Sparkling Strawberry Floats {Cocktail or Mocktail}
Top sweet strawberry sorbet with bubbly Prosecco for Sparkling Strawberry Floats, perfect for Valentine's Day, baby or bridal showers, or a variety of special celebrations...and it's easy to make a yummy, non-alcoholic version as well!
Valentine's Day is coming up, and the resident 4-year-old is wayyy excited for a holiday that glorifies her favorite color...pink! So I thought it would be fun this year to put together a special V-Day menu, complete with heart-shaped snacks and a festive dessert and a pink, bubbly drink. Enter Sparkling Strawberry Floats!
I'm going to be completely upfront in that I originally planned this drink solely as a cocktail...Prosecco (or champagne) poured over sweet strawberry sorbet and topped with fresh diced strawberries. But as my daughter watched me put the sorbet into my shopping cart -- in her favorite flavor, no less -- the following conversation ensued:
"Ooooo, Mommy! Is that for me?"
"Well, not really...I'm going to use it for a blog recipe."
"What are you going to make?"
"A drink for grown-ups."
"With ice cream in it?"
"Sort of. But what I'm pouring on top isn't for kids."
"Well, can't you make one with stuff that is for kids?"
Of course I can, my dear.
Non-Alcoholic Version
So this effortless recipe (though let's be real...so few ingredients hardly constitute a "recipe") can easily be adapted from cocktail to mocktail.
While the bubbly beverage in these photos features Prosecco, I also ended up making the kids a version with ginger ale. Alternatively, you could use lemon-lime or cream soda.
Think of it as a root beer float, except with fruity sorbet and clear, sparkling soda.
And the kids loved it. They oooh-ed and ahhh-ed and polished off every last drop. Their non-alcoholic version reminded me of that sherbet-based punch that's sometimes served at baby or bridal showers.
Speaking of which, these Sparkling Strawberry Floats would be perfect for showers (choose a flavor of sorbet to match the color scheme of the party!) as well as Valentine's Day.
And they would work equally well made with sherbet instead of sorbet!
As for me, after I finished my Prosecco-centered photo shoot around noon, I resisted temptation and responsibly put my finished floats in the fridge to head out for school pick-up.
But that night, after the kids were in bed, I settled in for an episode of The Bachelor (don't judge) accompanied by a flat, melted, Sparkling Strawberry Float. And you know what?
It was still delicious.
As a bonus, it dulled the pain of watching that entertaining-yet-mortifying trainwreck of a reality show. 😉
So how about you?
- Would you make this recipe with Prosecco or champagne or a certain kind of soda?
- Would you choose strawberry sorbet, or would you go for another flavor like raspberry or peach?
- Do you secretly (or admittedly) watch The Bachelor? Do you have a different embarrassing reality television addiction? Or are you more upstanding than the rest of us and avoid that garbage altogether? 😉
Happy almost-Valentine's Day, friends, and I hope you enjoy your Sparkling Strawberry Floats!
More Yummy Pink Drinks
- Homemade Strawberry Soda
- Strawberry Shortcake {Healthy Oat} Smoothie
- Cherry Vanilla Wine Slushie
- Strawberry Lemonade Mojito {or Faux-jito}
Sparkling Strawberry Floats {Cocktail or Mocktail}
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberry sorbet
- 4 cups chilled Prosecco, OR champagne OR ginger ale OR soda
- Diced fresh strawberries and/or sliced strawberries for garnishing the glasses, optional
Instructions
- Place a few small scoops of sorbet in a glass. Pour chilled Prosecco over the top. Sprinkle with diced strawberries, if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
- I originally thought it would be festive to sprinkle the sorbet with some sparkling sugar before pouring over the Prosecco (hence, the sugar in the photos). But the sugar pretty much immediately dissolved, so it didn't end up making much of a difference. It might be fun to rim the glasses with sparkling sugar, though?
- If you'd like to plan ahead for making lots of floats at a party, you could pre-scoop your sorbet into little balls, spread them out on a cookie sheet, and then pop them back in the freezer until they're frozen solid.
- The sorbet-to-Prosecco ratio is up to you. If you want multiple scoops of sorbet in your drinks, I'd plan on two pints of sorbet per bottle of Prosecco.
Nutrition
