I always cook Christmas Eve dinner for my family. There were 16 of us this year. Over the next couple of days, I’ll post some of the things that I served. Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to photograph the caramelized shallots. They were delicious! I’ll definitely make them again. They’re easy to make and they’re a crowd favorite. I’ll be sure to take a picture the next time I make them.

This year, I decided to serve these champagne cosmos before dinner. They were great but they were deceptively strong. They go down like fruit juice, so you have to be very careful with them. I coated the rims of the glasses with red sanding sugar to make them festive. I dipped the glasses in lime juice first, then in the sugar. I also speared a couple of raspberries on a toothpick, and put them on top of the glass. (Looked for bamboo toothpicks, but couldn’t find them in any of my local stores.) They were very pretty and perfect for Christmas Eve. Do be careful though, they go down very easily.

A couple of hours before the guests arrived, I made the base and put it in the refrigerator. The recipe calls for superfine sugar. If you don’t have any, there’s no need to buy it. Just take some sugar and throw it in the food processor. Whiz it around for 30 seconds or so and voila you have superfine sugar. If you don’t like your cocktails sweet, only add half of the sugar, or leave the sugar out altogether. I used the sugar, and liked the cocktails that way.

I made the cocktails on demand as the guests arrived. I made virgin cocktails for the kids and for the non-drinkers. I mixed pomegranate juice with sparkling apple cider. The kids loved that theirs were dipped in sugar as well.

Champagne Cosmos
Recipe adapted from epicurious.com

1 1/4 cups Cointreau or Grand Marnier (I used Grand Marnier)
1 1/4 cups pomegranate juice (I used POM)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
4 cups chilled Champagne or other sparkling wine

Stir together Cointreau, juices, and sugar and chill, covered, 2 to 6 hours. Just before serving, dip each glass in fresh lime juice, then in sugar. Divide the fruit juice mix among 10 Champagne flutes and top off with the Champagne. My cocktails were about half base and half Champagne.

Yield: 10 cocktails