Festive Fizzy Cocktails

Among the brightest pleasures of the holiday season is sparkling wine. While you may want to save that bottle of "real" French champagne for toasting the arrival of a New Year, sparkling wine is a versatile and convivial beverage that suits a variety of occasions. It goes well with most appetizers as an aperitif, and is an ideal complement to roast turkey.

There are also a number of wonderful cocktails that employ sparkling wine and they make the perfect accompaniment to a holiday brunch. Their low alcohol makes them suitable for consuming early in the day, while with their fruit juice content, you can even tell yourself you're drinking healthy. The fact that they "stretch" a bottle of wine also makes them an economical choice when entertaining a crowd, and they're simple to prepare. Another bonus: for designated drivers, expectant mothers, and non-drinkers, you can substitute low-sodium club soda or sparkling water for the wine; no one will know the difference.

Two final points before we get to the cocktails: don't use expensive "real" champagne. I recommend Spanish cava. It's made by the same method as French champagne, it tastes great in a cocktail, and it's a fraction of the price. And serve all these drinks in champagne flutes.

Mimosa: This is the classic and it couldn't be simpler. To 2 oz. of orange juice (squeeze your own or use a good-quality, no-pulp, not-from-concentrate brand like Tropicana), add 3 oz. of sparkling wine.

Grand Mimosa: Kick it up a notch. Add ½ oz. of Grand Marnier to your Mimosa.

Fuzzy Mimosa: Add ½ oz. of peach schnapps to the basic Mimosa.

Creamsicle Mimosa: Hard to find, but worth it. Add ½ oz. vanilla rum or vodka to the basic Mimosa.

Lilosa: Use pink grapefruit juice instead of orange juice.

Pomosa: Instead of orange juice, use pomegranate juice.

Poinsettia: Use cranberry juice instead of orange juice.

Have a joyous and peace-filled Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Points and Miles: December

This month sees one insanely lucrative promotion and numerous other offers to kick off the winter holiday season.

To mark the opening of the new Radisson Blu in Chicago, Club Carlson is giving away 50K Club Carlson bonus points to the first 50,000 Club Carlson members to register and complete a stay at a Radisson by December 30. Even after the first 50,000 spots are gone, you can still earn 15,000 bonus points for the stay. What will 50K Club Carlson points get you? There are relatively few Carlson properties available at 9K points per night, but lots at 15K. So, stay once at a Radisson and earn 3-4 free nights at many Radisson or Country Inns and Suites locations. And if you book and stay on points at any Club Carlson hotel by January 31, you'll earn a 9K rebate, essentially staying for free at some properties. It looks like Carlson really wants to become a major player in North America.

With this offer code, enjoy a welcome credit at Hyatt Hotels of up to $150. Good for services such as drinks, meals, or spa treatments. Or, if you're a Costco member, get a 10% rate discount and $25 a day hotel services credit. Book with this code (tip of the hat to Ric, the Loyalty Traveler). And finally, CAA/AAA members enjoy a 10% discount and complimentary breakfast. The offer code is here. All offers are valid until February 29.

Starwood is offering special rates for Ontario and Québec residents for weekend stays before December 31. Here's the offer page. And there are other deals available, depending on the property. You can check them out here.

You could save up to 33% and earn 1,000 bonus Hilton HHonors points with Hilton's December Sale. Details are here.

I've not mentioned A Club, the loyalty program of Accor hotels, a European chain, before. Accor does have several Novotel properties in Canada as well as Sofitel locations in Montréal and in major U.S. cities. With this offer, get the third night free when you pay for two nights, plus earn triple points. And via this page, you can instantly become an A Club Platinum member, which entitles you to a host of elite benefits. If you're planning an Accor hotel stay in the next year, it would be worth the few minutes it takes.

Until December 12, when you convert hotel points to Aeroplan miles, earn a 20-25% bonus. This could be a good deal if you have an immediate need for Aeroplan miles, but as I pointed out in a post a few weeks ago (What's a Point or Mile Worth?), hotel points can be more valuable because, unlike flight redemptions, there are no taxes or fees payable when you redeem for a free room night. You do the math.

I'm sure when you're holiday shopping you're consoling yourself with the thought that, when the credit card bills arrive in January, at least they'll also bring a blizzard of points and miles. OK, maybe I'm the only one. But have you considered not only earning points and miles with your holiday gift-giving, but giving points and miles as gifts?

Petro-Canada is offering 50% more Petro-Points on purchases from its convenience stores. That includes items such as lottery tickets and gift cards. Guys, do your Christmas shopping when you fill up. Offer's good until January 2.

And when you order magazines as a gift, or even for yourself, from Rogers Magazine Service, receive up to 1,000 Aeroplan miles via this offer.

For yourself, or as a gift, you can buy Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints for 20% off until December 31. Can be a good deal, because sometimes you can get a hotel room for less by paying with points than with cash. Also good for topping up an account to redeem for an award or to keep your account active.

You can also purchase Club Carlson points for yourself or to give for US$7 per 1,000 (plus GST/HST for Canadians).

And a final thought: one of the nicest things you can do with your points and miles is to give them away. While most plans either don't permit, or charge an exorbitant fee for, transferring points or miles to someone else, they do allow you to book rooms and flights for others. And most plans allow you to make a charitable donation from your points or miles account.

Merry Christmas.

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