Holiday Entertaining: Creating the Perfect Bubbly Bar
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: November 11, 2014

Entertaining during the holiday season can be stressful, but there are easy ways to put together a successful fête without breaking a sweat. Guests will love crafting their own bubbly beverage with this festive sparkling wine bar, and it relieves you of busy bartending duties! Prosecco, an inexpensive Italian sparkling wine, is the perfect base for a sparkling cocktail. Have a few bottles on ice and ready to go.
 The Presentation
Creating a classy bubbly bar is easy and a great way to use those family heirloom tabletop pieces you only bring out every so often. A silver tray or two, like the one from grandma’s tea set, makes a beautiful statement. Unless it's black there’s no need to polish your silver serving dishes. In fact, the semi-tarnished look makes your bubbly bar less stuffy and more approachable and fun!
For glassware go with classic glass flutes or vintage coupes, but skip the plastic! Anything bubbly deserves a proper glass vessel. Paper cocktail napkins are okay, but we simply love these charming and inexpensive cloth hemstitched cocktail napkins (just $12.50 for a dozen).
	Small white bowls or mini ramekins will showcase ingredients’ pop of color. Fan out sliced citrus on smaller silver trays (as shown), china or porcelain dessert plates.
	Don’t forget flowers! A little pitcher of dried lavender, fresh cut flowers like baby roses, or a couple stems of holly or juniper with their berries will add a festive flare.  
 The Ingredients
	Offer a selection of candied fruits and flowers like crystallized ginger, violets, rose petals, orange slices and sugar cubes. One or two of each plopped in to bubbly is oh so tasty!
	A slice of orange is both flavorful and pretty in a sparkling wine cocktail. Look for blood oranges, the flesh of which is vibrantly mottled with red and orange.
	Unique flavors like wild hibiscus flowers in syrup will delight your guests (available on Amazon). Serve it in the jar with a demitasse spoon for scooping.
	We’re mad about bitters and a drop or two is a must-have in the perfect sparkling cocktail! Offer an assortment like lavender, rhubarb, orange, grapefruit and cardamom. Look for other fun flavors in your local market.