Colleen Mullaney, entertaining guru and author of It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere, has three simple champagne recipes that are perfect New Year’s concoctions. For more delicious drink ideas, visit www.colleenmullaney.com.

Kir Imperial (Serves 4)

• 4 oz./118 ml Cointreau
• 4 oz./118 ml crème de framboise
• 1 bottle (750ml) Brut champagne
• Orange peel for garnish

Pour a dash of Cointreau and crème de framboise into each flute. Top with chilled champagne and garnish with an orange peel. Serve immediately.

The Confession (Serves 4)
• 4 oz./118ml grappa
• 4 oz./118ml cherry liqueur
• 1 bottle (750 ml) champagne

Pour ingredients evenly into flute glasses. Top off with champagne and serve immediately.

Baccarat (Serves 4)

• 6 oz./177ml cranberry juice
• 2 oz./59ml lime juice
• 8 oz./237 ml Grand Marnier
• 16 oz./473 ml rose champagne

Pour cranberry juice, lime juice and Grand Marnier in glass and top with champagne. Serve immediately.

And if you are looking for a simple and quick appetizer to prepare for guests, try Gallo Pepperoni & Olive Bruschetta.

Ingredients:
• 8 oz. Gallo Salame pepperoni, sliced
• 10 oz. (16 slices) Italian baguette, pre-baked, 1/4 inch slice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. kosher salt or table salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 8 oz. olive tapenade, pre-made
• 5 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 Tbsp. Italian parsley, finely chopped

Directions: Brust the sliced bread with olive oil. Sprinkle the salt and pepper across all of the sliced bread. Grill the sliced bread on both sides until char marks are apparent. Next, evenly distribute the olive tapenade across one side of each piece of bread. Place the Gallo Salame Pepperoni on top of the tapenade, again evenly distribute among all the slices of bread. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese onto each slice and place on a sheet pan under a broiler for two minutes (until cheese melts and begins to brown). Lastly, sprinkle with Italian parsley as garnish.

Gallo Salame has released two new products, the unsliced Italian dry salame and the light unsliced Italian dry salame. Perfect for a New Years’ appetizer. The unsliced Italian dry salame is made with lean pork and proprietary seasonings. It’s aged using an old-world curing process and is available in eight-ounce and 24-ounce packages. The light salame is made using lean cuts of pork and turkey. It has 55 percent less fat and 40 percent fewer calories. Available in eight-ounce packages. For more recipes visit gallosalame.com.

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