Champagne cocktails: 10 simple recipes at home

Champagne turns any event into a celebration: its golden splashes, the play of bubbles playing in the crystal, fascinate and give us celebration and fun. But sometimes we want to turn it into an even more magical drink - and then we resort to cocktails. They are most often light, delicate and pleasant to drink.

Usually, champagne-based cocktails are grouped into tops of 5-10 recipes, but we did it differently - we collected all the best ones without subjecting them to mathematical calculations.

Using champagne in cocktails

Depending on the concentration of alcohol and the ingredients used, all recipes for champagne cocktails can be divided into the following groups:

• Alcohol. To prepare them, other alcoholic components are mixed with wine. It can be vodka, liqueur, or cognac - it depends on the recipe;
• Fruity. From this family is the Bellini cocktail of champagne and peaches already familiar to our readers;
• With ice cream. Very gentle, delicate drinks that will perfectly complement the dessert menu.

Sparkling wines are not only drinks with a bright taste and mood, but also with a rather capricious character. In order for them to fully reveal their taste and “game”, they need to create the right conditions. This trend has partially transferred to champagne-based cocktails.

General recommendations

To ensure that champagne cocktails at home do not differ from the creations of professional bartenders and that your drink is admired, you should listen to a few simple tips:

• Chill both ingredients and serving glasses well;
• Do not take the dishes end-to-end - a full glass should have at least 30% free volume. This is both beautiful and allows you to feel the bouquet;
• You need to pour sparkling wines into a glass and stir them carefully so that the bubbles do not disperse prematurely;
• Only quality ingredients. This applies to both main components and auxiliary ones;
• You can adjust the strength and sweetness of your cocktails yourself, but try to use a measuring cup to consistently create the best version of the drink.

But theory does not cause a pleasant dizziness and aftertaste, so let’s move on to practice.

General Tips

To make cocktails tasty and rich, you must consider the following recommendations:

• It is not recommended to shake champagne in cocktails. Rising, the bubbles will cause rapid intoxication.
• It is recommended to refrigerate the ingredients. The same goes for glasses.
• Use high-quality sparkling wine to make cocktails. A low-quality drink will not only spoil the taste of the aperitif, but will also give you a headache in the morning. The same applies to juices, liqueurs, ice cream and other recipe ingredients.
• The recipe for some cocktails involves the use of dry champagne. In this case, you can take prosecco or brut.
• In recipes where the specific type of drink is not specified, you can use any type of sparkling wine - both semi-sweet and brut. You can also use white or pink sparkling wine, but the taste in this case will change slightly.
• It is recommended to use large glasses for preparing aperitifs. Their size should be approximately 30% larger than the volume of all components together.
• Pour the drink into the glass smoothly, without shaking. The finished cocktail is carefully stirred with a spoon.
• It is not recommended to mix large amounts of alcoholic beverages in one aperitif.
• Champagne goes well with many other ingredients. It is often used to prepare women's cocktails. You can combine it with various fruits and fruit purees. It could be berries, mango, pineapple.
• Men prefer stronger recipes, for example, a combination of sparkling wine with whiskey, vodka, and absinthe. When preparing them, you must strictly adhere to the indicated dosages.
• Most cocktails require only a shaker; some require a shaker and a separate container. Mix and pour the ingredients carefully so that the ingredients do not shake too much.

Martini with champagne

A particular favorite of the fair sex, thanks to its light taste and aromatic bouquet. It's quite easy to prepare:

• Place crushed ice in the bottom of a chilled tall glass. It is important that it is not too small, but not large either;
• Gently pour 150 ml of sparkling wine and 100 ml of Martini Bianco on top;
• Add a couple of spoons of syrup and serve without stirring with a straw.

And here is another interesting version with the poetic name “Pink Sunset”:

• Place several small ice cubes in the bottom of a tall glass;
• Pour 10 ml of strawberry syrup over them;
• Add 50 ml Martini Rosso;
• Add 100 ml of champagne;
• Serve without stirring.

For those who like more elegant combinations, you can prepare Martini Royale:

• Place ice on the bottom of the glass;
• Pour in the juice of ¼ lemon or half a lime (can be sweetened if desired);
• Add 75 ml of Martini Bianco and champagne.

If you replace the lemon juice with cherry juice and the white vermouth with pink, you get a Red Royal Martini.

Original cocktails in 10–15 minutes

6. Hugo cocktail (for those who are crazy about mojitos )

Compound:

• sparkling mineral water – 50 ml;
• champagne – 50 ml;
• sugar syrup - 2 tablespoons;
• mint – 5–6 leaves;
• lime – 1/2 piece (optional);
• ice.

Cooking method:

1. Place mint leaves in a glass and mash them.
2. Add sugar syrup and ice.
3. Pour in champagne and mineral water.
4. Add lime slices if desired. Ready!

7. Apple cocktail (for those whose favorite fruit is apple )

Compound:

• apple - 1 piece;
• egg white – 1 piece;
• sugar – 1 tablespoon;
• champagne – 150 ml;
• ice - 1/2 cup.

Cooking method:

1. Separate the white from the yolk, mix the sugar with the white.
2. Beat the mixture until foamy.
3. Grate the apple (or grind the pieces in a blender).
4. Mix applesauce with protein foam.
5. Add ice to the mixture and grind.
6. Add champagne. Ready!

8. Champagne Ice (for those who cannot live without ice cream)

Compound:

• champagne – 50 ml;
• ice cream – 100 grams;
• strawberries – 50 grams;
• mint – 2-3 leaves.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the strawberries into small pieces (you can buy frozen strawberries in bags).
2. Finely chop the mint.
3. Mix strawberries, ice cream and mint in a glass.
4. Pour champagne into a glass. Ready!

9. Martini Royal (for those who love classic cocktails)

Compound:

• white vermouth – 75 ml;
• champagne – 75 ml;
• lemon – 1 quarter;
• mint – 2 leaves (optional);
• ice in cubes.

Cooking method:

1. Fill the glass with ice.
2. Pour vermouth and champagne into it.
3. Squeeze a quarter of a lemon into a glass.
4. Stir and garnish with mint leaves.

Champagne with juice

This fruit family would hardly fit even on the pages of a small book, so let’s look at the brightest and most popular options. Let's start with the “classics of the genre” - the fairly popular Mimosa cocktail:

• Pour 40 ml of cold orange juice into a tall glass or wine glass (from a bag can also be used, but it won’t taste quite right);
• Add 40 ml of cold champagne;
• Gently stir with a spoon and garnish with lemon zest and a sprig of mint.

Also popular is a democratized version of the Bellini cocktail, in which they decided to use juice instead of peach puree. It's very easy to prepare:

• Pour 50 ml of peach juice with pulp into a chilled glass;
• Add 100 ml of champagne;
• Mix carefully with a spoon.

And now for something a little unusual – the “Fizzy Kiwi” cocktail. It's not very difficult to prepare:

• Using an immersion blender, puree 100 grams of kiwi pulp. The result will be a fairly liquid puree;
• Place the resulting smoothie in a tall glass and add 30 ml of orange juice;
• Add 30 ml of champagne and mix lightly;
• Garnish with lemon zest, a slice of kiwi or a sprig of mint.

And finally, another version of “Mimosa”, but stronger:

• Decorate the glass with a sugar rim;
• Carefully pour in 10 ml of orange liqueur and 50 ml of juice;
• Add 100 ml of champagne;
• Mix carefully.

And since we mentioned the new component, let's move on to the next point.

Mix a cocktail with red wine

Most red wines are suitable for mixed drinks, but it would be a terrible waste to use vintage or any expensive regional wines for this purpose. However, you should not take everything that comes to hand. Firstly, always try to hunt for inexpensive dry wines, semi-sweet at most - they are a good base for any wine cocktail, the recipe of which necessarily contains a sweetener. Second, always consider other ingredients and regional variations.

Are you preparing a cocktail with cognac? Choose a wine with a strong tannin profile: Tempranillo, Durif, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc. Are you preparing a drink from the Sangria family? Give preference to fruit wines: Merlot, Garnacha, Carignan, Negroamaro, Barbera, Zinfandel, etc. Have you decided to mix Kalimocho, which opens this collection? Well, Spanish state employees will help you with this best: Garnacha, Tempranillo, Mourvèdre.

Kalimotxo is a popular cocktail in Spain consisting of equal parts red wine and cola.

It appeared in the 1970s, presumably during the Puerto Viejo festival in the Basque Country, where it quickly won the attention of young people and became a true icon of Basque culture. According to legend, Kalimocho was invented by vendors at one of the "txosna" (alcohol stands at Basque festivals) who noticed that their wine was not in the best shape, so they decided to mix it with something to mask the sour taste.

Later, the cocktail began to be mixed directly into two-liter bottles of cola, replacing half the contents with local red wine. So young Basques could bring wine to places where alcohol was prohibited.

Cocktail Kalimocho / Kalimotxo

• 90 ml red wine
• 90 ml Coca-Cola
• slice of lemon

Mix wine and cola in a tall highball glass and garnish with a lemon wedge.

In general, red wines, especially those with a strong fruit profile, should be accompanied by similarly fruity ingredients.

Cocktail Peasant / The Paysan

• 480 ml red wine
• 240 ml cranberry juice
• 120 ml orange juice
• 120 ml raspberry liqueur
• 90 ml cold Sprite
• lemon and orange zest
• thinly sliced ​​lime

Combine wine, juices and raspberry liqueur in a jug. Leave the jug in the refrigerator for 2 hours until the drink is completely cooled. Then pour the cocktail into glasses with ice, adding 15 ml of cold Sprite, thin strips of zest and lime wedges to each.

Or even rethink the classics, for example, a Moscow Mule is not necessarily vodka! By the way, ginger beer for Win-Win Mule can and, given the shortage of this drink in the CIS, even need to be prepared yourself.

Cocktail Win-Win Mule / Win-Win Mule

• 120 ml red wine
• 15 ml Maraschino liqueur
• 15 ml Crème de Mûre liqueur (blackberry liqueur)
• ginger beer
• sprig of rosemary for garnish

Add wine and liqueurs to a copper mug with ice. Top up with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Red wine also goes well with milk, which few people know. Especially if you flavor this mixture with a bar of good dark chocolate.

Hot chocolate with red wine

• 170 g bitter dark chocolate
• 80 ml fruity red wine (Pinot noir, Shiraz, Beaujolais)
• 240 ml milk
• 150 ml water
• pinch of kosher salt
• sugar for garnish

Place the broken chocolate in a small saucepan with a thick bottom, add wine and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted (about 3 minutes). Add water, milk and salt, bring to a boil and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into 2 heatproof mugs and, if desired, add a pinch of sugar on top.

And here we have a classic, mulled wine, but with its own specifics.

Mulled wine with muscovado sugar

• 750 ml fruity red wine (Zinfandel, Merlot, etc.)
• zest from 1 large orange
• 1.5 cups muscovado sugar or other dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 8cm cinnamon stick
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly crushed

Place the spices in a gauze bag and hang them in a pan of suitable volume. Add wine, orange zest, bay leaf and put on fire. Boil the mulled wine over low heat for 10 minutes, remove, let steep for 30 minutes, remove the zest and spices. Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Mulled wine should be served warm in heat-resistant glasses or mugs.

Champagne with liqueur

Let's start this page with a delicate, very girly cocktail, Kir Royal. Elementary preparation:

• Pour a teaspoon of raspberry and cherry liqueur into a narrow glass;
• Carefully add 100 ml of champagne;
• Serve without stirring; you can “drop” a berry into the glass.

The next hero is the Turquoise cocktail, which looks great at youth parties. To prepare, arm yourself with a chilled shaker:

• Place 15 ml of vodka, 20 ml of Chartreuse liqueur, 25 ml of lemon juice into it;
• Shake everything well and pour into a glass with ice (6-7 cubes);
• Add 100 ml of champagne to this and you are ready to serve.

The liqueur series will be completed by a variant with coffee liqueur “Black and White”:

• Pour 30 ml of coffee liqueur into the bottom of a glass or glass;
• Carefully pour in 120 ml of champagne;
• Garnish with a few coffee beans.

The next category of our review is not inferior in popularity to variations with liqueur or juice.

Champagne with ice cream

It’s not easy to figure out right away what you have in your glass: a dessert or a cocktail, but one thing is certain - it’s very tasty and bright. For example, the Champagne Ice cocktail:

• Cut 50 grams of strawberries into pieces (not very finely);
• Add 3-4 leaves of finely chopped mint there;
• Add 100 ml of soft ice cream and stir;
• Place the mixture in a glass;
• Pour 50 ml of champagne on top;
• Garnish with mint, strawberries and serve.

There is also a simple but universal recipe. You can use any liqueur for it, but fruit and berry liqueur is better:

• Place a few ice cubes in a glass;
• Place a scoop of ice cream on them;
• Drizzle three teaspoons of liqueur over top;
• Add 100-150 ml of champagne.

Now all these easy recipes aside, let's start ramping things up.

Aperol Spritz

This Venetian cocktail is not complete without plenty of ice. Pour in a little Aperol or Campari liqueur, a little more than half the champagne and sparkling water.

• Cocktail "Aperol Spritz"
• Spritz with grapefruit

Gin and champagne

One of the options based on this strong component is Juniper Royale:

• Place 30 ml of gin, 15 ml each of orange and cranberry juice, a couple of drops of grenadine in a shaker;
• Shake well and pour through a stainer into a flute glass;
• Add 150 ml of champagne and serve.

The second refined version of “French 75”:

• Place 50 ml of lemon juice in a shaker;
• Add 50 ml of gin and 1 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• Shake for about a minute;
• Place 150 grams of ice cubes in a glass and pour the mixture over them;
• Pour 100 ml of champagne on top and serve with a straw.

Whiskey with champagne

Let's start our acquaintance with the Champagne Cobbler cocktail:

• Place a cube of cane sugar at the bottom of the glass and soak it with a couple of drops of Angostura bitters balsam;
• Pour in 10 ml of whiskey;
• Add 90 ml of champagne;
• Decorate and serve.

Another version is “Yellow Sky”. Prepare as follows:

• Place 30 ml of whiskey, 15 ml of lemon juice and honey syrup, 5 ml of absinthe and ice in a shaker;
• Shake everything very well and pour through a stainer into a flute glass;
• Add 100 ml sparkling wine.

Aperitifs, amaro, sparkling wine and more...

Adriatique Adriatic

At first glance, it may seem that all cocktails are similar to each other, but this one is completely special. Amaro and Aperol create a bitter and sweet backbone that brings out the orange juice in a new way. This cocktail is the perfect aperitif, and since it's quite light, it makes sense to mix up a whole pitcher at once.

Campari Spritz Campari Spritz

This version of the Aperol Spritz cocktail is heavier, so it can be served with appetizers like olives or cured meats, and it's no surprise that it goes so well with an olive garnish.

Courting Two Sisters Cocktail Courting Two Sisters

The literal translation of the name of this cocktail is “Wooing Two Sisters,” which are white and red vermouth. There is, however, both a play on words and an homage to the Court of Two Sisters restaurant in New Orleans, where you and I are unlikely to visit, so the main thing to remember is that in order for the cocktail to be tasty, the vermouth must be fresh.

Sparkling Suze Cocktail Sparkling Suze

This cocktail combines two not-so-common liqueurs, so this is a drink for those who are already tired of classic cocktails and want something new. The difficulty of accessing the ingredients is more than compensated by the ease of preparation and complex, complex taste.

Grapefruit And Ginger Sparkler

An excellent cocktail for brunch, which successfully combines prosecco or other sparkling wine and ginger liqueur. Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice successfully balances this pairing, preventing the cocktail from becoming too sweet.

Negroni Sbagliato Incorrect Negroni

Same vermouth, same triple sec, only prosecco instead of gin. The perfect cocktail for those days when you don't feel ready for more serious drinks.

Bitter Mimosa Bitter Mimosa

If you love bitter cocktails, you definitely have a bottle of artichoke amaro from Sicily at home. It changes the classic Mimosa cocktail beyond recognition: a sweet and straightforward drink with orange juice turns into something bitter, fresh and mysterious.

Vodka with champagne

In addition to the classic “Northern Lights”, you can also make a “Flirtini” cocktail using vodka:

• In a shaker, mix 15 ml of vodka, 30 ml of pineapple juice and a few pieces of pineapple with ice;
• Carefully pour everything through a strainer into a martini glass;
• Add 90 ml of sparkling wine on top;
• Add a piece of pineapple to the cocktail and you can treat your guests.

If you need something more serious, try surprising connoisseurs with the Flamingo Champagne cocktail:

• Pour 20 ml of vodka and Campari liqueur into a glass;
• Add 150 ml of very cold champagne;
• Garnish with an orange slice.

Be careful, this cocktail is very dizzying.

Cocktail Mimosa

By the way, this cocktail with a very light taste is perfect for a celebration.

Its ingredients:

• Orange liqueur - 20 ml.
• Champagne - 150 ml.
• Orange juice - 50 ml.
• Sugar - a large spoon.

"Mimosa"

First, the liqueur is poured into a small plate, and the sugar is poured into a saucer. The edges of the glass are dipped into alcohol and then into sugar. This is necessary for a sweet rim. After this, the remaining liqueur, juice and champagne are poured into the glass. The cocktail is decorated with zest.

Cognac with champagne

From the combination of these two components, a surprisingly and unexpectedly delicate “Peach Haze” cocktail is born.

• Place one peach (pitted, of course) in a blender container;
• Add 25 ml each of fresh orange juice and cognac;
• Puree everything and pour into a glass;
• Add 50 ml of champagne.

But the “Champagne cocktail” is considered more classic for this tandem:

• Place a sugar cube at the bottom of the glass;
• Pour a few drops of Angostura onto it and let it soak in;
• Pour in 20 ml of cognac;
• Top up with 100 ml champagne.

Bellini

This drink was invented by bartender from Venice Giuseppe Cipriani. The name of the cocktail is in honor of Giovanni Bellini, the artist who created unique tones of pink.

Ingredients of this drink:

• Champagne - 100 ml.
• One peach.
• Sugar - a small spoon.

Bellini

The fruit is peeled and ground in a blender with sugar. The puree is transferred into a glass and cold champagne is poured into it. Representatives of the world famous bohemia loved this drink very much.

Beer with champagne

The most famous cocktail based on this is “Black Velvet”:

• Pour 120 ml of dark beer into a glass;
• Carefully place 120 ml of champagne on top;
• Serve without stirring.

Its variation (or relative) can be considered “Golden Velvet”:

• Pour 100 ml of champagne into a beer glass;
• Add 25 ml of pineapple juice there;
• Complete the set with 100 ml light beer;
• Gently stir with a spoon and serve.

So we got acquainted with only part of the huge variety of cocktails that can be prepared using champagne. Enjoy your experiments!

Cocktail Black velvet

This combination won't seem so strange once you taste the cocktail properly. It consists of 1 part dry Irish stout, and up to 4 parts champagne. After a while you will get the hang of it and feel the endlessly developing aftertaste.

• Cocktail “Black Velvet”
• Black Velvet cocktail with Guinness beer