Cocktails to Celebrate Pride

Chandon pride cocktails

In celebration of Pride 2020 and the LGBTQIA+ community, Chandon has teamed up with bartenders from the LGBTQIA+ community across the U.S. to create six sparkling Pride cocktails inspired by the colors and meaning of the Pride flag.

These six cocktails are fresh, bright, and bubbly to symbolize the acceptance and togetherness that Pride inspires.

1. Red: Good Times Are Calling by JaQuan Bowser

JaQuan Bowser is an accomplished bar manager. He has two degrees from Johnson & Wales University in Baking & Pastry and Food Management. JaQuan’s culinary background served as inspiration for his Proud to Celebrate cocktail “Good Times Are Calling,” which he used to make a shrub with fresh strawberries and raspberries and a Chamomile syrup. The red hue of the drink matches the red stripe on the Pride flag which celebrates life. This cocktail celebrates life by integrating the flavors of fresh fruit year-round through the preservation technique JaQuan uses in making the shrub. This cocktail will be full of life — even when berries are out of season thanks to JaQuan’s ingenuity.

Ingredients:
4.0 oz Chandon Brut Rosé
0.5 oz Strawberry and Raspberry Shrubchandon pride cocktails
1.0 oz Chamomile Tea Syrup
2 barspoons Lime Juice
Splash of Sparkling Water

Directions:
Build all ingredients (add Chandon last) in rocks glass top with crushed ice and stir. Garnish with strawberry fan.

Chamomile Tea Syrup Recipe: 4 bags of chamomile tea; 6oz sugar; 8oz water / Steep the tea in the water for recommended time according to instructions. Add sugar to warm tea stir until dissolved. Pour into an airtight container. Syrup will hold up to a month.

Strawberry Raspberry Shrub Recipe: 8oz strawberry; 6oz raspberry; 6oz sugar; 8oz apple cider vinegar, 8oz water / Pick leaves off strawberry. Muddle berries with sugar in a bowl. Add to a pot with water and vinegar. Bring to a simmer to ensure all the sugar is dissolved. Strain into an airtight container. Shrub will hold up to a month in the fridge.

2. Orange: Summer Sun by Karina Martinez

Karina Martinez has traveled all over the world, but California always calls her home. Currently, Karina lives in Sacramento—just down the road from California’s agricultural heart. After completing her third Bachelor’s Degree, Karina decided to take a gap year in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia before applying to medical school, but during that time, she found herself back behind the bar and realized that she wanted to stay there. Karina’s cocktail, “Summer Sun” is a sense memory that invites us all to join her on a porch in Shasta after a long hike down the hill. This cocktail features the refreshing flavor of cantaloupe counterbalanced with the subtle flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and red currant found in Chandon Rose. Served tall in a Collins glass, this cocktail embodies the Pride value of healing by honoring the past and enjoying the present.

chandon pride cocktailsIngredients:
3.0 oz Chandon Brut Rosé
3.0 oz Cantaloupe Juice
0.75 oz Cardamom Syrup
0.75 oz Lemon Juice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except for the Chandon Brut Rosé into a shaker tin with ice and shake. Add the Chandon Rose to the tin and strain into a Hurricane or Collins glass over fresh ice. Garnish with cantaloupe spheres and two pieces of star anise and two tall hay straws.

Cardamom Syrup: Bring 1 cup of water and .25 cup of whole cardamom to a boil. Stir in 2 cups of sugar until fully dissolved. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Infuse in the refrigerator for 3 days, then strain out the cardamom.

3. Yellow: They Go Low, We Go Pride by Jakob Kramer-Jensen

When Jakob Kramer-Jensen is not bartending, they actively work with the ACLU, the Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform and as a social worker in an effort to connect to those in need with resources in the community. Jakob found their way to bartending through their work in activism. While serving as a social worker for rehab facilities and centers for runaway LGBTQIA+ teens, Jakob met the team at Sundry and Vice, the premiere cocktail bar and restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio who offered to train and hire them. Jakob took that opportunity and became a leader in the hospitality community in the Midwest. Jakob’s work both behind the bar and in social activism are focused on shining light on their community, and their cocktail is a reflection of that work. Yellow represents sunshine on the Pride flag, and “They Go Low, We Go Pride,” Jakob’s cocktail, is that idea of sunshine in a glass. Pulling in classic summer flavors like sunflower seeds, bell peppers, and coconut milk, this cocktail evokes the warm glow of acceptance.

chandon pride cocktailsIngredients:
4.5 oz Chandon Brut Rosé
1.0 oz Lime Juice
0.75 oz Yellow Bell Pepper Syrup
0.75 oz Sunflower Seed Golden Coconut Milk
4 drops Saline Solution

Directions:
Add all ingredients except for the Chandon Brut Rose into shaker tin. Hard Shake. Fine strain and then dry shake (adds some extra texture with the coconut milk). Strain into 13.5 oz Poco Grande Glass (or larger if you want some crushed ice, pictured without).  Garnish with lemon twist flower, and edible golden glitter rim.

Sunflower Seed Golden Coconut Milk: To a small saucepan, add one tablespoon of sunflower seeds, and lightly toast for about a minute. Then add one 1 can of coconut milk (13.5 oz), 1 tsp ground turmeric, 2 cinnamon sticks, .5 tsp black pepper, and .5 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup. Whisk to combine and warm over medium heat. Heat until hot to the touch but not boiling – about 4 minutes – whisking frequently. Turn off heat, and let cool.

*1-2 teaspoons of pre-made golden milk powder can be substituted for the turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and maple syrup. Just add to toasted sunflower seeds and coconut milk and heat, then cool.

4. Green: It’s Not Easy Being Green by Cori O’Connor

Cori O’Connor belongs to many communities: the queer community, the trans community, the bar community and the Chicago community. In each of those communities, there is a common thread—Cori is a leader, and, often, she is called ‘Mom.’ Cori’s maternal reputation belies her natural instincts toward kindness, empathy and her preternatural ability to multi-task. These same skills are what make Cori an exceptional bartender. “It’s Not Easy Being Green” is Cori’s ode to her deep connection to the natural world. As a Florida native, Cori grew up in the swamp and the color green is embedded in her consciousness. After her time in Florida, Cori moved to Boulder, Colorado where her connection to the natural wonder of the world only grew. This cocktail pulls inspiration from the swamps of Florida and the mountains of Colorado along with her current city of Chicago. The lush green color, Green Machine juice, and dill garnish all evoke the dense swamps of Florida. These dense flavors balance the crisp freshness of apple, pear and citrus in Chandon Brut and the sweetness of the honey. Hopped grapefruit bitters and apple cider vinegar bring in Colorado’s brewing and homeopathic traditionst. Her personal journey and connection to nature come together to create this delicious cocktail. Cori was focused on creating an accessible and low alcohol by volume cocktail that would appeal to a wide audience.

chandon pride cocktailsIngredients:
1.5 oz Chandon Brut
12 drops Bitterman’s Hopped Grapefruit Bitters
12 drops Saline
0.25 oz Lime Juice
0.5 oz Green Machine Juice
0.5 oz Apple Cider Vinegar
0.75 oz Honey Syrup (2:1)
A Generous Sprig of Fresh Dill

Directions:
Add all but the Chandon to a shaker tin. Shake vigorously then double strain into a coupe glass and top with Chandon Brut. Garnish with fresh dill.

5. Blue: Chandon in Blue by All Utt

One day, Al Utt will be a mad beverage scientist with beakers arranged in perfect order and a new line of spirits named after Sailor, his cat ready for launch. But, today, Al is content with his admittedly beautiful life working as a bartender in idyllic Portland, Oregon with a thoughtful partner, supportive mother and brother and that aforementioned cat and best friend of 12 years, Sailor. Al Utt is trans, and he is grateful for the life experience that this transition has brought him. As a person who has experienced gender in a number of ways, Al profoundly understands the human condition and connects to people effortlessly and completely. Al has learned that we can identify and remove our painful expectations to build harmony all around us. Al used this lesson in harmony to develop “Chandon in Blue” where the brightness of the fruit matched the playful personality of Chandon and were balanced with a dash of bitterness from the bitters and colorful sweetness of the syrup. The vibrant blue of the cocktail is also in harmony with the natural blue of the blueberry garnish displaying the harmony of our expectations with what naturally occurs.

Ingredients:chandon pride cocktails
5.0 oz Chandon Brut
1.0 oz Monin Blue Curaçao Syrup (non-alcoholic)
2 dash Peychaud’s
2 dash Scrappy’s Orange Bitters
4 dash Chuncho Amargo Bitters
0.25 cup blueberries

Directions:
Build in Collins glass and top with ice. Stir. Garnish with blueberries, a lot if you have them. Add reusable straw.

6. Purple: Rest Thy Spirit by Joe Witkowski

Joe Witkowski’s indomitable spirit is what sets him apart. Joe is unflinchingly honest about who he is and where he’s going, and he is unafraid to share that journey with the many people he encounters as a bartender at one of New Orleans’s most beloved establishments that offers the ultimate in after dinner experiences—with desserts and cocktails on offer. Known for a team as sweet as their desserts and as strong as their cocktails, Joe fits right in and thrives behind the bar. Joe cut his teeth in hospitality working at a global coffee chain where he quickly became a leader and trainer—appearing in national campaigns and training materials for the coffee behemoth. His natural abilities to make people comfortable and create safe spaces makes Joe an invaluable member of any hospitality team, and his contributions have been recognized at organizations large and small. “Rest Thy Spirit” is a meditation on the color purple, which is one of the iconic colors of Mardi Gras, the biggest event in Joe’s hometown. Spirit is infused in everything Joe does and gives meaning to his work. “Rest Thy Spirit” is rooted in Joe’s personal mission towards self-care this Pride season and pulls flavors and scents that Joe uses to soothe himself and to enhance the flavors in Chandon.

Ingredients:chandon pride cocktails
3.0 oz Chandon Brut
1.5 oz Pure Blueberry Juice
0.25 oz Demerara Syrup
5 dashes Cocktail Experiment Lavender Bitters
1 dash Fee’s Brothers Lemon Bitters

Directions:
Build in shaker tin, shake, strain into Nick ‘n’ Nora glass. Top with Chandon Brut. Garnish with blackberries and three plumes of dried lavender in loop.