New Year’s Eve just isn’t New Year’s Eve without that *POP* of the cork. All year ’round, whenever I crack open a bottle of bubbly, I say (usually to myself) “Happy New Year!”
For some, though, drinking champagne all night long could be a dangerous and/or costly proposition. By mixing things up a bit and offering your guests a champagne cocktail, you’re sure to impress, as well as ensure the bubbly lasts till midnight!
Everyone knows that champagne has to be from the Champagne region of France, but don’t limit yourself to just champagne—there are lots of great bubbly, affordable alternatives out there. It’s just that “champagne cocktails” sounds better than “sparkling wine cocktails,” you see.
One of my favorite sparkling wines for a budget is Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava, which can generally be found for under $10 a bottle. Prosecco is generally affordable as well and a good selection can be found at most wine and liquor stores.
For the purposes of the recipes below, I’ll just refer to sparkling wine as “bubbly.” For each recipe, serve up in a champagne flute:
The Codita
½ oz. Strawberry vodka
½ oz. Pineapple juice
Top with bubbly
Garnish with a strawberry
St-Germain and Bubbly
½ oz. St-Germain
Fill rest of glass with bubbly
Garnish with a slice of pear or apple
Clementine Mimosa
½ oz. Fresh-squeezed clementine juice
Fill rest of glass with bubbly
Make Your Own Mimosa
½ oz. of your favorite fruit juice puree (pear, apricot, passion fruit…)
Fill rest of glass with bubbly
Bellini
½ oz. Good-quality peach juice
Fill rest of glass with bubbly
Kir Royal
½ oz. Crème de cassis
Fill rest of glass with bubbly
Cheers! Happy New Year!
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