bite size appetizers to go with the flowing conversations in your home. You might even want to offer some theme styled cocktails! Here are a couple quick ideas for tasty pickings with wine pairings, plus a couple holiday cocktails you could try out.
Cocktail Meatballs (credit: allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons minced onion
- 1 (8 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
- 3/4 cup chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, water, bread crumbs, and minced onion. Roll into small meatballs.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once.
- In a slow cooker or large saucepan over low heat, blend the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Add meatballs, and simmer for 1 hour before serving.
Wine Pairing: Zinfandel or Pinot Gris
Spinach Pinwheels (credit: allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1 (7 ounce) package garlic herb cheese spread
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Split crescent dough in half along center perforation. Flatten one rectangle, sealing perforations. Spread with 1/4 of the cheese spread and sprinkle with spinach. Starting with long side, roll dough up, rolling back and forth several times to seal edges. Cut into 3/4 inch slices (about 15 slices per roll). Arrange the slices one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Continue making the crescent roll ups until all of the ingredients are used.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve immediately or keep warm on a warming tray
Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir
Fun Festive Cocktails (credit: allrecipes.com)
Poinsettias
- 4 ounces brut Champagne
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cranberry juice
- Feel free to add 1/2 oz of Cointreau or Triple Sec
- Drop a single cranberry into the flute
Reindeer Martini (credit: grouprecipes.com)
- 2 parts vodka
- 1 part Frangelico
- 1 part Malibu
- splash of cream
- Shake over ice and strain to serve straight up in a martini glass, garnished with a cherry and two cinnamon sticks for antlers
Cheers!
The Hello Vino Team
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