During Christmas and New Year’s, we all tend to drink more champagne than any other time of the year. It’s a period of celebration and with so many gatherings of family and friends, you’re bound to collect a few bottles of this oh-so-precious French grape juice by the time New Year rolls around.
The trouble is, by the time you get to the evening of the 31st you might be all champagned out. Impossible surely, but no it can happen. While some believe you can never have too much of a good thing, it is certainly possible to overdo it on the bubbles. Which is exactly where champagne cocktails come in.
Thankfully over the years, we have collected our fair share of cocktail recipes that use champagne as a base. From classic French 75s and Kir Royale’s, to options that are a little more extravagant, there are countless ways to spice up a glass of champagne. Just remember this is a great way of using up your cheaper bottles, perhaps that brut your weird uncle brought round. Save the good stuff to enjoy neat.
The Blue Baburu by Hpnotiq
After all the fuss and hullabaloo of Christmas, it’s likely a few of us may be all partied out by the time we get to the 31st, but fear not, the first of our Champagne cocktails possesses mystical color-changing capabilities. If that doesn’t get you in the mood for the new year, nothing will.
Ingredients
1oz Hpnotiq
Related
5oz Japanese Whiskey
.5oz Lemon
4 Dashes Peach Bitters
Content from our partners
3oz Brut Champagne
Method:
Mix all ingredients in a shaker except the champagne. Shake with one ice cube. Pour 3 oz of champagne into a glass. Pour the mixture cocktail mixer over top of the champagne. Garnish with a decorative lemon peel and half rim (approximately 1” deep) of fine sugar
The Blue Walker by the Beaufort Bar at The Savoy
This little number is an elegant and refreshing serve, that pairs Johnnie Walker Blue Label with the light citrus notes of both grapefruit cordial and bitters. The official recipe calls for it all to be topped off with Laurent Perrier Heritage champagne because the bartenders at The Savoy simply can’t help themselves, but I’m sure nobody will notice if you just use any old champagne.
Ingredients
1oz Johnnie Walker Blue Label
2oz Clarified Grapefruit Cordial
2 Dashes grapefruit bitters
Laurent Perrier Heritage champagne
Method
Pour the Johnnie Walker Blue Label into a tall glass with ice, before adding the grapefruit cordial and a couple dashes of grapefruit bitters. Stir it all to combine before topping everything off with some Laurent Perrier Heritage Champagne.
Patrón El Cielo Tequila Royale
Champagne and tequila – it’s not a combination often seen in cocktails, mostly for fear of the resulting headache the next day. But pick a high-quality tequila and such worries are unfounded. Our top pick this holiday season is Patrón El Cielo, a uniquely four-times-distilled tequila that is sweet, smooth and distinctly citrusy. Team it with your choice of champagne and a touch of simple syrup and lemon juice for an easy, refreshing New Year’s Eve cocktail.
Ingredients:
45ml Patrón El Cielo
15ml lemon juice
15ml simple syrup
90ml champagne
Orange twist (to garnish)
Method:
Add the tequila, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, and double strain into a champagne flute before topping with champagne. Garnish with and orange twist.
Champagne With Breakfast by The Dewberry Charleston
The Dewberry Charleston is a charming old-world hotel located in the heart of downtown Charleston. Within the hotel, you can find the Living Room, a charming brass bar complete with a curated reading library.
Every detail of the decor echoes The Dewberry’s history, right down to the wooden bowls hand-crafted by local artist Hugh Jeffers from the knots of a 150-year-old white oak tree that once stood nearby.
The bar team at the Living Room have created this champagne cocktail that blends the spice of rum and whisky with apple juice, and is topped with a celebratory splash of champagne. Be prepared for a slight kick as a couple dashes of scotch bonnet extract lend some heat to the libation.
Ingredients:
1 oz Virginia Black
1 oz Plantation 5 Year
.75 oz apple juice
.25 oz lemon juice
.25 oz simple syrup
2 dashes Scotch Bonnet extract
Topped with Haton champagne (Exclusive only to The Dewberry in SC)
Method: Add all ingredients sans champagne to shaker. Shake double strain into a coupe. Top with champagne and garnish with 3 thinly sliced apple slices, fanned out and dipped in cinnamon.
Grown Folk Mimosa by Uncle Nearest
An ever-present bastion of the hotel breakfast, a Mimosa could mean several things. It’s your wedding day, so perhaps a good idea to take the edge off. You’re on holiday, so it’s allowed. Or it’s Christmas morning (family are often more palatable after a glass of fizz).
However, Mimosas are a bit simple. Equal parts champagne and orange juice, it’s about as imaginative as cheese on toast. Uncle Nearest, the fastest-growing American whiskey in US history, has decided to shake things up with this champagne cocktail concoction, the Grown Folk Mimosa.
Ingredients:
½ oz Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey
½ oz triple sec like Cointreau
2 oz fresh orange juice
1.5 oz premium champagne
Method: Place Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, a champagne flute, and a bottle of triple sec into the freezer. Place the fresh orange juice and champagne in the fridge. Once all the ingredients are well-chilled pour all the ingredients except the champagne into the chilled flute and stir. Add the champagne and stir one last time very gently so as not to flatten the drink. Enjoy, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s too early.
Pink French 75 by Martini & Rossi
Looks aren’t everything, but an aesthetically pleasing cocktail always delights even before the first sip. The Pink French 75’s dreamy blush shade makes it almost too pretty to drink.
The classic French 75 uses gin, lemon juice, sugar and champagne. This version calls for Martini & Rossi Sparkling Rosé, hence the pink hue. The rosé is made from grapes harvested from the Piedmont region of Italy and has a blend of red and white grapes including Mocato, Prosecco and Brachetto.
Ingredients:
3oz Martini & Rossi Sparkling Rose
1oz. Bombay Sapphire
0.5oz lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
Method: Mix all ingredients except for the rosé in a shaker and pour into a coupe glass. Top with the rosé. Garnish with a lemon twist.
The Fleur Savage by Zoe Bradley
Zoe Bradley is an award-winning artist who creates astoundingly intricate sculptures from paper. Creating the sculptures by hand, Zoe specializes in floral-inspired showpieces and has worked with a number of big names — Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Michiko Koshino and Mont Blanc to name a few.
Zoe created her signature cocktail, the Fleur Savage. Zoe’s tipple of choice is a Lychee martini; the Fleur Savage is a bright berried and fragrant twist on her favorite drink. The pretty concoction was garnished with an edible paper petal and matcha laced stem.
If that sounds a little too intricate for your after-work beverage then fear not — this simplified recipe still hits the spot. It features Bramble Bombay Gin and the famed French St-Germain, an elderflower based liquor.
Ingredients:
1 oz. Bramble Bombay Gin
¾ oz. St~Germain
1 oz. Lychee Juice*
¼ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Top with sparkling rosé Wine
Method: To make the lychee juice, take one can of seedless lychee in syrup and blend until smooth. Then strain in a fine mesh strainer. Add the gin, St-Germain, lychee juice and lime juice to a shaker with ice. Shake then double strain into a champagne flute. Top with your preferred choice of sparkling rosé wine.
