Anyone can open a bottle of bubbly, but you can show off this New Year’s Eve with these easy, yet super impressive, sparkling wine cocktails.
The key to a great New Year’s Eve bash is the sparkling wine. While we colloquially refer to all bubbly as champagne, the truth of the matter is most of us are not drinking true champagne.
A few definitions
- Champagne – refers to sparkling wine grown, fermented, and bottled in Champagne, France. If you are drinking anything else, it’s best to call it a sparkling wine to be technically correct.
- Prosecco – Prosecco used to be called the poor man’s Champagne; it’s actually a sparkling wine from Italy.
- Cava – Cava is delicious sparkling wine from Spain.
While you will find other sparkling wines in any good liquor store, these are the three main region specific sparkling wines. Everything else in the package store will be called sparkling wine. Just as if you were drinking it on its own, it does matter what kind of sparkling wine you use for cocktails. The best bet is to go to a good wine store and tell the staff what your plans are. They will be able to tell you what will taste best in your price range.
Now that you understand the basics, here are the cocktails.
7 Sparkling Wine Cocktails
- French 75 – Made with gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Brut Champagne, this cocktail can be served in either a Collins glass or a Champagne flute/coupe. It has a little bit of a kick.
- Black Velvet – This dramatic looking cocktail is made with stout (usually Guinness) and sparkling wine. Fill a glass halfway with wine and top off with the stout.
- Kir Royale – A deliciously sweet concoction made with sparkling wine topped with crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur).
- St. Germaine Spritzer – St. Germaine is a subtle elderflower liqueur. It pairs well with sparkling wine, club soda, and a lemon twist in this recipe for a lighter cocktail.
- Prosecco Sangria – We love the idea of making a New Year’s Eve Sangria for guests. This recipe calls for the addition of stone fruits and peach brandy, but you could vary the fruits and brandy depending on your tastes. Champagne Cocktail
- Chambord and Champagne – For a twist on the Kir Royale, try adding Chambord instead. Chambord is a sweet black raspberry liqueur.
- Sparkling Margarita – Mix up a pitcher of these sparkling wine margaritas from chef Rick Bayless for a real party on New Year’s.
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