Champagne is for special occasions and for celebrations, and no wedding feels complete without at least one champagne toast. But why just serve straight bubbly when you can fancy it up with a bit of juice, syrup or liqueur? Below are some of our favorite ideas for wedding-worthy champagne cocktails.
Champagne Cocktail: A classic. Champagne, cognac, sugar cube, bitters. Garnish with a twist of lemon. Recipe here.
French 75: Refined. Champagne, simple syrup, lemon juice and gin. Recipe here. Add St. Germain (elderflower liqueur) and you’ve got a French 77.
Perfect for a brunch or afternoon wedding, offer guests Champagne with their choice of juice: classic OJ, pomegranate, peach puree (technically a Bellini), strawberry puree (a Rossini), grapefruit juice or whatever else catches your fancy. Next to the bar, offer a variety of cut-up fruits for garnish.
Black Velvet: Stout beer and bubbly, perfect for a hot summer night. Recipe here.
Champagne Granita: As much a slushy dessert as a cocktail. Orange juice, superfine sugar, elderflower liqueur, Champagne. Recipe here.
Champagne Mojito: A festive twist. Sugar, water, mint, limes, rum and Champagne. Recipe here.
Champagne Punch 1: Light and sweet. Blueberries, raspberries, peaches, simple syrup, lemon juice and Champagne. Recipe here.
Champagne Punch 2: Packs more of a (tropical) punch (no pun intended). Orange, pineapple, mint strawberries, Cointreau, brandy, club soda and Champagne. Recipe here.
Cork County Bubbles: Irish whiskey, chartreuse, lemon juice, honey, Champagne. Recipe here.
Cranberry Kir Royal: Perfect for the holiday season. Whole-berry cranberry sauce, sugar, vodka, Champagne. Needs to be made ahead of time. Recipe here.
A note on your choice of bubbly: Because you’re mixing the sparkling wine with other ingredients, there is no need to buy super fancy bottles. Any nuance will get lost in the mix of the cocktail. That said, don’t pick a bubbly that tastes bad on its own – it’ll still be the main flavor in most of the above drinks. Go with something middle-of-the-road.
Also, most of these recipes recommend brut (the driest) Champagne. But if you prefer sweeter cocktails, by all means go with an extra dry or dry (despite the name, those are sweeter than brut).
Lastly, Champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France. You may want to consider cava (Spanish bubbly) or Prosecco (Italian). Each is made from a different type of grape and has a different amount of fizz. And obviously, each type comes in varying levels of dryness/sweetness. Experiment with different bottles until you find what you like.