Infusapalooza

Since beginning this blog, and in an attempt to create drinks that are full of flavour, I have somewhat neglected one of my favourite drinks......Prosecco! Mr. Infusapalooza and I love everything Italian! Food, drink, people, accents, Vespas, you name it, we love it, and Prosecco is right up at the top!

We have sampled most of the varieties available on the UK supermarket shelves, and have invested in 'premium' bottles from online and specialist stores, however, our current all time favourite is a rather fair priced bottle, from Tesco. Bella Cucina Prosecco is light and for us, the best balance of sweetness, without being overly dry. Our next bottle of choice is from ASDA and is actually part of their own Extra Special range, but very much suits our taste preferences.

We found our recent love for Prosecco whilst dining out one evening and wanting something a little special. We searched through the wine list, and being in an Italian restaurant, it only seemed right to select a Prosecco. Usually, Mr. Infusapalooza would not choose a sparkling wine as he is not a fan of white, nor enjoying previous Champagnes, so it is usually something we steer clear of, but luckily, this Prosecco opened new doors for us!

For those of you thinking that Prosecco is a cheap version of Champagne, or a copycat Cava, you are right to some degree. However, it is also an entirely different drink made to completely different standards and processes. Unlike Champagne where vintage bottles are the premium choice, Prosecco is best enjoyed in its youth. There's a really great introductory video that I watched here (although the Sparkling one for Christmas 2011 has now been updated with a less informative one for 2012). This video completely changed my drinking habits with sparkling wine, and I now understand that my preference for Prosecco over Cava and Champagne, is entirely related to its taste. Champagne is nice, or at least it can be as long as you know what you're looking for, and willing to spend the money in finding the best.  Not really being either of these, but then also trying a few Cavas and not being satisfied, I am glad I jumped on the recent Prosecco bandwagon, as it is a cheap alternative, but a far more pleasing taste, consistently.

Although, Prosecco is a drink that I very much enjoy as it comes, in the spirit of all things 'Infusapalooza', I decided to jazz things up a little and created some cocktails with our last bottle.

Classically, a little peach puree and schnapps, is used to create a Peach Bellini, but not being a huge fan of peaches, here's what we went for instead.



Passion Fruit & Orange Bellini
Prosecco
Half a ripened Passion Fruit
4 Dashes of Orange Bitters (I used The Bitter Truth)

Simply scrap out half of a passion fruit into your glass, and shake in the Orange bitters over the top of the fruit, give it a little stir, and top (gently) with Prosecco .

If you do not have any bitters, you could always use an orange liqueur!

Elderflower & Lime Fizz
Prosecco
Dash of Elderflower Syrup
Squeeze of Lime
Strawberry to garnish

This one is super simple, and so a garnish is required to show that you did put some effort in!

Add the syrup and lime to the glass first, and top with Prosecco.
Cut a groove in to the top of the strawberry to give it a little cleavage, and a slice in the bottom to attach it to the side of the glass without making a squishy, red mess, and serve!