Inaugural Cheer

Now that the speeches have been given & the oaths have been taken, it's time to pop the cork & celebrate!! But what to make? Champagne is, of course, in order, but somehow does not seem quite special enough to celebrate this historic occasion.   So, in the spirit of all things inaugural I give you mixologist Danielle Tatarin's Inaugural Cheer.

Inaugural Cheer
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/2 oz Wild Hibiscus Syrup
1/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
2 oz Hpnotiq Liqueur
2 oz Dry Sparkling Wine or Champagne

Separate the flowers from the wild hibiscus syrup. Place 1 wild hibiscus flower standing upright at the bottom of the champagne flute. Then, mix lemon juice and hibiscus syrup together. Pour the hibiscus syrup and lemon juice mixture over the flower. Add crushed ice on top of the wild hibiscus flower and syrup. Slowly pour in Hpnotiq liqueur over the ice. Slowly top with dry sparkling wine or Champagne. This layering will leave you with a red, white, and blue cocktail that would surely make Rachel Maddow proud.

Now, not to undermine Tatarin's mixing wisdom, but, for those of you that don't have wild hibiscus lying around your house or stocked on your local grocers' shelves, a maraschino cherry & its bright red syrup will work beautifully as a substitute.

Image & story, thekitchn.com