How To Crash a Party: Dolce Cocktails
Friday, July 23, 2010 at 4:36PM 
Don’t you hate it when you hear about a great party you weren’t invited to?
Last week, over 800 party-goers pushed through the Far Niente gates and onto the lawn to celebrate the winery’s 125th anniversary. In addition to enjoying the samba dancing, the culinary treats from the Who’s Who of Napa Valley chefs (Thomas Keller and Michael Chiarello’s restaurants top the list) and performances by an incredible trio of talent – Chris Botti, Joshua Bell and 'O' by Cirque du Soleil – guests also indulged in some delicious-sounding Dolce dessert wine cocktails.
Seein' as how I am eating for two and drinking for none these days (omitting the occasional thimbleful of wine, like that ounce of Sangiovese I sipped last Tuesday in order to see if the Tuscan classic was really the perfect partner for my fiance’s simple, fresh penne with olives, tomatoes and red onions. It was.), I would like to beg one of you readers to please go home tonight and mix up a batch of Dazzling Dolces. And then tomorrow, barring any sugar-related hangovers, I would PLEASE, PLEASE like a full report on whether this cocktail is as refreshing as it sounds.
The floral sweetness of St. Germaine, the chiffon-y oomph of fizzy Prosecco, fresh fruit and honeyed Dolce, how could it not be fabulous? Show up to any party with a few pitchers of these, and I doubt you'll be turned away, even if you're not on the guest list.
Dazzling Dolce
1 fl oz St. Germaine
2 fl oz Dolce
3 fl oz Prosecco
2 tbsp honeydew melon, diced
1 lychee fruit
¾ cup ice
Shake St. Germaine, Dolce and ice until very cold.
Strain into a flute, then add Prosecco, honeydew and lychee.
**Photos and Recipes provided by Rachelle Newbold, Far Niente Communications Coordinator (and a fellow Napa wine and word lover whose own work can be found at Napavore). Rachelle also let me know that they will be posting ALL of the Dolce cocktails recipes from the anniversary fete on the Dolce Website in August.
EndNote: If you find a beautiful $85 bottle of dessert wine too luxurious to use as a “mixer,” Beringer makes a dessert blend of Semillion and Sauvignon Blanc called Nightingale for around $40. Although Dazzling Nightingale doesn’t have that lovely alliteration-y ring to it, does it?
Reader Comments (2)
would have loved to have included that libation in an article I just wrote on cocktails-
If you're ever looking for wine-based cocktail ideas, I can connect you with some very talented people out here. A year ago, Thad Vogler shared a fantastic wine cocktail recipe with me, which he poured at one of the Bardessono's first events.