If Champagne is the celebration drink par excellence, then a Champagne cocktail dials those celebrations up to 11. There’s arguably nothing better than offering your guests a sparkling cocktail in an elegant flute or coupe – or treating yourself to one when the guests have gone home.
The good news is that many Champagne cocktails are super-easy to make, and involve little more than pouring your ingredients into a glass. The Classic Champagne Cocktail (see below) is a case in point: if you can open a bottle, you can make this drink. No shaker required; simply drop a bitters-soaked sugar cube into the bottom of your glass, pour in Cognac and top with Champagne.
Classic mixes are a safe bet when it comes to creating crowd-pleasing drinks. But it’s also simple to put a festive twist on well-known recipes. Why not swap the peach purée of a summery Bellini for Christmassy cranberry for example?
Top tips for making Champagne cocktails
While it’s surprisingly easy to create drinks with wow factor at home, there are a few useful tips that will help you to make cocktails like a pro.
First of all, chill your glassware. Pop your Champagne flutes or coupes into the freezer for a couple of hours and you’ll get an ice-cold, frosted glass that not only looks the part but helps to keep your drink at a perfect temperature.
Second, don’t use vintage Champagne or exclusive cuvées in sparkling cocktails. The complexity of these prestige Champagnes will be lost in the mix, so choose a non-vintage (NV) brut style – or even an ultra-brut for sweeter cocktails (see below).
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Festive Champagne cocktails to make at home
Buck’s Fizz
The Buck’s Fizz was invented in 1921 at the Buck’s Club in London. Viewed by many as the classic breakfast cocktail, it’s also a great choice for festive celebrations thanks to its orange citrus taste. Exact quantities can be adjusted according to the size of your glass; just remember to always use a 2:1 ratio. Or for a lighter option, try a Mimosa. This twist on a Buck’s Fizz is a mix of equal parts Champagne and orange juice.
- Ingredients: 100ml Champagne, 50ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- Glass: Champagne flute
- Garnish: Orange slice
- Method: Pour the Champagne into a chilled flute, then pour in the orange juice.
Champagne Margarita
This recipe comes from The Cocktail Edit, a new book by Decanter contributor Alice Lascelles. ‘I can’t think of a combination more hedonistic than tequila and Champagne – and this one is wickedly good,’ she says. ‘It would be a great drink to kick off a party, or even as a thirst-quenching punch. Just lengthen with a bit of sparkling or still water and charge with lots of ice. For more elegance, serve in a coupe, undiluted, over a single ice cube.’
- Ingredients: 50ml tequila, 25ml lime juice, 12.5ml sugar syrup, 50ml Champagne
- Glass: Cocktail glass or rocks
- Garnish: Lime wheel
- Method: Shake the first three ingredients and strain over ice and top with Champagne
Classic Champagne Cocktail
One of the oldest cocktails, tracing its roots back to the mid-1800s, this simple mix is a decadent treat – plus it’s easy to make. Simply build the ingredients in the glass and stir gently to mix. No cocktail shaker required. Try Courvoisier VSOP Exclusif (£39.95, The Whisky Exchange) a Cognac created especially for use in cocktails.
- Ingredients: 1 sugar cube, 2 or 3 dashes Angostura Bitters, 20ml Cognac, Champagne to top
- Glass: Champagne flute
- Garnish: None
- Method: Drop the sugar cube into a chilled Champagne flute and saturate it with the bitters. Add the Cognac. Top up the glass with Champagne, stir gently to mix and serve.
French 75
Created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris by Harry MacElhone, this gin and fizz combo delivered such a kick that it felt like being shelled by a powerful French 75mm field gun used in World War I. A few of these will…
Source : https://www.decanter.com/spirits/cocktails/champagne-cocktails-to-make-at-home-450608/
