Husband and wife team Andy and Grainne Ferreira run Raise the Bar, a boutique pop-up cocktail catering and consultancy company. They live in East Cork with their kids Luka (9) and Ruby Jules (6), catering the coolest events and weddings all over the country.
We asked them to share a few industry tricks to pep up any party:
“Christmas gives us the opportunity to indulge in Champagne, Prosecco and all things bubbly. To add a festive twist, we always make a batch of cranberry and sage syrup; it keeps for ages, simply add a splash of gin and a lemon zest for some extra oomph. Glendalough Distillery does a range of seasonal gins with botanicals foraged in Wicklow. These, married with the woodiness from the sage and the subtle tartness from the cranberry, is a great base for a Bellini.
Cranberry & Sage Syrup
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries
- 12 Sage leaves
- 1 cup of castor sugar
Bring the water to the boil and add all the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved. Let it sit for 2 hours then strain into a jug and store in the fridge.
Sage & Cranberry Fizz
Place your champagne flute in the freezer 10 minutes before you are ready to serve.
Add 30mls of Glendalough Irish Gin, 20mls of Cranberry and Sage Syrup, 10mls of lemon juice to each glass. Top with Champagne or Prosecco. Garnish with a fresh cranberry.
