Easy Champagne Cocktails That Aren't Mimosas
Easy Champagne Cocktails That Aren't Mimosas
Champagne: the drink of celebratory cheers and wedding toasts. But why should we save it for special occasions? Sure, we mix an ounce of champagne with a drop of OJ for our (at-home) brunch mimosas, but we don't think of champagne as the go-to mixer when we wanna get our drank on after the sun goes down. Why though? You can get a decent bottle of champagne at a comparable price to our lord and savior, vodka, it's certainly versatile, and it adds that nice bubbly kick that you can't get with other alcohol.
If that's not a convincing enough elevator pitch, then the recipes below will 100 percent bring you on board. When I said champagne is a versatile addition to any drink, I meant it. There's an option for the berry lovers, the honey fanatics, and even the peppermint diehards. It adds the bit of carbonation that you didn't know you needed in your drinks, and once you sip your first champagne cocktail, you may never go back to your old ways.
Below are the best champagne cocktail recipes to kick off your new love for a bubbly drink. Since weddings and special occasions are few and far between, let's normalize drinking champagne on the reg since, well, every day is worth celebrating.
1) Berries & Bubbles
In a shaker, muddle 5-6 fresh raspberries and ? oz. fresh lemon juice. To the muddled fruit, add in 2 oz. gin, 1 oz. elderflower liqueur and ice. Shake for about 10 seconds, or until the shaker is cold. Double strain the cocktail into a glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with an edible flower and edible gold flakes!
Recipe by Potent Pours.
2) Mint to Bee
Muddle a small amount of mint with 2 dashes Scrappy’s Cardamom Bitters. Add mint and bitters mixture, 1 dash Fernet Branca, 1 oz. Manuka honey syrup, 1 oz. lime juice, and 2 oz. Santa Teresa 1796 Rum with ice in a Boston shaker. Shake and double strain into a flute glass, top with champagne and garnish with lime string.
Recipe by Anthony Bates.
3) Sea Islands 75
Combine 1 ? oz. gin, syrup, 2 fresh cucumber slices and ? oz. lemon juice in a shaking tin with ice. Shake vigorously for 5-10 seconds. Double strain and pour into a coupe glass with ice. Top with your favorite Champagne. Garnish with dehydrated lemon or lemon twist. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe by MIGUEL BUENCAMINO OF HOLY CITY HANDCRAFT
4) St-Germain Spritz
Fill a tall Collins glass with ice. Add 2 oz. Brut Champagne first, then 1 ? oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, then 2 oz. club soda. Stir completely and then garnish with a lemon twist.
Recipe by St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur.
5) La Casona
Stir together 1 oz. Patrón Extra A?ejo, ? Patrón Citrónge Orange, 3 dashes Angostura Bitters, and 4 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters in a chilled champagne glass. Top with 3 oz. cold champagne. Garnish with a long twist of an orange peel.
Presented by Stephen Halpin for Patrón.
6) NOLET’S Silver Watermelon Sparkler Punch
Add 750 ml NOLET's Silver Dry Gin, 24 oz. watermelon juice, 375 ml lemon juice, 375 ml agave nectar, and watermelon chunks into a bowl. Stir well to ensure agave liquifies with other contents. Refrigerate to chill and top with 750 ml sparkling wine.
Recipe by NOLET's.
7) Champagne POP
Pour 3 drops bitters onto a sugar cube and let soak in. Place sugar cube in a champagne flute. Add 1 oz. cognac and top with Bolla Prosecco.
Recipe by Bolla Prosecco.
8) Red Eye
Add 1? Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, 3 oz. Prosecco, 4 dashes Scrappys chocolate bitters, and 2 dashes saltwater to a wineglass. Garnish with a lemon peel.
Recipe by the Loyal in New York.
9) Truly Citrus Sparkler
Combine 1 oz. gin, ? oz. St. Germain, and ? oz lemon juice in cocktail shaker. Strain mixture into a flute. Top with 4 oz. Truly Hard Seltzer Lemon & Yuzu. Garnish with a lemon twist and edible glitter.
Recipe by Truly Hard Seltzer.
Because you already know how to make that one.