The Navigator Cocktail: Beautiful blue bubbles
It is always nice to open a bottle of bubbly when there is something to celebrate. Sometimes it’s nice to just pop the cork on some Champagne or Prosecco because there is a bottle available and you feel like it. That is exactly the reason that I opened a bottle of bubbles and discovered the Navigator Cocktail. I do love a glass of sparkling wine from time to time, but I find that a full bottle to myself or with one other person can get a little bit uninteresting. Also there are so many cocktails that want a top up of bubbly that I feel its the prime opportunity to enjoy one or two of them.
When people mention cocktails with either Champagne or Prosecco, there are a few that immediately spring to mind. The obvious ones are the Bellini and Bucks Fizz. There are also some delicious gin based ones – Diamond Fizz, Monte Carlo and the London French 75 to name a few. Then you can move on to brandy with the classic French 75, Champagne Pick-Me-Up, Lady Luck and Champagne Cocktail. Or rum, like the Caribbean Champagne, Sparkling Gold or this one, the Navigator Cocktail.
Once again this is Pandora’s variation on a cocktail that I found whilst thumbing through 1001 Cocktails & Other Decadent Drinks that I am determined to drink my way through. The version that is included in this book (which is the only place I’ve been able to to find mention of this cocktail incidentally) wants coconut liqueur and a splash of blue curaçao. For all the bottles I have in my cocktail cupboard, I do not have any remotely resembling coconut liqueur. What I do have however is Koko Kanu.
This is a full strength coconut flavoured rum and I thought that it would work well in the Navigator Cocktail. I also decided to measure out a dash of blue curaçao rather than guestimate what it might be and potentially ruin what could have been an otherwise deliciously tropical sparkling cocktail. As it turned out, this alteration in ingredients and measures created a beautifully fruity cocktail that was moreish. Usually when I am having cocktails with a bottle of Prosecco or Champagne, I like to try a couple of different ones, but this time I ended up treating myself to the same again.
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THE NAVIGATOR COCKTAIL RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 measure coconut rum
½ measure blue curaçao
Top up with sparkling wine
METHOD
Pour the coconut rum and blue curaçao into a chilled champagne flute and stir well to mix. Carefully top up with your choice of sparkling wine and sip with delight as the fruity bubbles tickle your tongue.
