I just returned from a lovely, leisurely, luxury vacay in Mexico a couple of weeks ago and I promise that when I close my eyes I can still smell the surf; feel my body floating in the ocean; see the coral-colored sunsets; and taste the {numerous} pomegranate margaritas I sipped with abandon while lounging on my oceanfront beach chaise.

Once I got back I started thinking of ways to try to keep a little bit of the vacation alive, and my mind immediately started drifting back to those delicious, frosty margaritas made with pomegranate tequila {which, by the way, is amazing on it’s own as a shot}–maybe I should make a cocktail? And then I began thinking of the beach…and then those gorgeous sunsets…then I started thinking about brunch…

Wait…brunch?

Okay, so perhaps my train of thought derailed a little bit since, well, brunch didn’t have a thing to do with my Mexico vacation–I just really love brunch. But then I realized my clever little mind was actually going somewhere, and I didn’t realize it. Just indulge me follow my thought process:

• What did I love to drink in Mexico → pomegranate tequila
• What do I love to drink more than tequila → champagne
• What is the 1st champagne cocktail that comes to mind → champagne + tequila = mimosas
• What meal are mimosas commonly associated with  → brunch

TADA! See, I told you my brain was going somewhere! Thanks for indulging me with that…gee, that was pretty fun.

Anyway, with all of that thinking about tequila and sunsets and Mexico, the classic cocktail the “Tequila Sunrise” initially–and naturally–popped into my head. But once champagne and brunch came into my mind’s eye, it hit me: what about a “Champagne Sunrise” instead inspired by that quintessential cocktail?

The history of the Tequila Sunrise is quite interesting {iff you’re a cocktail snob like I am, you should read about it sometime}, including conflicting claims of invention; Mick Jagger’s involvement; the decade of the 70’s; and a song by The Eagles of the same name. Of course, in creating my new cocktail I needed to first start with the ingredients of the original drink’s classic recipe:

½ oz of grenadine
1 ½ oz of tequila
4 oz of orange juice
Cherry and orange slice

Now, time for a side note: if you do a internet search for “champagne sunrise” cocktails, you will find a handful of some recipes tht are perfectly fine. They either do something simplistic like replace the tequila with champagne {hello, glorified mimosa}, or replace the orange juice with another fruit juice {zzzzz…}, or adding an additional liquor to the mix.

By now you should know what I’m going to say next: I don’t do “perfectly fine;” I’m more of an “extraordinary experience” kind of girl. So, since an extraordinary Champagne Sunrise cocktail didn’t exist, I decided to create one.

When I create my original cocktail recipes {like this green one}, flavor profiles are equally as important as the drinks aesthetics: it needs to both taste good and look pretty. The color of the Tequila Sunrise was important since it was supposed to evoke thoughts of a Mexican sunrise, I started thinking of more creative, but still flavorful, ingredients to create that sunrise effect.

After a bit of taste-testing an experimentation, behold: the champagne cocktail genius I came up with that’s perfect for #FizzFriday. It’s tart; fresh; sweet; and delicious. Oh, and I added “luxe” to my cocktail’s name, because, well, it deserves to be distinguished from the other ones {wink}:

Although it’s got a bit of a kick, this cocktail is still perfect for brunch and is a nice change from the tied-and-true mimosa. You can keep the South of the Border theme going and serve luxe breakfast tacos with the cocktails. My suggested breakfast taco ingredient combinations to pair it with include: fried egg, chorizo, pancetta, Monterrey jack cheese, and green salsa; or lobster, scrambled egg, and avocado with Mornay sauce or hollandaise sauce.

Whip up a batch of these this weekend–not only are they perfect to serve at brunch, but they’re also great for sipping poolside; serving at a Latin-inspired party; or even being the signature drink at a bridal shower or wedding.

Let’s raise our flutes and clink glasses in honor of this original, custom-made, #BubbleistaApproved champagne cocktail–¡Salud!