Rooty-tooty, fresh and fruity—the cocktail stars aligned for this one, and it’s a great cocktail for sparkling wine lovers. I have some blood orange juice, and Nancy *somehow* came by a bottle of Cava rosé. I may or may not have bought that for her with ulterior motives; I can neither confirm nor deny.

Nor can I confirm or deny that I use this as a gateway drug for sparkling wine lovers … .

But this is a great cocktail I haven’t had for a long time, and it continues my annual February, “If I drink this it must be summer and I must be on a beach” cocktail kick.

Also note the huge clear-ice rocks. They help. Once this drink’s gone, they’ll still be there, and I may have to keep covering them with something so they don’t go to waste.

COLLETTI ROYALE
1½ oz Reposado tequila
½ oz Triple Sec liqueur (40%)
½ oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
½ oz Blood orange juice
½ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
2 dashes Fee Brothers Gin Barrel Aged Orange Bitters
1 oz Sparkling rosé

Shake the first 6 ingredients with ice, strain into an ice-filled wine glass (yes, a wine glass!). Top with sparkling wine. The recipe called for a garnish of dehydrated blood orange wheel; blood oranges are too dear around here for me to dehydrate even part of one, so I stuck with a couple of long and artful orange twists.