Happy week-after-Christmas and week-before-the-New-Year, friends! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with family, food, love and maybe some presents you asked for from Santa.
I spent the long weekend in Chicago with my family. We munched on spinach dip with Hawaiian bread (a perennial favorite of ours for the holidays), sipped on warm glögg mulled with slices of citrus and cinnamon sticks, played Pictionary and maybe also this game once or three times, and opened gifts on Christmas Eve and Day. I got cozy scarves and a Boos cutting board and my husband got the most complicated Swiss Army knife I’ve ever seen and this (no, seriously). As for Avery, she was spoiled by the addition of a talking teapot and a Cozy Coupe to her toy collection, as well as all the girly clothes a little lady could ever want.
We also went to see Star Wars on Saturday and watched Christmas Vacation that night, and somewhere between there I made these pomegranate Kir Royale cocktails as an extension of the holiday festivities/preemptive celebration of New Year’s Eve. And because of the restraints of this winter sunshine (or lack thereof), I had to make them in the late morning. No matter. They were still well received.
When it comes to a cocktail, this recipe couldn’t be simpler. You just add sugar, bitters, pomegranate juice and champagne to a flute glass, then top it off with pretty pomegranate seeds. It’s easy enough to make for a crowd, in case you’re the party-hosting type this weekend, but it also pairs well with pajamas and a frozen pizza on the couch. Serve, clink, cheers and sip. And suddenly, it’s the New Year.
I don’t know how 2015 was for you — for me, it was a mix of the highest highs and the lowest lows, and I’ve learned more about myself this year than in many years prior, both the good and the bad — but I hope that no matter what, no matter who, 2016 brings with it a greater sense of peace and purpose, and more opportunities to celebrate. I’m keeping this cocktail recipe in my back pocket for when those times come.
See you in 2016, friends. xo
Pomegranate Kir Royale

Ingredients
- 4 sugar cubes, or 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 8 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 cups chilled champagne, 16 ounces
- ½ cup chilled pomegranate juice, 4 ounces
- Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Divide sugar cubes or granulated sugar between 4 champagne flutes. Add 2 dashes bitters to each flute. Pour 1/2 cup (4 ounces) champagne into each flute. Pour 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) pomegranate juice into each flute. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Megan — Happy New Year, friend! xo