Champagne cocktailsare popular at most occasions – from relaxed garden-parties to formal dinner parties & celebrations – but can be just a well deserved pick-me-up after a long, stressful day! Here are some tips on how to make them and a few delicious recipes!
For Champagne cocktails it’s best not to use expensive vintage Champagne – the cheaper versions are perfectly adequate for this purpose. More precious Champagne is best drunk on its own, perhaps with a couple of pieces of fruit (such as raspberry). See Champagne tips >>
For parties make “long” cocktails – i.e. drinks in which the fizz is diluted at least 1:3 to fruit juice so you and your guests will not get too tipsy.
Always make cocktails with chilled Champagne, even if you are using plenty of ice in the drink.
Here are some fantastic champagne cocktail recipe:
Classic champagne cocktails
These cocktails are made with brut Champagne, you can use other bottle-fermented fizz, such as Spanish Cava or various French Crémants, which are rather cheaper than real Champagne:
Bucks fizz:mix freshly-squeezed orange juice with Champagne 1:1 (popular for special breakfasts and brunches) Kir Royale:pour 20 ml Creme de Cassis into a Champagne glass, then fill it up with fizzy (super for summer evenings) Champoo:pour 5 ml Amaretto into a glass, fill it up with Champagne. Add a few drops of lemon juice (this is my favourite one!) Black Velvet:mix draught Guinness with sparkling wine 50:50 (recommended for men) Bocuse: add 1 tsp blueberry and 2 tsp raspberry liqueur to a wine glass then fill with champagne (perfect in the summer!)
Weaker champagne cocktails
These cocktails are perfect for parties! They can be made with cheaper, tank-fermented sparkling wines – such as Asti, Prosecco, or Sekt.
Kombucha:fill a champagne glass up to ⅓ with Kombucha, then add cold sparkling wine. This drink is an excellent aperitif, as Kombucha is a herbal infusion which includes lactobacillus that helps digestion and metabolism. Elderflower:add 20 ml elderflower cordial to a champagne glass, then fill up with sparkling wine.For a Party:thinly slice 2 limes, put these in a bowl and add 8 Tbsp of elderflower cordial/ syrup. Refrigerate for an hour. Transfer this to a large jar, add lots of ice and pour half a bottle of champagne over it. Rhubarb:interesting combo, great autumn cocktail! Mix Rhubarb syrup with Champagne ⅓ : ⅔. Garnish with goosberries!Rhubarb syrup:bring to the boil 40g of sugar and half a liter of water, then add 150g rhubarb, cut into strips. Store in the refrigerator in a jar for at least 1 week prior to use (up to 6 weeks). California Dreaming:mix 80 ml pineapple juice with a few drops of kirsch then crush this with ice. Transfer this into a champagne glass, fill with fizz. Raspberry Sorbet Fizz: add one scoop of raspberry sorbet to a champagne glass, fill with champagne, garnish with raspberries. Very refreshing at summer garden parties and barbecues! Aperol Spritz:popular on the beaches of Italy, it’s not only refreshing but can be quite strong! Mix 3 parts of Prosecco with 2 parts of Aperol and 1 part soda water. Add plenty of ice and a slice of orange.
Strong champagne cocktails
These champagne cocktails are made with spirits, so the alcohol content is high. Be careful with them – drink just 1 or 2 glasses as an aperitif. Also, they are high in calories, so if you’re dieting stick to classic cocktails above!
Hot Brandy:crush 2 Tbsp of sugar syrup with mint leaves. Transfer to a blender, add 25 ml brandy and fill with champagne. Classic cocktail:add one sugar cube to a champagne glass, then dribble a couple of drops of Angosturas bitters over it. After 1-2 minutes, pour 25 ml brandy and 100 ml champagne over it. Garnish with strips of orange peel. Popular at Christmas or New Year’s Eve as a welcoming drink! French Cocktail: fill a champagne glass with 6-8 crushed ice cubes. Add 25 ml gin, the squeezed juice of half a lemon and 1 tsp sugar, then fill with champagne. Perfect for celebrations! New Orleans cocktail: mix 20 ml of rum with 10 ml of peach liqueur and ½ teaspoon of orange and lime juice. Transfer this to a champagne glass, fill with champagne Berry cocktail: crush two raspberries and two blackberries with 10 ml raspberry & 10 ml blackberry liqueurs. Transfer to a champagne glass, then fill with champagne. Perfect drink at garden parties in the Summer!
The above elegant and delicious champagne cocktails are great for festive occasions and parties all year round! Do remember to preparenon-alcoholic cocktailsfor those who can’t or won’t drink alcohol!
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