Top 5 Champagne Cocktail Recipes to Liven Up Your Bubbly This NYE
We’re almost at the end of the year. That means we’ve got a new year to look forward to, and there’s a big party coming our way: New Year’s Eve! Whether you celebrate with your family or friends, NYE is the night when we can toast to all the ups and downs of the last 12 months. And what’s usually in the glasses we raise? Champagne!
Despite the tradition of popping bottles and spraying them everywhere at midnight, many people prefer to avoid the taste of champagne. For some, it’s too fizzy. For others, it’s just too dry. If you’re one of those party hosts who wants to toss the bubbly, hop over to our list of great NYE cocktails here. But if you’re going to keep up the tradition of having some champs when the clock strikes 12, you could spruce up the golden elixir and make it more enjoyable for everyone at the party.
We compiled a list of our Top 5 champagne cocktail recipes that will add something extra to the classic drink. Cheers!
5. Lemon Raspberry Fizz
Let’s start with something easy. Popsugar has a simple recipe that only uses a few ingredients and is perfect for the NYE ladies’ night.
The Lemon Raspberry Fizz brings limoncello and the champs for a nice citrus flavor. The Italian liqueur will also mellow out the tart and bitter notes in the sparkling wine you decide to mix it with. After mixing the two, put it to the side and let the flavors come together. Then take champagne flutes like these (we suggest plastic in case you’ve got a rager on your hands) and fill them with crushed ice and fresh or frozen raspberries, depending on your preference. Then, pour your mixture on the top of each glass and serve.
These cocktails aren’t just perfect for New Year’s Eve — they’re also great for the New Year’s Day brunch that’s sure to follow.
4. Champagne and Whiskey Cocktail
If you want something more substantial, why not add some whiskey to your bubbly? Sure, it sounds like a weird combination, but Likehearted takes the classic whiskey sour recipe and adds some class with sparkling wine.
In her recipe, she combines blackberries, agave nectar, and an ounce of whiskey into a cocktail shaker like this. Then, with a muddler, she crushed the fruit into the agave and liquor and added some lemon juice. After adding ice, she shakes it all together and pours it into a champagne flute. Finally, she tops the whole thing off with her favorite bubbly.
3. Black Velvet Champagne Cocktail
If you’ve got beer drinkers at the party, you can serve a black velvet champagne cocktail. While some might say champagne gone dark should be thrown out, this one combines a stout with sparkling wine.
As the YouTube video above mentions, it was a cocktail created in London’s Brook’s Club in 1861. Fill a chilled champagne glass with half Irish stout and half brut or dry champagne. You can use a cocktail mixing spoon like the one in this kit to add the bubbly slowly into the glass so it sits on top of the beer nicely. And that’s it! If you want it to resemble more of the beer than a cocktail, then you could serve them in these stemless champagne glasses.
2. Apple Cider Mimosa
Apples are usually viewed as autumnal, but there is something comforting about apple cider in the winter. You can bring that homeliness to champagne with an apple cider mimosa. And Delish has an excellent recipe for it.
You’ll need to line some champagne flutes with cinnamon sugar like this pre-mixed one from Primal Palate. Pick out your favorite apple cider — maybe one you grabbed from the local farmers’ market — and pour that into the freshly rimmed glasses. Finally, top off each one with your favorite sparkling wine.
This drink is excellent for dinner, at the stroke of midnight, and well into brunch the following day. And what makes it even better is that it takes less than a minute to complete.
1. The French 75
And finally, the champagne cocktail list is complete with the mother of all classic bubbly concoctions: the French 75. This drink dates back to the World War I era. And even though it might be an oldie, it’s still a goodie.
You’ll need four ingredients: lemon, sugar syrup, gin, and champagne. So think a gimlet with all the bubbly. While your champagne glass is chilling, squeeze some lemon into another drink with a juicer, and then add some sugar syrup and gin with a cocktail measuring cup called a jigger. Add ice to that cup and shake it to combine all the ingredients. Then empty the champagne glass, pour the mixture in, and top it off with some bubbly. Add a nice garnish like a cherry to finish the drink, and serve.
Which champagne cocktail are you going to try this NYE? Let us know in the comments below!
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