National prosecco day

13th August National Prosecco Day Happy Fizz-day

The sun’s shining and life is fi nally looking a little more ‘normal’ – what better excuse do you need to pop open a bottle of everyone’s favourite bubbles this month?

Prosecco is an Italian white wine whose namesake village is in the province of Trieste, Italy. Made from the Prosecco/ Glera grape, this sparkling wine has exploded in popularity over the last decade, overtaking champagne to become the top tipple of choice for celebrations, romantic meals or just a catch-up chat with the girls. In fact, we Britons consume more prosecco than anywhere else in the world – knocking back over a third of all the bubbly stuff produced. With National Prosecco Day falling on 13 August, corks will no doubt be popping in gardens all across the country. Here we provide a cocktail recipe and some nibbles to help you celebrate this fi zz-tastic day.

PICK A PROSECCO Like champagne, prosecco must now be from its namesake region to be given the famous title, and consequently most proseccos are Italian. However, you can still support local with this popular fi zz from Adnams. Made in the heart of prosecco country, this fruity number is perfect for every occasion. With refreshing apple, pear and white peach fl avours, this affordable prosecco is a must for any wine-rack.

£9.99 75cl £19.99 magnum adnams.co.uk

PASSION FRUIT MARTINI

Simple, sophisticated and bursting with zingy tropical fruit fl avours, this is the perfect summer cocktail with an added burst of bubbles. SERVES: 2

INGREDIENTS: • 2 ripe passion fruits, halved • 60ml vanilla vodka • 30ml passoa • 1 tbsp lime juice • 1 tbsp sugar syrup • prosecco, to serve

METHOD: Scoop the seeds from one of the passion fruits into the glass of a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, passoa, lime juice and sugar syrup. Add a handful of ice and shake well. Strain into two martini glasses, top up with prosecco, then add half a passion fruit to each as a garnish.

Make your own sugar syrup: Boil equal quantities of sugar and water in a pan for about 5 minutes, until it has a syrupy consistency.

Snack while you sip

As prosecco is quite sweet, it pairs well with savoury and salty foods like cheese, cured meats and seafood (in fact, in the UK our favourite accompanying meal is fi sh and chips!). Try these moreish hors d'oeuvres to serve alongside your prosecco cocktail.

Mini poppadoms with mango chutney Finely shred 3 peeled carrots, dice ½ a cucumber and fi nely slice 4 spring onions. Mix together with a squeeze of lemon juice and 1 tbsp toasted mustard seeds. To serve, pile into bought mini poppadom crisps, top each with a small dollop of mango chutney and scatter with coriander leaves.

Cucumber salmon slices Cut 1 large cucumber into 20 thick slices and scoop out some of the seedy middle, leaving a dip. Mix 200ml crème fraîche with zest 1 lemon and freshly ground black pepper, then spoon 1 tsp into each dip. Top with a piece smoked salmon, lemon zest and some black pepper.

Stuffed prosciutto balls Mash 100g feta with ½ fi nely chopped chilli, 2 tsp chopped mint and zest and juice of ¼ lemon. Roll into 24 small balls. Quarter 6 prosciutto slices lengthways, then wrap each prosciutto strip around a feta ball.